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10 songs that feel like Iris (Hold Me Close)

Matched to Iris (Hold Me Close) by U2 on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Iris (Hold Me Close)
The song you love
Iris (Hold Me Close)
U2
moderate 47/100 intensity 128 BPM
Seven Wonders — Fleetwood Mac moderate 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Heaven Knows — Donna Summer moderate 125 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

Just a Notion — ABBA moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

Imitation of Life — R.E.M. moderate 126 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

Only Love Matters — The Black Keys moderate 118 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100).

Another Place, Another Time — Jerry Lee Lewis moderate 115 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

Hunting High and Low — a-ha moderate 112 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Measured 97% alike.

Unconditional I (Lookout Kid) — Arcade Fire safe 120 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

Ten Storey Love Song — The Stone Roses moderate 126 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

Kodachrome — Paul Simon moderate 118 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Iris (Hold Me Close) is more than you want right now.

Spicks and Specks — Bee Gees safe 136 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 42/100, down from 47. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Can't You Hear Me Calling by Bill Monroe
Can't You Hear Me Calling — Bill Monroe safe 120 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 45/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Homesick by Dua Lipa
Homesick — Dua Lipa safe 98 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 27/100.

Blue Boy by Mac DeMarco
Blue Boy — Mac DeMarco safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 19/100, versus the original's 47.

Stop! In the Name of Love by The Supremes
Stop! In the Name of Love — The Supremes safe 121 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 35/100, down from 47. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Everybody Hurts — R.E.M. safe 75 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 22/100 — the pull without the edge.

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure
Friday I'm In Love — The Cure safe 135 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 34/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Angel by Aretha Franklin
Angel — Aretha Franklin safe 72 BPM

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

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Iris (Hold Me Close)” by U2?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Seven Wonders” by Fleetwood Mac, “Heaven Knows” by Donna Summer, “Just a Notion” by ABBA — 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 “Iris (Hold Me Close)” but calmer?

“Spicks and Specks” by Bee Gees, “Can't You Hear Me Calling” by Bill Monroe, “Homesick” by Dua Lipa keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Iris (Hold Me Close)”?

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 128 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 a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 84% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2014 in context

The 313 songs we’ve measured from 2014 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 6/10, 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

Intensity47
Dynamics56
Tempo49
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability0
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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

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