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10 songs that feel like Shake Hands with Beef

Matched to Shake Hands with Beef by Primus 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
Shake Hands with Beef
Primus
intense 83/100 intensity 120 BPM
Fire Engine — 13th Floor Elevators intense 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Happiness Is a Warm Gun — The Beatles intense 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same complex texture.

Liberation Frequency — Refused intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same intense pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Old Friends New War — Refused intense 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same complex texture.

Bang — Frankie Goes to Hollywood intense 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Sick Sick Sick — Queens of the Stone Age intense 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same complex texture.

Digging the Grave — Faith No More intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same intense pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Caffeine — Faith No More intense 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same complex texture.

King for a Day — Faith No More intense 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Motherfucker — Faith No More intense 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same complex texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Shake Hands with Beef is more than you want right now.

We Don't Talk About Bruno — Lin-Manuel Miranda moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 60/100, down from 83. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Three Girl Rhumba by Wire
Three Girl Rhumba — Wire moderate 120 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 64/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Peek-A-Boo! by Devo
Peek-A-Boo! — Devo moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 60/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Working in the Coal Mine by Devo
Working in the Coal Mine — Devo moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 60/100, versus the original's 83. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Black Rider — Howard Shore moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 50/100, down from 83. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Fever by The Black Keys
Fever — The Black Keys moderate 110 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 52/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Making Flippy Floppy by Talking Heads
Making Flippy Floppy — Talking Heads moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 53/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Skeletons by Stevie Wonder
Skeletons — Stevie Wonder moderate 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 52/100, versus the original's 83. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Shake Hands with Beef” by Primus?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Fire Engine” by 13th Floor Elevators, “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” by The Beatles, “Liberation Frequency” by Refused — 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 “Shake Hands with Beef” but calmer?

“We Don't Talk About Bruno” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Three Girl Rhumba” by Wire, “Peek-A-Boo!” by Devo keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Shake Hands with Beef”?

It measures 83/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent 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

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 95% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 83/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 95% 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

Sleep0/10
Focus1/10
Workout9/10
Dinner4/10
Party / hype9/10

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

1995 in context

The 329 songs we’ve measured from 1995 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 8/10, 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

Intensity83
Dynamics78
Tempo44
Surprise75
Density60
Predictability100
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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