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10 songs that feel like Theme from Doctor Detroit

Matched to Theme from Doctor Detroit by DEVO on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Theme from Doctor Detroit
The song you love
Theme from Doctor Detroit
DEVO
moderate 54/100 intensity 132 BPM
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Tribulations — LCD Soundsystem moderate 125 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (125 BPM).

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Step Right Up — Tom Waits moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Hey! Good Lookin' — Bo Diddley moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 98% alike.

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Pop Song 89 — R.E.M. moderate 128 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Expensive Shit — Fela Kuti moderate 110 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100).

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Dancing Choose — TV on the Radio moderate 128 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

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That's Pep! — Devo moderate 142 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Measured 95% alike.

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Eat Your Young — Hozier moderate 124 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Running Free — Iron Maiden moderate 140 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Super Freak — Rick James moderate 133 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Theme from Doctor Detroit is more than you want right now.

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da — The Police 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 54.

22 by Taylor Swift
22 — Taylor Swift safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 39/100 — the pull without the edge.

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac 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 41/100.

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure
Friday I'm In Love — The Cure safe 135 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 34/100, versus the original's 54. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Shiny Happy People by R.E.M.
Shiny Happy People — R.E.M. safe 135 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 42/100, down from 54. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Head Over Heels by ABBA
Head Over Heels — ABBA safe 118 BPM

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

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Creepin' In — Norah Jones featuring Dolly Parton safe 120 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 7. Reads 19/100.

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Frankly, Mr. Shankly — The Smiths safe 145 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 33/100, versus the original's 54.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Theme from Doctor Detroit” by DEVO?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Tribulations” by LCD Soundsystem, “Step Right Up” by Tom Waits, “Hey! Good Lookin'” by Bo Diddley — 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 “Theme from Doctor Detroit” but calmer?

“De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” by The Police, “22” by Taylor Swift, “Monday Morning” by Fleetwood Mac keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Theme from Doctor Detroit”?

It measures 54/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 132 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 74% of songs, calmer than the other 26%. Its intensity reading of 54/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, 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 88% 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
Workout7/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1983 in context

The 242 songs we’ve measured from 1983 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

Intensity54
Dynamics67
Tempo51
Surprise25
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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