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10 songs that feel like Bad Communication

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

Bad Communication
The song you love
Bad Communication
Sufjan Stevens
moderate 15/100 intensity 70 BPM
A Song for You — Amy Winehouse safe 68 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (15/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (68 BPM).

I Fall to Pieces — Patsy Cline moderate 72 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (15/100). Same smooth texture.

Mythological Beauty — Big Thief moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (16/100). Measured 97% alike.

Clementine — Elliott Smith moderate 72 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (11/100). Same smooth texture.

Which Will — Nick Drake safe 72 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (11/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (72 BPM).

Singularity — V moderate 70 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (15/100). Same smooth texture.

History of Touches — Björk moderate 60 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (14/100). Measured 98% alike.

Quiet Eyes — Sharon Van Etten safe 60 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (14/100). Same smooth texture.

Cody — Mogwai safe 60 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (14/100).

Back to the Old House — The Smiths moderate 72 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (15/100). Same smooth texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Please, Please, Please by James Brown
Please, Please, Please — James Brown safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 32/100, down from 15. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Changes by Black Sabbath
Changes — Black Sabbath safe 72 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Which Will by Nick Drake
Which Will — Nick Drake safe 72 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 11/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

I Remember Everything by John Prine
I Remember Everything — John Prine safe 75 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 2 where the original climbs to 4. 8/100, versus the original's 15. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 23/100, down from 15. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift
Champagne Problems — Taylor Swift safe 68 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Prophecy by Taylor Swift
The Prophecy — Taylor Swift safe 96 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 17/100.

Broken-Hearted Girl by Beyoncé
Broken-Hearted Girl — Beyoncé safe 70 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 15/100, versus the original's 15. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Bad Communication” by Sufjan Stevens?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “A Song for You” by Amy Winehouse, “I Fall to Pieces” by Patsy Cline, “Mythological Beauty” by Big Thief — 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 “Bad Communication” but calmer?

“Please, Please, Please” by James Brown, “Changes” by Black Sabbath, “Which Will” by Nick Drake keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Bad Communication”?

It measures 15/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 70 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 sits near the calm end of everything we've measured — gentler than 97% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 15/100 comes from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is deep calm: more extreme on that axis than 97% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — 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

Sleep10/10
Focus9/10
Workout0/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype0/10

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

2010 in context

The 254 songs we’ve measured from 2010 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 4/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

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

The fingerprint

Intensity15
Dynamics33
Tempo17
Surprise0
Density0
Predictability0
Vocal force25
Trigger load13

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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