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10 songs that feel like Original of the Species

Matched to Original of the Species by U2 on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Original of the Species
The song you love
Original of the Species
U2
moderate 53/100 intensity 120 BPM
Straight to You — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds moderate 110 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100).

You've Got the Love — Florence + the Machine moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone — Aretha Franklin moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Wasteland, Baby! — Hozier moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

Between Two Lungs — Florence + the Machine moderate 118 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

Sweetest Devotion — Adele moderate 124 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

freefall — björk moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Miracle — Foo Fighters moderate 124 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

Be Mine — R.E.M. moderate 118 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

Inní mér syngur vitleysingur — Sigur Rós moderate 115 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Original of the Species is more than you want right now.

Stop! In the Name of Love by The Supremes
Stop! In the Name of Love — The Supremes safe 121 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 35/100, down from 53. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Friends Will Be Friends by Queen
Friends Will Be Friends — Queen safe 90 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 38/100 — the pull without the edge.

Me in Honey by R.E.M.
Me in Honey — R.E.M. safe 110 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Name of the Game by ABBA
The Name of the Game — ABBA safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 45/100, versus the original's 53. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Remedy by Adele
Remedy — Adele safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 32/100, down from 53.

It Happened Today by R.E.M.
It Happened Today — R.E.M. safe 90 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 17/100 — the pull without the edge.

Pink & Blue by Tycho (feat. Saint Sinner)
Pink & Blue — Tycho (feat. Saint Sinner) safe 100 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 7. Reads 18/100.

Hold Me Up (Thank You) by Khruangbin
Hold Me Up (Thank You) — Khruangbin safe 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 17/100, versus the original's 53.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Original of the Species” by U2?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Straight to You” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “You've Got the Love” by Florence + the Machine, “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone” by Aretha Franklin — 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 “Original of the Species” but calmer?

“Stop! In the Name of Love” by The Supremes, “Friends Will Be Friends” by Queen, “Me in Honey” 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 “Original of the Species”?

It measures 53/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 120 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 69% of songs, calmer than the other 31%. Its intensity reading of 53/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 69% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

2004 in context

The 334 songs we’ve measured from 2004 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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

Intensity53
Dynamics67
Tempo44
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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