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10 songs that feel like The Words That Maketh Murder

Matched to The Words That Maketh Murder by PJ Harvey on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The Words That Maketh Murder
The song you love
The Words That Maketh Murder
PJ Harvey
moderate 49/100 intensity 115 BPM
These Walls — Dua Lipa moderate 118 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner — Warren Zevon moderate 120 BPM

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

Red Right Hand — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds moderate 114 BPM

Keeps the same intense pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (114 BPM).

Changing of the Guards — Bob Dylan moderate 118 BPM

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

Moanin' at Midnight — Howlin' Wolf moderate 120 BPM

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

Lawyers, Guns and Money — Warren Zevon moderate 120 BPM

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

Positively 4th Street — Bob Dylan moderate 120 BPM

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

Amerika v6.0 — Steve Earle moderate 120 BPM

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

Rich Man's War — Steve Earle moderate 120 BPM

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

Condi Condi — Steve Earle moderate 120 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 The Words That Maketh Murder is more than you want right now.

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 24/100, down from 49.

Oh Daddy by Fleetwood Mac
Oh Daddy — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

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

Dumb — Nirvana safe 110 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Reads 19/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

You Are the Everything — R.E.M. safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. 15/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding safe 88 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 20/100, down from 49.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 28/100 — the pull without the edge.

Merry Go 'Round by Kacey Musgraves
Merry Go 'Round — Kacey Musgraves safe 85 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 27/100.

Brenda's Got a Baby by 2Pac
Brenda's Got a Baby — 2Pac safe 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 28/100, versus the original's 49.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “The Words That Maketh Murder” by PJ Harvey?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “These Walls” by Dua Lipa, “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” by Warren Zevon, “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds — 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 Words That Maketh Murder” but calmer?

“It's Too Late” by Carole King, “Oh Daddy” by Fleetwood Mac, “Dumb” by Nirvana keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “The Words That Maketh Murder”?

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 115 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 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

Sleep4/10
Focus7/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2011 in context

The 372 songs we’ve measured from 2011 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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
Tempo42
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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