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10 songs that feel like Flying Over Water

Matched to Flying Over Water by Jason Isbell on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Flying Over Water
The song you love
Flying Over Water
Jason Isbell
moderate 52/100 intensity 110 BPM
Storms in Africa — Enya moderate 110 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

Let Go — Sharon Van Etten moderate 110 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

Spread Your Wings — Queen moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

Secret World — Peter Gabriel moderate 96 BPM

Measures 97% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

Get Gone — Fiona Apple moderate 112 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (112 BPM).

Sapokanikan — Joanna Newsom moderate 110 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

Liquidize — Wet Leg moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

Set the Twilight Reeling — Lou Reed moderate 95 BPM

Measures 93% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

Perth — Bon Iver moderate 115 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (115 BPM).

Rylan — The National moderate 115 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Flying Over Water is more than you want right now.

If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé
If I Were a Boy — Beyoncé safe 92 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 28/100, down from 52.

Speed of the Sound of Loneliness by John Prine
Speed of the Sound of Loneliness — John Prine safe 85 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 16/100 — the pull without the edge.

The Tree of Forgiveness — John Prine safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 21/100.

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 24/100, versus the original's 52.

Hometown Glory — Adele safe 124 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 33/100, down from 52.

Happy For You by Dua Lipa
Happy For You — Dua Lipa safe 95 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge.

Tell Me Why by Neil Young
Tell Me Why — Neil Young safe 72 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 7. Reads 15/100.

Ripples — Genesis 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.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Flying Over Water” by Jason Isbell?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Storms in Africa” by Enya, “Let Go” by Sharon Van Etten, “Spread Your Wings” by Queen — 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 “Flying Over Water” but calmer?

“If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” by John Prine, “The Tree of Forgiveness” by John Prine keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Flying Over Water”?

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.

2013 in context

The 408 songs we’ve measured from 2013 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity52
Dynamics67
Tempo39
Surprise25
Density33
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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