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10 songs that feel like One Small Day

Matched to One Small Day by Ultravox on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

One Small Day
The song you love
One Small Day
Ultravox
moderate 48/100 intensity 110 BPM
Trouble Child — Joni Mitchell moderate 110 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

Ice Machines — The National moderate 110 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

Violent Crimes — Kanye West moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

Waiting on Words — The Black Keys moderate 110 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

10 Lovers — The Black Keys moderate 110 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

God Loves a Drunk — Richard Thompson moderate 110 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

If the Brakeman Turns My Way — Bright Eyes moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

Charity, Chastity, Prudence, and Hope — Hüsker Dü moderate 110 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

Is Your Love in Vain? — Bob Dylan moderate 112 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (112 BPM).

Sweetheart Like You — Bob Dylan moderate 112 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when One Small Day is more than you want right now.

Oh Daddy by Fleetwood Mac
Oh Daddy — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 23/100, down from 48. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Dumb — Nirvana safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 27/100.

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding safe 88 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 20/100, versus the original's 48.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 12/100, down from 48.

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 28/100.

Merry Go 'Round by Kacey Musgraves
Merry Go 'Round — Kacey Musgraves safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 48.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “One Small Day” by Ultravox?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Trouble Child” by Joni Mitchell, “Ice Machines” by The National, “Violent Crimes” by Kanye West — 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 “One Small Day” but calmer?

“Oh Daddy” by Fleetwood Mac, “Dumb” by Nirvana, “Both Sides, Now” by Joni Mitchell keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “One Small Day”?

It measures 48/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 52% of songs, calmer than the other 48%. Its intensity reading of 48/100 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 / hype5/10

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

1984 in context

The 222 songs we’ve measured from 1984 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. At 6/10, 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

Intensity48
Dynamics56
Tempo39
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
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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