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10 songs that feel like Tell Me Lies

Matched to Tell Me Lies by The Black Keys on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Tell Me Lies
The song you love
Tell Me Lies
The Black Keys
moderate 49/100 intensity 124 BPM
Fashion — David Bowie moderate 126 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

The Denial Twist — The White Stripes moderate 126 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

Forty Days and Forty Nights — Muddy Waters moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Wang Dang Doodle — Howlin' Wolf moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer — John Lee Hooker moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Instant Hit — The Slits moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

The Revolution Starts Now — Steve Earle moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Exhuming McCarthy — R.E.M. moderate 128 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

Happy Idiot — TV on the Radio moderate 128 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

Whitehouse Road — Tyler Childers moderate 118 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Apple Blossom by The White Stripes
Apple Blossom — The White Stripes safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 19/100, down from 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

In the Cold, Cold Night — The White Stripes safe 112 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 15/100 — the pull without the edge.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with Somebody — Whitney Houston safe 119 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 40/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala
The Less I Know the Better — Tame Impala safe 116 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 29/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Changes by David Bowie
Changes — David Bowie safe 124 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Let's Dance by David Bowie
Let's Dance — David Bowie safe 115 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 38/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
9 to 5 — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 42/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Two Doors Down by Dolly Parton
Two Doors Down — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 36/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Tell Me Lies” by The Black Keys?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Fashion” by David Bowie, “The Denial Twist” by The White Stripes, “Forty Days and Forty Nights” by Muddy Waters — 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 “Tell Me Lies” but calmer?

“Apple Blossom” by The White Stripes, “In the Cold, Cold Night” by The White Stripes, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Tell Me Lies”?

It measures 49/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 124 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 55% of songs, calmer than the other 45%. Its intensity reading of 49/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 81% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2019 in context

The 448 songs we’ve measured from 2019 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 6/10, this track is right in line with its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity49
Dynamics56
Tempo47
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?

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