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10 songs that feel like Kid Charlemagne

Matched to Kid Charlemagne by Steely Dan on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
Kid Charlemagne
Steely Dan
moderate 45/100 intensity 120 BPM
The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders — Sufjan Stevens moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same introspective pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Wish the Lads Were Here — Frankie Goes to Hollywood moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

Ain't Wastin' Time No More — Allman Brothers Band moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same introspective pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Dat Dere — Art Blakey moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

Festa do Interior — Gal Costa moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

She's Not There — Santana moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

Klaus I Love You — M83 moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same introspective pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Funeral Pyre — Julien Baker moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

Ripples — Genesis safe 118 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same introspective pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

Impossible Germany — Wilco moderate 115 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (44/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Kid Charlemagne 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 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan safe 120 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Clean by Taylor Swift
Clean — Taylor Swift 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 26/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Blackbird — The Beatles safe 90 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 45.

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 41/100, down from 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Dumb — Nirvana safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Meeting Across the River by Bruce Springsteen
Meeting Across the River — Bruce Springsteen safe 110 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 15/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 28/100, versus the original's 45.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Kid Charlemagne” by Steely Dan?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders” by Sufjan Stevens, “Wish the Lads Were Here” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, “Ain't Wastin' Time No More” by Allman Brothers Band — 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 “Kid Charlemagne” but calmer?

“It's Too Late” by Carole King, “The Times They Are a-Changin'” by Bob Dylan, “Clean” by Taylor Swift keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Kid Charlemagne”?

It measures 45/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 120 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 42% of songs, calmer than the other 58%. Its intensity reading of 45/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft 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 59% 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

Sleep5/10
Focus9/10
Workout6/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10

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

1976 in context

The 192 songs we’ve measured from 1976 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

Intensity45
Dynamics67
Tempo44
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
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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