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10 songs that feel like Lilac

Matched to Lilac by IU 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
Lilac
IU
moderate 38/100 intensity 90 BPM
Almendra — Buena Vista Social Club moderate 90 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same warm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Heaven at Once — Kool and the Gang moderate 100 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

Aqui e Alem — Gal Costa moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same warm pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Haiti — Arcade Fire moderate 90 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

Buena Vista Social Club — Buena Vista Social Club moderate 90 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same warm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Magnetized — Wilco moderate 95 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

Persuasion — Santana moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same warm pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Make Love to Your Mind — Bill Withers moderate 90 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

Not a Bad Thing — Justin Timberlake safe 90 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same warm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Sandra — Gilberto Gil moderate 90 BPM

99% 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 Lilac is more than you want right now.

Thank You by Led Zeppelin
Thank You — Led Zeppelin safe 76 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 25/100, down from 38.

My Old Man by Joni Mitchell
My Old Man — Joni Mitchell safe 85 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 22/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

It Happened Today by R.E.M.
It Happened Today — R.E.M. safe 90 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 17/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Lego House by Ed Sheeran
Lego House — Ed Sheeran safe 84 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 26/100, versus the original's 38. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Those Sweet Words by Norah Jones
Those Sweet Words — Norah Jones 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 17/100, down from 38. Nearly the same tempo, too.

All Along the Way by Jack White
All Along the Way — Jack White safe 81 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 26/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Such Great Heights by Iron & Wine
Such Great Heights — Iron & Wine safe 95 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 6. Reads 13/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Knockin' on Your Screen Door by John Prine
Knockin' on Your Screen Door — John Prine safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 16/100, versus the original's 38. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Lilac” by IU?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Almendra” by Buena Vista Social Club, “Heaven at Once” by Kool and the Gang, “Aqui e Alem” by Gal Costa — 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 “Lilac” but calmer?

“Thank You” by Led Zeppelin, “My Old Man” by Joni Mitchell, “It Happened Today” by R.E.M. keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Lilac”?

It measures 38/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 90 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 27% of songs, calmer than the other 73%. Its intensity reading of 38/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 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

Sleep6/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype2/10

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

2021 in context

The 410 songs we’ve measured from 2021 average a dynamic range of 6.2/10. 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

Intensity38
Dynamics56
Tempo28
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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