← Back to Rebel Rebel

10 songs that feel like Rebel Rebel

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

Rebel Rebel
The song you love
Rebel Rebel
David Bowie
moderate 52/100 intensity 136 BPM
♪
Hung Up — Madonna safe 126 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same joyful pull and sits a little calmer at 45/100.

♪
Take Back the Night — Justin Timberlake moderate 120 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Millennium — Robbie Williams moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same joyful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Measured 97% alike.

♪
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) — Michael Jackson moderate 123 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Give It 2 Me — Madonna safe 126 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same joyful pull and sits a little calmer at 45/100.

♪
Do It Well — Jennifer Lopez moderate 120 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Shoplifters of the World Unite — The Smiths moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same joyful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Measured 95% alike.

♪
Rapper's Delight — The Sugarhill Gang moderate 113 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It sits a little calmer at 46/100. Same layered texture.

♪
California Love — 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre moderate 102 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same joyful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100).

♪
El Cumbanchero — Tito Puente moderate 110 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 46/100. Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Changes by David Bowie
Changes — David Bowie safe 124 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 27/100, down from 52.

Hung Up by Madonna
Hung Up — Madonna safe 126 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 45/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Give It 2 Me by Madonna
Give It 2 Me — Madonna safe 126 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Girl Gone Wild by Madonna
Girl Gone Wild — Madonna safe 128 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. 36/100, versus the original's 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Good Day Sunshine by The Beatles
Good Day Sunshine — The Beatles safe 125 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 27/100, down from 52.

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

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 40/100 — the pull without the edge.

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 8. Reads 29/100.

Let's Dance by David Bowie
Let's Dance — David Bowie safe 115 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 38/100, versus the original's 52.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Rebel Rebel” by David Bowie?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Hung Up” by Madonna, “Take Back the Night” by Justin Timberlake, “Millennium” by Robbie Williams — the top match scores 97% 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 “Rebel Rebel” but calmer?

“Changes” by David Bowie, “Hung Up” by Madonna, “Give It 2 Me” by Madonna keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Rebel Rebel”?

It measures 52/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, no sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 136 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 68% of songs, calmer than the other 32%. Its intensity reading of 52/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, no sudden 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 90% 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
Focus8/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1974 in context

The 176 songs we’ve measured from 1974 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 8/10, 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

Intensity52
Dynamics78
Tempo53
Surprise0
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?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →