← Back to American Soul

10 songs that feel like American Soul

Matched to American Soul by U2 on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

American Soul
The song you love
American Soul
U2
intense 68/100 intensity 128 BPM
Liar — Queen intense 132 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (132 BPM).

5:15 — The Who intense 125 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (68/100). Same layered texture.

Knock Me Down — Red Hot Chili Peppers intense 126 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

Dear Rosemary — Foo Fighters intense 136 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

Sugarboy — St. Vincent intense 120 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

What Did I Do?/God as My Witness — Foo Fighters intense 140 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

F2F — SZA intense 142 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Measured 95% alike.

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On — Jerry Lee Lewis intense 134 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

Arlandria — Foo Fighters intense 135 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (135 BPM).

Radio Nowhere — Bruce Springsteen intense 150 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when American Soul is more than you want right now.

El Scorcho by Weezer
El Scorcho — Weezer moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9. Intensity 60/100, down from 68. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Thorn in My Side — Eurythmics moderate 124 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9, so it lands at 46/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Killing Floor by Howlin' Wolf
Killing Floor — Howlin' Wolf moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. Reads 49/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Forty Days and Forty Nights by Muddy Waters
Forty Days and Forty Nights — Muddy Waters moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. 49/100, versus the original's 68. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Fly by Night by Rush
Fly by Night — Rush moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9. Intensity 53/100, down from 68. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Can't Stand Losing You by The Police
Can't Stand Losing You — The Police moderate 142 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9, so it lands at 55/100 — the pull without the edge.

Holding Poison by Foo Fighters
Holding Poison — Foo Fighters moderate 128 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9. Reads 54/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Revolution by Bob Marley
Revolution — Bob Marley moderate 135 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. 50/100, versus the original's 68. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “American Soul” by U2?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Liar” by Queen, “5:15” by The Who, “Knock Me Down” by Red Hot Chili Peppers — the top match scores 99% alike. Matching is by how the songs actually move (intensity, dynamic range, texture, tempo, predictability, vocal force), not by genre tag or popularity.

What songs are like “American Soul” but calmer?

“El Scorcho” by Weezer, “Thorn in My Side” by Eurythmics, “Killing Floor” by Howlin' Wolf keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “American Soul”?

It measures 68/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 9/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 128 BPM.

How do you decide which songs are similar?

Every song in our catalog is measured on 8 dimensions — intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force and fine sound detail. Similarity is the distance between two songs across those measurements, so matches cross genres and eras. Shared mood tags break ties.

By the numbers: how this song compares

Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.

Where it sits in 19,000 songs

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 88% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 68/100 comes from a dynamic range of 9/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a huge quiet-to-loud swing: more extreme on that axis than 96% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.

Feels almost identical to

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

What it’s good for

Sleep0/10
Focus2/10
Workout8/10
Dinner5/10
Party / hype7/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

2017 in context

The 461 songs we’ve measured from 2017 average a dynamic range of 6.0/10. At 9/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity68
Dynamics89
Tempo49
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →