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10 songs that feel like New York City

Matched to New York City by John Lennon on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

New York City
The song you love
New York City
John Lennon
moderate 44/100 intensity 110 BPM
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La Vida Es Un Carnaval — Celia Cruz moderate 120 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100).

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The Shape You're In — Eric Clapton moderate 105 BPM

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

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Step Into a World (Rapture's Delight) — KRS-One moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Measured 94% alike.

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Tshotsholoza — Miriam Makeba moderate 100 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (44/100). Same layered texture.

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How Will I Know — Whitney Houston safe 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same joyful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100).

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Jump on It — The Sugarhill Gang moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

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Sama Tanga — Youssou N'Dour moderate 105 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — runs a little hotter at 52/100. Measured 92% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (105 BPM).

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Apache — The Sugarhill Gang moderate 112 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

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Shine — Joni Mitchell moderate 85 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100).

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Here I Am — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when New York City is more than you want right now.

Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon
Give Peace a Chance — John Lennon safe 100 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 31/100, down from 44. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Mas Que Nada by Jorge Ben
Mas Que Nada — Jorge Ben safe 100 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 35/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Riptide by Vance Joy
Riptide — Vance Joy safe 100 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 22/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with Somebody — Whitney Houston safe 119 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 40/100, versus the original's 44. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala
The Less I Know the Better — Tame Impala safe 116 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 29/100, down from 44. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Changes by David Bowie
Changes — David Bowie safe 124 BPM

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

Let's Dance by David Bowie
Let's Dance — David Bowie safe 115 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 38/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
9 to 5 — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 42/100, versus the original's 44. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “New York City” by John Lennon?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” by Celia Cruz, “The Shape You're In” by Eric Clapton, “Step Into a World (Rapture's Delight)” by KRS-One — the top match scores 95% 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 “New York City” but calmer?

“Give Peace a Chance” by John Lennon, “Mas Que Nada” by Jorge Ben, “Riptide” by Vance Joy keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “New York City”?

It measures 44/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 110 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 41% of songs, calmer than the other 59%. Its intensity reading of 44/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, 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 88% 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
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10

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

1972 in context

The 269 songs we’ve measured from 1972 average a dynamic range of 6.0/10. At 5/10, 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

Intensity44
Dynamics44
Tempo39
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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