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10 songs that feel like Living the Dream

Matched to Living the Dream by Sturgill Simpson on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Living the Dream
The song you love
Living the Dream
Sturgill Simpson
moderate 46/100 intensity 85 BPM
Human Behaviour — Björk moderate 92 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

People Are Strange — Echo & the Bunnymen moderate 82 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

Final Hour — Lauryn Hill moderate 88 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (88 BPM).

When the God of Love Returns There'll Be Hell to Pay — Father John Misty moderate 80 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

Song of the Lake — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds moderate 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

Miles from Nowhere — Cat Stevens moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

A Place Called Home — PJ Harvey moderate 85 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

Synthesizer — OutKast moderate 92 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

For My Lover — Tracy Chapman moderate 92 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 Living the Dream is more than you want right now.

Goodbye Weekend by Mac DeMarco
Goodbye Weekend — Mac DeMarco safe 85 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 16/100, down from 46. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton — The Mountain Goats safe 80 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 14/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sæglópur by Sigur Rós
Sæglópur — Sigur Rós 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 31/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell
Both Sides, Now — Joni Mitchell safe 82 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 46. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Don't Know Why by Norah Jones
Don't Know Why — Norah Jones safe 84 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 20/100, down from 46. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Fire and Rain by James Taylor
Fire and Rain — James Taylor safe 90 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge. 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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 32/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Near Light by Ólafur Arnalds
Near Light — Ólafur Arnalds safe 75 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 21/100, versus the original's 46. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Living the Dream” by Sturgill Simpson?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Human Behaviour” by Björk, “People Are Strange” by Echo & the Bunnymen, “Final Hour” by Lauryn Hill — 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 “Living the Dream” but calmer?

“Goodbye Weekend” by Mac DeMarco, “The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton” by The Mountain Goats, “Sæglópur” by Sigur Rós keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Living the Dream”?

It measures 46/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 85 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 44% of songs, calmer than the other 56%. Its intensity reading of 46/100 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.

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

Intensity46
Dynamics56
Tempo25
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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