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10 songs that feel like Valerie

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

Valerie
The song you love
Valerie
Richard Thompson
moderate 50/100 intensity 128 BPM
Under You — Foo Fighters moderate 128 BPM

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

Should've Been Me — Mitski moderate 128 BPM

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

I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore — Lucy Dacus moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

Erase Me — Kid Cudi feat. Kanye West moderate 128 BPM

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

The End of the World — The Cure moderate 126 BPM

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

pretty isn't pretty — Olivia Rodrigo moderate 126 BPM

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

Step — Vampire Weekend moderate 126 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

Barricade — Interpol moderate 126 BPM

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

Cath... — Death Cab for Cutie moderate 126 BPM

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

I'm the Man Who Loves You — Wilco moderate 130 BPM

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

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Valerie 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 50. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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.

Tangerine by Led Zeppelin
Tangerine — Led Zeppelin safe 78 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 16/100.

Dumb — Nirvana safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 19/100, versus the original's 50.

Mozambique — Bob Dylan 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 27/100, down from 50. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Little Ghost by The White Stripes
Little Ghost — The White Stripes safe 142 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 39/100 — the pull without the edge.

Sugar Magnolia — Grateful Dead safe 142 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 43/100.

Uncle John's Band — Grateful Dead safe 140 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 30/100, versus the original's 50.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Valerie” by Richard Thompson?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Under You” by Foo Fighters, “Should've Been Me” by Mitski, “I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore” by Lucy Dacus — 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 “Valerie” but calmer?

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

How intense is “Valerie”?

It measures 50/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 128 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 62% of songs, calmer than the other 38%. Its intensity reading of 50/100 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 84% 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.

1986 in context

The 223 songs we’ve measured from 1986 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. At 6/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

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

The fingerprint

Intensity50
Dynamics56
Tempo49
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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