← Back to Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham)

10 songs that feel like Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham)

Matched to Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham) by Little Richard 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
Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham)
Little Richard
intense 94/100 intensity 140 BPM
Planet of Sound — Pixies intense 140 BPM

A 84% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and sits a little calmer at 88/100. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

Taking Me Back — Jack White intense 120 BPM

84% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 86/100.

Eric's Trip — Sonic Youth intense 140 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — sits a little calmer at 78/100. Measured 88% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

No Regrets — Eminem intense 145 BPM

Measures 89% the same. It sits a little calmer at 83/100. Same layered texture.

Something Against You — Pixies intense 140 BPM

A 86% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and sits a little calmer at 78/100. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

I Zimbra — Talking Heads intense 110 BPM

79% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 73/100.

Stone Cold Crazy — Queen intense 180 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — sits a little calmer at 79/100. Measured 79% alike.

Love Hangover — Diana Ross moderate 120 BPM

Measures 79% the same. It sits a little calmer at 68/100. Same layered texture.

We Tigers — Animal Collective intense 120 BPM

A 79% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and sits a little calmer at 77/100.

Algorithm — Childish Gambino intense 120 BPM

83% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 83/100.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham) is more than you want right now.

Fun, Fun, Fun by The Beach Boys
Fun, Fun, Fun — The Beach Boys moderate 140 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. Intensity 37/100, down from 94. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Our Imaginary Rhino — Justin Roberts safe 140 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9, so it lands at 45/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Clap Your Hands — They Might Be Giants safe 140 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. Reads 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

World Playground: A Musical Adventure for Kids — Putumayo Kids (Various Artists) safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 9. 41/100, versus the original's 94.

Latin Playground — Putumayo Kids safe 110 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. Intensity 45/100, down from 94.

African Playground — Putumayo Kids safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9, so it lands at 45/100 — the pull without the edge.

Best Day of My Life — Kidz Bop Kids safe 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. Reads 41/100.

Pop Goes the Weasel — Cedarmont Kids safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 9. 22/100, versus the original's 94.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham)” by Little Richard?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Planet of Sound” by Pixies, “Taking Me Back” by Jack White, “Eric's Trip” by Sonic Youth — the top match scores 84% 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 “Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham)” but calmer?

“Fun, Fun, Fun” by The Beach Boys, “Our Imaginary Rhino” by Justin Roberts, “Clap Your Hands” by They Might Be Giants keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham)”?

It measures 94/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 9/10, layered texture, frequent sudden shifts, and screaming. Tempo is 140 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

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 99% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 94/100 comes from a dynamic range of 9/10, layered texture, frequent shifts, and screaming. 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 99% 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.

Dial the feeling up or down

What it’s good for

Sleep0/10
Focus0/10
Workout10/10
Dinner3/10
Party / hype10/10

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

1956 in context

The 93 songs we’ve measured from 1956 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 9/10, 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

Intensity94
Dynamics89
Tempo56
Surprise75
Density33
Predictability100
Vocal force100
Trigger load88

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 →