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10 songs that feel like Expensive Shit

Matched to Expensive Shit 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.

Expensive Shit
The song you love
Expensive Shit
Fela Kuti
moderate 52/100 intensity 110 BPM
Cosmic Slop — Funkadelic moderate 105 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (105 BPM).

Entertainment — Phoenix moderate 102 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

Step Right Up — Tom Waits moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 98% alike.

Hey! Good Lookin' — Bo Diddley moderate 120 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

When in Rome — Mac Miller moderate 95 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100).

Tribulations — LCD Soundsystem moderate 125 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

Readymade — Red Hot Chili Peppers moderate 92 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Measured 96% alike.

Theme from Doctor Detroit — DEVO moderate 132 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

See-Line Woman — Nina Simone moderate 120 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100).

Rock and Roll — The Velvet Underground moderate 120 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

22 by Taylor Swift
22 — Taylor Swift safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 39/100, down from 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 41/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Stand — R.E.M. safe 106 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 40/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Head Over Heels by ABBA
Head Over Heels — ABBA safe 118 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 45/100, versus the original's 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Creepin' In — Norah Jones featuring Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 19/100, down from 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Vicar in a Tutu — The Smiths safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Cantaloupe Island by Herbie Hancock
Cantaloupe Island — Herbie Hancock safe 105 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 30/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Expensive Shit” by Fela Kuti?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Cosmic Slop” by Funkadelic, “Entertainment” by Phoenix, “Step Right Up” by Tom Waits — 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 “Expensive Shit” but calmer?

“22” by Taylor Swift, “Monday Morning” by Fleetwood Mac, “Stand” by R.E.M. keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Expensive Shit”?

It measures 52/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 110 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 68% of songs, calmer than the other 32%. Its intensity reading of 52/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 68% 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
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1975 in context

The 249 songs we’ve measured from 1975 average a dynamic range of 6.2/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity52
Dynamics67
Tempo39
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?

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