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10 songs that feel like Beasts of No Nation

Matched to Beasts of No Nation by Fela Kuti on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Beasts of No Nation
The song you love
Beasts of No Nation
Fela Kuti
intense 65/100 intensity 130 BPM
Terrible Lie — Nine Inch Nails intense 128 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same angry pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

Rockin' in the Free World — Neil Young intense 146 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Same layered texture.

Keeps the same angry pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Measured 95% alike.

Leave Me Alone — Michael Jackson intense 120 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

Bullet with Butterfly Wings — Smashing Pumpkins intense 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same angry pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100).

Southern Man — Neil Young intense 126 BPM

91% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

The God That Failed — Metallica intense 127 BPM

Keeps the same angry pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (127 BPM).

Cashout — Fugazi intense 140 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

Death to My Hometown — Bruce Springsteen intense 120 BPM

A 90% feel-match — carries the same angry pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100).

Fuel — Metallica intense 130 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Beasts of No Nation is more than you want right now.

Exhuming McCarthy by R.E.M.
Exhuming McCarthy — R.E.M. moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 50/100, down from 65. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Revolution Starts Now — Steve Earle moderate 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 49/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Bring It On — Hard-Fi moderate 130 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 8. Reads 50/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Radio Disk Jockey — Hard-Fi moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. 49/100, versus the original's 65. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Suburban Knights — Hard-Fi moderate 130 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 50/100, down from 65. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Devil — The Rapture moderate 120 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 53/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Mary Jane — The Vines moderate 130 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 54/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Get Free — The Vines moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 53/100, versus the original's 65. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Beasts of No Nation” by Fela Kuti?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Terrible Lie” by Nine Inch Nails, “Rockin' in the Free World” by Neil Young, “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle” by Nirvana — 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 “Beasts of No Nation” but calmer?

“Exhuming McCarthy” by R.E.M., “The Revolution Starts Now” by Steve Earle, “Bring It On” by Hard-Fi keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Beasts of No Nation”?

It measures 65/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 130 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 85% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 65/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, 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 fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 86% 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
Focus3/10
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype7/10

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

1989 in context

The 219 songs we’ve measured from 1989 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 8/10, 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

Intensity65
Dynamics78
Tempo50
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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