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10 songs that feel like Bad Idea

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

Bad Idea
The song you love
Bad Idea
Cordae
moderate 41/100 intensity 85 BPM
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Just Like a Pill — P!nk moderate 90 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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Tyler Herro — Jack Harlow moderate 83 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same smooth texture.

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Time Flies — Burna Boy moderate 92 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

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Nights Like This — Kehlani moderate 85 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same smooth texture.

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Dead and Gone — T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake moderate 80 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (44/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Winterreise — Franz Schubert moderate 80 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same smooth texture.

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In the Night — The Weeknd moderate 109 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Measured 95% alike.

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Mr. Intentional — Lauryn Hill moderate 72 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same smooth texture.

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Cry Baby — Megan Thee Stallion moderate 86 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same feel and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (86 BPM).

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Fine Line — Paul McCartney moderate 85 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same smooth texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell
Both Sides, Now — Joni Mitchell safe 82 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Fire and Rain by James Taylor
Fire and Rain — James Taylor safe 90 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding safe 88 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 20/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Let Her Go by Passenger
Let Her Go — Passenger safe 75 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 19/100, versus the original's 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Waterfalls by TLC
Waterfalls — TLC safe 82 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 38/100, down from 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens
Mystery of Love — Sufjan Stevens safe 80 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Here's Where the Story Ends by The Sundays
Here's Where the Story Ends — The Sundays safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 21/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Why Does It Always Rain on Me? by Travis
Why Does It Always Rain on Me? — Travis safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 20/100, versus the original's 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Bad Idea” by Cordae?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Just Like a Pill” by P!nk, “Tyler Herro” by Jack Harlow, “Time Flies” by Burna Boy — 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 Idea” but calmer?

“Both Sides, Now” by Joni Mitchell, “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor, “Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Bad Idea”?

It measures 41/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, smooth texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 85 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

On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 35% of songs, calmer than the other 65%. Its intensity reading of 41/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, smooth texture, mild shifts, and dynamic vocals. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout2/10
Dinner9/10
Party / hype3/10

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

2019 in context

The 448 songs we’ve measured from 2019 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 6/10, this track is right in line with its year.

Mixes smoothly with

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

The fingerprint

Intensity41
Dynamics56
Tempo25
Surprise25
Density0
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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