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10 songs that feel like September Gurls

Matched to September Gurls by Big Star 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
September Gurls
Big Star
moderate 52/100 intensity 140 BPM
Trash — Suede moderate 128 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100).

Ten Storey Love Song — The Stone Roses moderate 126 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

Iris (Hold Me Close) — U2 moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Measured 93% alike.

Here Comes My Girl — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers moderate 115 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

HOME — BTS safe 128 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and sits a little calmer at 45/100.

Heaven Knows — Donna Summer moderate 125 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

Moondance — Van Morrison moderate 142 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (142 BPM).

California (There Is No End to Love) — U2 moderate 124 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

High — The Cure moderate 136 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (136 BPM).

Help Me, Rhonda — The Beach Boys safe 160 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 45/100. Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Spicks and Specks — Bee Gees safe 136 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 42/100, down from 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Blue Boy by Mac DeMarco
Blue Boy — Mac DeMarco safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge.

HOME by BTS
HOME — BTS safe 128 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.

Mikrokosmos by BTS
Mikrokosmos — BTS safe 136 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 31/100, versus the original's 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Cornerstone — Arctic Monkeys safe 128 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 20/100, down from 52.

I Still Have Faith in You by ABBA
I Still Have Faith in You — ABBA safe 72 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 41/100 — the pull without the edge.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 35/100.

Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac
Gypsy — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 41/100, versus the original's 52.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “September Gurls” by Big Star?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Trash” by Suede, “Ten Storey Love Song” by The Stone Roses, “Iris (Hold Me Close)” by U2 — 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 “September Gurls” but calmer?

“Spicks and Specks” by Bee Gees, “Blue Boy” by Mac DeMarco, “HOME” by BTS keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “September Gurls”?

It measures 52/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 140 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 68% of songs, calmer than the other 32%. Its intensity reading of 52/100 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 a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 90% 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.

1974 in context

The 176 songs we’ve measured from 1974 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

Intensity52
Dynamics67
Tempo56
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability0
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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