← Back to Retrograde

10 songs that feel like Retrograde

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

Retrograde
The song you love
Retrograde
Pearl Jam
moderate 51/100 intensity 100 BPM
Y Tu Que Has Hecho — Buena Vista Social Club moderate 100 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (100 BPM).

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window — Joe Cocker moderate 100 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

Yere Faga — Oumou Sangare moderate 100 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (100 BPM).

Back on the Streets — Tower of Power moderate 100 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

Immigres — Youssou NDour moderate 100 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same introspective pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (100 BPM).

That Smell — Lynyrd Skynyrd moderate 100 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

Songs from the Wood — Jethro Tull moderate 100 BPM

Keeps the same introspective pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (100 BPM).

Beautiful Brother of Mine — Curtis Mayfield moderate 98 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

Over — Drake moderate 103 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (103 BPM).

Push It Along — A Tribe Called Quest moderate 95 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Blackbird — The Beatles safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 24/100, down from 51. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 28/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Going to California by Led Zeppelin
Going to California — Led Zeppelin safe 80 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 23/100.

Everybody Hurts — R.E.M. safe 75 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 22/100, versus the original's 51.

Male Fantasy by Billie Eilish
Male Fantasy — Billie Eilish safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 26/100, down from 51. Nearly the same tempo, too.

A Place in This World by Taylor Swift
A Place in This World — Taylor Swift safe 90 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Man of the World — Fleetwood Mac safe 85 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 16/100.

Dumb — Nirvana safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 19/100, versus the original's 51. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Retrograde” by Pearl Jam?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Y Tu Que Has Hecho” by Buena Vista Social Club, “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” by Joe Cocker, “Yere Faga” by Oumou Sangare — 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 “Retrograde” but calmer?

“Blackbird” by The Beatles, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “Going to California” by Led Zeppelin keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Retrograde”?

It measures 51/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 100 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 66% of songs, calmer than the other 34%. Its intensity reading of 51/100 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 66% 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
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype4/10

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

2020 in context

The 475 songs we’ve measured from 2020 average a dynamic range of 6.2/10. 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

Intensity51
Dynamics67
Tempo33
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?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →