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10 songs that feel like Idiot Wind

Matched to Idiot Wind by Bob Dylan on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Idiot Wind
The song you love
Idiot Wind
Bob Dylan
moderate 55/100 intensity 145 BPM
Ohio — Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young moderate 128 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same angry pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100).

Exhuming McCarthy — R.E.M. moderate 128 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

Mississippi Goddam — Nina Simone moderate 126 BPM

Keeps the same angry pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Measured 93% alike.

Cashout — Fugazi intense 140 BPM

Measures 90% the same. It runs a little hotter at 65/100. Same layered texture.

Sidewalks — The Weeknd feat. Kendrick Lamar moderate 150 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (150 BPM).

King of Oklahoma — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit moderate 140 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Same layered texture.

Bullet with Butterfly Wings — Smashing Pumpkins intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same angry pull — runs a little hotter at 64/100. Measured 88% alike.

A Tout Le Monde — Megadeth moderate 134 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

Angelica — Wet Leg moderate 145 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (145 BPM).

Death or Glory — The Clash moderate 145 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 24/100, down from 55.

Tangerine by Led Zeppelin
Tangerine — Led Zeppelin safe 78 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.

Oh Daddy by Fleetwood Mac
Oh Daddy — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 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 23/100.

Visions of Johanna — Bob Dylan safe 145 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 22/100, versus the original's 55. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Shelter from the Storm by Bob Dylan
Shelter from the Storm — Bob Dylan safe 144 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 18/100, down from 55. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Little Ghost by The White Stripes
Little Ghost — The White Stripes safe 142 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 39/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sugar Magnolia — Grateful Dead safe 142 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 43/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Uncle John's Band — Grateful Dead safe 140 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 30/100, versus the original's 55. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Idiot Wind” by Bob Dylan?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “Exhuming McCarthy” by R.E.M., “Mississippi Goddam” by Nina Simone — the top match scores 93% 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 “Idiot Wind” but calmer?

“It's Too Late” by Carole King, “Tangerine” by Led Zeppelin, “Oh Daddy” by Fleetwood Mac keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Idiot Wind”?

It measures 55/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, 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 75% of songs, calmer than the other 25%. Its intensity reading of 55/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

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
Workout7/10
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

Intensity55
Dynamics67
Tempo58
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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