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10 songs that feel like Street Hassle

Matched to Street Hassle by Lou Reed 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
Street Hassle
Lou Reed
intense 62/100 intensity 60 BPM
Polly — Nirvana intense 95 BPM

A 89% feel-match — carries the same dark pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).

Invincible — Tool moderate 70 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100). Same layered texture.

Higgs Boson Blues — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds intense 70 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100). Measured 98% alike.

End of the Beginning — Black Sabbath intense 85 BPM

Measures 85% the same. It runs a little hotter at 77/100. Same layered texture.

I Am Who Am (Killin' Time) — Mac Miller intense 95 BPM

A 92% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100).

Mr. Morale — Kendrick Lamar intense 92 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

Black Lake — Björk intense 70 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100). Measured 91% alike.

Like Spinning Plates — Radiohead intense 85 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

Warped — Red Hot Chili Peppers intense 95 BPM

A 81% feel-match — carries the same dark pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100).

The Argument — Fugazi intense 95 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Pieces of a Man by Gil Scott-Heron
Pieces of a Man — Gil Scott-Heron moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 50/100, down from 62.

Hard Feelings/Loveless by Lorde
Hard Feelings/Loveless — Lorde moderate 74 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 52/100 — the pull without the edge.

Light Blue by Snail Mail
Light Blue — Snail Mail moderate 72 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 45/100.

Cold by Chris Stapleton
Cold — Chris Stapleton moderate 65 BPM

Holds the same feel while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. 59/100, versus the original's 62. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Summertime/Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child by Mahalia Jackson
Summertime/Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child — Mahalia Jackson moderate 72 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 45/100, down from 62.

Broken Heart by Spiritualized
Broken Heart — Spiritualized moderate 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 34/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

My Eyes by Travis Scott
My Eyes — Travis Scott moderate 95 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Reads 61/100.

Before We Drown by Depeche Mode
Before We Drown — Depeche Mode moderate 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. 58/100, versus the original's 62.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Street Hassle” by Lou Reed?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Polly” by Nirvana, “Invincible” by Tool, “Higgs Boson Blues” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds — the top match scores 89% 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 “Street Hassle” but calmer?

“Pieces of a Man” by Gil Scott-Heron, “Hard Feelings/Loveless” by Lorde, “Light Blue” by Snail Mail keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Street Hassle”?

It measures 62/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 60 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 83% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 62/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate 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 a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 100% 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

Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype5/10

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

1978 in context

The 214 songs we’ve measured from 1978 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. 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

Intensity62
Dynamics78
Tempo11
Surprise50
Density33
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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