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10 songs that feel like Nostalgia in Times Square

Matched to Nostalgia in Times Square by Charles Mingus 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
Nostalgia in Times Square
Charles Mingus
moderate 47/100 intensity 90 BPM
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Symphony No 4 — Jean Sibelius moderate 80 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same reflective pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100).

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Helicon 1 — Mogwai moderate 90 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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Les Mardelees — Maurice Ravel moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel — lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 — Sergei Rachmaninoff moderate 80 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Clube da Esquina — Milton Nascimento moderate 90 BPM

A 91% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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Pour le piano — Claude Debussy moderate 80 BPM

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

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The Four Seasons: Spring — Antonio Vivaldi moderate 105 BPM

Keeps the same reflective pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Measured 95% alike.

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Come On! Feel the Illinoise — Sufjan Stevens moderate 100 BPM

Measures 90% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Daddy Plays the Horn — Dexter Gordon moderate 120 BPM

A 89% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100).

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Tennessee — Hans Zimmer safe 80 BPM

89% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Nostalgia in Times Square is more than you want right now.

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 47. Nearly the same tempo, too.

This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
This Land Is Your Land — Woody Guthrie safe 100 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 18/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding safe 88 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 20/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sky's the Limit by The Notorious B.I.G.
Sky's the Limit — The Notorious B.I.G. safe 88 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 36/100, versus the original's 47. Nearly the same tempo, too.

It's Good to Be King by Tom Petty
It's Good to Be King — Tom Petty safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 24/100, down from 47. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Tim McGraw by Taylor Swift
Tim McGraw — Taylor Swift safe 80 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 16/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Fifteen by Taylor Swift
Fifteen — Taylor Swift safe 96 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 29/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Betty by Taylor Swift
Betty — Taylor Swift safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 23/100, versus the original's 47. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Nostalgia in Times Square” by Charles Mingus?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Symphony No 4” by Jean Sibelius, “Helicon 1” by Mogwai, “Les Mardelees” by Maurice Ravel — 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 “Nostalgia in Times Square” but calmer?

“Both Sides, Now” by Joni Mitchell, “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, “Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Nostalgia in Times Square”?

It measures 47/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and instrumental. 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 49% of songs, calmer than the other 51%. Its intensity reading of 47/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and instrumental. 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 slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 71% 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.

Dial the feeling up or down

What it’s good for

Sleep2/10
Focus6/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype3/10

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

1959 in context

The 96 songs we’ve measured from 1959 average a dynamic range of 5.9/10. 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

Intensity47
Dynamics67
Tempo28
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force0
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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