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10 songs that feel like Between the Bars

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

Between the Bars
The song you love
Between the Bars
Elliott Smith
moderate 34/100 intensity 85 BPM
Destiny — Zero 7 moderate 100 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same calm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (36/100).

Cool Calm Collected — Atlantic Starr safe 80 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Same layered texture.

Trollabundin — Eivør moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same calm pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

Golden Slumbers — The Beatles safe 71 BPM

Measures 97% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (33/100). Same layered texture.

Beneath the Mask — Shoji Meguro moderate 90 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same calm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Coqueiro Verde — Gal Costa moderate 90 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

Trampoline — Hovvdy moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same calm pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Measured 95% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

Half Moon — Iron and Wine safe 80 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Same layered texture.

Drume Negrita — Mercedes Sosa safe 90 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same calm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Hold My Hand — IU safe 90 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Between the Bars is more than you want right now.

Chega de Saudade by Joao Gilberto
Chega de Saudade — Joao Gilberto safe 100 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 5. Intensity 14/100, down from 34.

Solid Colors by Liz Story
Solid Colors — Liz Story safe 75 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 14/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Yesterday by The Beatles
Yesterday — The Beatles safe 93 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.

William, It Was Really Nothing by The Smiths
William, It Was Really Nothing — The Smiths safe 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 25/100, versus the original's 34. Nearly the same tempo, too.

To Sheila — The Smashing Pumpkins safe 70 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 5. Intensity 11/100, down from 34.

Misty by Ella Fitzgerald
Misty — Ella Fitzgerald safe 72 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge.

Northern Sky by Nick Drake
Northern Sky — Nick Drake safe 72 BPM

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

Turtle Island by Beach House
Turtle Island — Beach House safe 72 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 5. 11/100, versus the original's 34.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Between the Bars” by Elliott Smith?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Destiny” by Zero 7, “Cool Calm Collected” by Atlantic Starr, “Trollabundin” by Eivør — the top match scores 97% 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 “Between the Bars” but calmer?

“Chega de Saudade” by Joao Gilberto, “Solid Colors” by Liz Story, “Yesterday” by The Beatles keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Between the Bars”?

It measures 34/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft 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 22% of songs, calmer than the other 78%. Its intensity reading of 34/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 88% 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

Sleep7/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype2/10

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

1997 in context

The 389 songs we’ve measured from 1997 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. At 5/10, 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

Intensity34
Dynamics44
Tempo25
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
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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