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10 songs that feel like The Rape of the World

Matched to The Rape of the World by Tracy Chapman on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The Rape of the World
The song you love
The Rape of the World
Tracy Chapman
moderate 35/100 intensity 85 BPM
Everywhen — Massive Attack moderate 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste — Galaxie 500 moderate 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Same layered texture.

Hand in Glove — The Smiths moderate 92 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (36/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

The Greatest — Lana Del Rey moderate 78 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Same layered texture.

White Teeth Teens — Lorde moderate 92 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

Closedown — The Cure moderate 85 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Same layered texture.

So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry) — R.E.M. moderate 94 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Measured 96% alike.

Saturday Come Slow — Massive Attack moderate 80 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Same layered texture.

16 Carriages — Beyoncé safe 78 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (78 BPM).

Independence Day — Elliott Smith moderate 110 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (37/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when The Rape of the World is more than you want right now.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 12/100, down from 35. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Hoax by Taylor Swift
Hoax — Taylor Swift safe 72 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 22/100 — the pull without the edge.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 28/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 23/100, versus the original's 35. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Everybody Hurts — R.E.M. safe 75 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 22/100, down from 35. Nearly the same tempo, too.

White Horse by Taylor Swift
White Horse — Taylor Swift safe 80 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 23/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived by Taylor Swift
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived — Taylor Swift safe 80 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 23/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 26/100, versus the original's 35. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “The Rape of the World” by Tracy Chapman?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Everywhen” by Massive Attack, “Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste” by Galaxie 500, “Hand in Glove” by The Smiths — 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 “The Rape of the World” but calmer?

“Blowin' in the Wind” by Bob Dylan, “Hoax” by Taylor Swift, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “The Rape of the World”?

It measures 35/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 85 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 23% of songs, calmer than the other 77%. Its intensity reading of 35/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

Sleep6/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype2/10

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 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

Intensity35
Dynamics56
Tempo25
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability0
Vocal force25
Trigger load13

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

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