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10 songs that feel like Into the Great Wide Open

Matched to Into the Great Wide Open by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Into the Great Wide Open
The song you love
Into the Great Wide Open
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
moderate 47/100 intensity 100 BPM
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Tabula Rasa — Björk moderate 110 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100).

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Tempus Vernum — Enya moderate 110 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

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21 M◊◊N WATER — Bon Iver moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Measured 97% alike.

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Miles from Nowhere — Cat Stevens moderate 85 BPM

Measures 97% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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Moussolou — Oumou Sangare moderate 100 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (100 BPM).

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Bop Gun (One Nation) — Ice Cube moderate 100 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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The Playboy Mansion — U2 moderate 102 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (102 BPM).

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The River of Dreams — Billy Joel moderate 92 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Mind Games — John Lennon moderate 92 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

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Up at Night — Kehlani moderate 95 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Into the Great Wide Open is more than you want right now.

Sæglópur by Sigur Rós
Sæglópur — Sigur Rós safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 31/100, down from 47. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised — Gil Scott-Heron safe 90 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 32/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Everything That Rises by Sufjan Stevens
Everything That Rises — Sufjan Stevens safe 85 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 16/100.

Cypress by Tycho
Cypress — Tycho safe 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 37/100, versus the original's 47. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Grace by U2
Grace — U2 safe 85 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 13/100, down from 47.

Cursum Perficio by Enya
Cursum Perficio — Enya safe 85 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge.

Heaven by Depeche Mode
Heaven — Depeche Mode safe 100 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 18/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Grown Ocean by Fleet Foxes
Grown Ocean — Fleet Foxes safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 45/100, versus the original's 47.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Into the Great Wide Open” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Tabula Rasa” by Björk, “Tempus Vernum” by Enya, “21 M◊◊N WATER” by Bon Iver — the top match scores 98% 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 “Into the Great Wide Open” but calmer?

“Sæglópur” by Sigur Rós, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron, “Everything That Rises” by Sufjan Stevens keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Into the Great Wide Open”?

It measures 47/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 100 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 49% of songs, calmer than the other 51%. Its intensity reading of 47/100 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype3/10

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

1991 in context

The 266 songs we’ve measured from 1991 average a dynamic range of 6.8/10. At 6/10, 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

Intensity47
Dynamics56
Tempo33
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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