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10 songs that feel like Waiting on Words

Matched to Waiting on Words 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.

Waiting on Words
The song you love
Waiting on Words
The Black Keys
moderate 48/100 intensity 110 BPM
How to Disappear — Lana Del Rey moderate 105 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (105 BPM).

Hyacinth House — The Doors moderate 110 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

Dark Spring — Beach House moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same dreamy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

Fiery Crash — Andrew Bird moderate 110 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

Inflammatory Writ — Joanna Newsom moderate 110 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

Staring at the Sun — U2 moderate 124 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

Borderline — Tame Impala moderate 115 BPM

Keeps the same dreamy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (115 BPM).

Sunflower — Vampire Weekend moderate 105 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc) — Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) moderate 118 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

J-Boy — Phoenix moderate 118 BPM

98% 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 Waiting on Words is more than you want right now.

Not All Who Wander Are Lost by Lana Del Rey
Not All Who Wander Are Lost — Lana Del Rey safe 115 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 48. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Veridis Quo by Daft Punk
Veridis Quo — Daft Punk safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 23/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Desert Island Disk — Radiohead 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.

Sleep the Clock Around by Belle and Sebastian
Sleep the Clock Around — Belle and Sebastian safe 118 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 29/100, versus the original's 48. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Wild Imagination by Kurt Vile
Wild Imagination — Kurt Vile safe 110 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 48. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Forever (Sailing) by Snail Mail
Forever (Sailing) — Snail Mail safe 105 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Pink + White by Frank Ocean
Pink + White — Frank Ocean safe 82 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.

Skyline To by Frank Ocean
Skyline To — Frank Ocean safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 24/100, versus the original's 48.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Waiting on Words” by The Black Keys?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “How to Disappear” by Lana Del Rey, “Hyacinth House” by The Doors, “Dark Spring” by Beach House — 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 “Waiting on Words” but calmer?

“Not All Who Wander Are Lost” by Lana Del Rey, “Veridis Quo” by Daft Punk, “Desert Island Disk” by Radiohead keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Waiting on Words”?

It measures 48/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 110 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 52% of songs, calmer than the other 48%. Its intensity reading of 48/100 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
Focus8/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2014 in context

The 313 songs we’ve measured from 2014 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

Intensity48
Dynamics56
Tempo39
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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