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10 songs that feel like Henry Lee

Matched to Henry Lee by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring PJ Harvey on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Henry Lee
The song you love
Henry Lee
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring PJ Harvey
moderate 39/100 intensity 85 BPM
Sonnet — The Verve moderate 84 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (84 BPM).

Traveling Alone — Jason Isbell safe 80 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

Sweet Old World — Lucinda Williams moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

Henry Lee — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds moderate 85 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

The One That Got Away — Katy Perry moderate 95 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100).

Bitter Sweet Symphony — The Verve moderate 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

Dive — Ed Sheeran moderate 83 BPM

Keeps the same intimate pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (83 BPM).

Hold Up — Beyoncé moderate 84 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

Do Right Woman, Do Right Man — Aretha Franklin moderate 75 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100).

Bored in the USA — Father John Misty moderate 70 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Cowboy Like Me by Taylor Swift
Cowboy Like Me — Taylor Swift safe 70 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 22/100, down from 39.

In a Week by Hozier
In a Week — Hozier safe 78 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 16/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

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

The 1 by Taylor Swift
The 1 — Taylor Swift safe 90 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 24/100, versus the original's 39. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Good Guy by Frank Ocean
Good Guy — Frank Ocean safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 16/100, down from 39. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Cayendo by Frank Ocean
Cayendo — Frank Ocean safe 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 5, so it lands at 11/100 — the pull without the edge.

Abstract (Psychopomp) by Hozier
Abstract (Psychopomp) — Hozier safe 80 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 16/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Million Dollar Man by Lana Del Rey
Million Dollar Man — Lana Del Rey safe 72 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 15/100, versus the original's 39.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Henry Lee” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring PJ Harvey?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Sonnet” by The Verve, “Traveling Alone” by Jason Isbell, “Sweet Old World” by Lucinda Williams — the top match scores 96% 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 “Henry Lee” but calmer?

“Cowboy Like Me” by Taylor Swift, “In a Week” by Hozier, “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Henry Lee”?

It measures 39/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic 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 32% of songs, calmer than the other 68%. Its intensity reading of 39/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, 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 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

Sleep5/10
Focus9/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

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

1996 in context

The 309 songs we’ve measured from 1996 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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

Intensity39
Dynamics44
Tempo25
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability0
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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