← Back to Don't Stand So Close to Me

10 songs that feel like Don't Stand So Close to Me

Matched to Don't Stand So Close to Me by The Police on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
Don't Stand So Close to Me
The Police
moderate 51/100 intensity 145 BPM
♪
Warning Sign — Talking Heads moderate 110 BPM

A 92% feel-match — carries the same tense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100).

♪
5% TINT — Travis Scott moderate 140 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Jubilee Street — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same tense pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Measured 91% alike.

♪
Listening Wind — Talking Heads moderate 108 BPM

Measures 91% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Dirty Mind — Prince moderate 126 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100).

♪
Sacred Love — Bad Brains moderate 140 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Cherry Came Too — The Jesus and Mary Chain moderate 135 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Measured 95% alike.

♪
Tomorrow's Dream — Black Sabbath moderate 142 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

♪
St. Vitus Dance — Black Sabbath moderate 142 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (142 BPM).

♪
That's Pep! — Devo moderate 142 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Don't Stand So Close to Me is more than you want right now.

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 25/100, down from 51.

Let's Stay Together by Al Green
Let's Stay Together — Al Green safe 123 BPM

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

Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken by Camera Obscura
Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken — Camera Obscura safe 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 23/100.

The Girl from Ipanema by Stan Getz
The Girl from Ipanema — Stan Getz safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 23/100, versus the original's 51.

Spirits in the Material World by The Police
Spirits in the Material World — The Police safe 108 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 18/100, down from 51.

10:15 Saturday Night by The Cure
10:15 Saturday Night — The Cure safe 128 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 20/100 — the pull without the edge.

Althea by Grateful Dead
Althea — Grateful Dead safe 118 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Reads 19/100.

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da — The Police safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 41/100, versus the original's 51.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Don't Stand So Close to Me” by The Police?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Warning Sign” by Talking Heads, “5% TINT” by Travis Scott, “Jubilee Street” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — the top match scores 92% 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 “Don't Stand So Close to Me” but calmer?

“William, It Was Really Nothing” by The Smiths, “Let's Stay Together” by Al Green, “Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken” by Camera Obscura keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Don't Stand So Close to Me”?

It measures 51/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 145 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 66% of songs, calmer than the other 34%. Its intensity reading of 51/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered 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 a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 94% 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1980 in context

The 257 songs we’ve measured from 1980 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. 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

Intensity51
Dynamics56
Tempo58
Surprise25
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?

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