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10 songs that feel like Down Boy

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

Down Boy
The song you love
Down Boy
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
moderate 60/100 intensity 120 BPM
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Take Me to the Pilot — Elton John moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Ready to Start — Arcade Fire moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Month of May — Arcade Fire intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Stereotypes — Blur moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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El Scorcho — Weezer moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Peek-A-Boo! — Devo moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Far Gone and Out — The Jesus and Mary Chain moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Rage Hard — Frankie Goes to Hollywood intense 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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3's and 7's — Queens of the Stone Age intense 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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We Care a Lot — Faith No More intense 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Down Boy is more than you want right now.

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 41/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da — The Police safe 120 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 41/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 25/100.

Goodbye Weekend by Mac DeMarco
Goodbye Weekend — Mac DeMarco safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 16/100, versus the original's 60.

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 24/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with Somebody — Whitney Houston safe 119 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 40/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala
The Less I Know the Better — Tame Impala safe 116 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 29/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Down Boy” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Take Me to the Pilot” by Elton John, “Ready to Start” by Arcade Fire, “Month of May” by Arcade Fire — 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 “Down Boy” but calmer?

“Monday Morning” by Fleetwood Mac, “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” by The Police, “William, It Was Really Nothing” by The Smiths keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Down Boy”?

It measures 60/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate 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 77% of songs, calmer than the other 23%. Its intensity reading of 60/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 77% 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

Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype6/10

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

2003 in context

The 365 songs we’ve measured from 2003 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity60
Dynamics67
Tempo44
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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