← Back to The Revolution Starts Now

10 songs that feel like The Revolution Starts Now

Matched to The Revolution Starts Now by Steve Earle on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
The Revolution Starts Now
Steve Earle
moderate 49/100 intensity 120 BPM
♪
Forty Days and Forty Nights — Muddy Waters moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

♪
Wang Dang Doodle — Howlin' Wolf moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

♪
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer — John Lee Hooker moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

♪
Instant Hit — The Slits moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Whitehouse Road — Tyler Childers moderate 118 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

♪
Tell Me Lies — The Black Keys moderate 124 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Set You Free — The Black Keys moderate 124 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (124 BPM).

♪
Fashion — David Bowie moderate 126 BPM

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

♪
The Denial Twist — The White Stripes moderate 126 BPM

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

♪
Exhuming McCarthy — R.E.M. moderate 128 BPM

98% 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 The Revolution Starts Now is more than you want right now.

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 40/100, down from 49. 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

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Changes by David Bowie
Changes — David Bowie safe 124 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 27/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 38/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
9 to 5 — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 42/100, down from 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Two Doors Down by Dolly Parton
Two Doors Down — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 36/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That by Dolly Parton
Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That — Dolly Parton safe 120 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.

Here I Am by Dolly Parton
Here I Am — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 45/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “The Revolution Starts Now” by Steve Earle?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Forty Days and Forty Nights” by Muddy Waters, “Wang Dang Doodle” by Howlin' Wolf, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” by John Lee Hooker — 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 “The Revolution Starts Now” but calmer?

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston, “The Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala, “Changes” by David Bowie keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “The Revolution Starts Now”?

It measures 49/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 55% of songs, calmer than the other 45%. Its intensity reading of 49/100 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
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2004 in context

The 334 songs we’ve measured from 2004 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

Intensity49
Dynamics56
Tempo44
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?

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