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10 songs that feel like To Be Alone

Matched to To Be Alone by Hozier on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

To Be Alone
The song you love
To Be Alone
Hozier
moderate 53/100 intensity 120 BPM
Straight to You — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds moderate 116 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (116 BPM).

Take You on a Cruise — Interpol moderate 126 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

The One I Love — R.E.M. moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Measured 98% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

I'll Wait — Van Halen moderate 112 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

Ain't No Cure for Love — Leonard Cohen moderate 112 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (112 BPM).

C'mon Billy — PJ Harvey moderate 112 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

With or Without You — U2 moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same intimate pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Measured 98% alike.

I Don't Know Why — Stevie Wonder moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

Head Held High — The Velvet Underground moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Mariana Trench — Bright Eyes moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when To Be Alone is more than you want right now.

William, It Was Really Nothing by The Smiths
William, It Was Really Nothing — The Smiths safe 92 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 25/100, down from 53.

Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken by Camera Obscura
Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken — Camera Obscura safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 23/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Return to Sender by Elvis Presley
Return to Sender — Elvis Presley safe 132 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 24/100.

Chega de Saudade by Joao Gilberto
Chega de Saudade — Joao Gilberto safe 100 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. 14/100, versus the original's 53.

The Boy with the Arab Strap by Belle and Sebastian
The Boy with the Arab Strap — Belle and Sebastian safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 17/100, down from 53.

You're Beautiful by James Blunt
You're Beautiful — James Blunt safe 90 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 30/100 — the pull without the edge.

Tennessee Homesick Blues by Dolly Parton
Tennessee Homesick Blues — Dolly Parton safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 34/100.

Let's Stay Together by Al Green
Let's Stay Together — Al Green safe 123 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 24/100, versus the original's 53. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “To Be Alone” by Hozier?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Straight to You” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Take You on a Cruise” by Interpol, “The One I Love” by R.E.M. — 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 “To Be Alone” but calmer?

“William, It Was Really Nothing” by The Smiths, “Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken” by Camera Obscura, “Return to Sender” by Elvis Presley keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “To Be Alone”?

It measures 53/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild 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

On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 69% of songs, calmer than the other 31%. Its intensity reading of 53/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 69% 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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 7/10, 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

Intensity53
Dynamics67
Tempo44
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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

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