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10 songs that feel like Warning Sign

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

Warning Sign
The song you love
Warning Sign
Talking Heads
moderate 52/100 intensity 110 BPM
Into the Twilight — Jack White moderate 95 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same hypnotic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100).

Jubilee Street — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds moderate 110 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

Little Johnny Jewel — Television moderate 95 BPM

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

Animal Bar — Red Hot Chili Peppers moderate 112 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

Don't Stand So Close to Me — The Police moderate 145 BPM

A 92% feel-match — carries the same tense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100).

Lemon Glow — Beach House moderate 120 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

Afterlife — Arcade Fire moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down — Interpol moderate 110 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

Crocodiles — Echo and the Bunnymen moderate 110 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

lucy — Soccer Mommy moderate 120 BPM

90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Seigfried by Frank Ocean
Seigfried — Frank Ocean safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 33/100, down from 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

People's Parties by Joni Mitchell
People's Parties — Joni Mitchell safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Man on the Moon by R.E.M.
Man on the Moon — R.E.M. safe 115 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. Nearly the same tempo, too.

New Test Leper by R.E.M.
New Test Leper — R.E.M. safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 19/100, versus the original's 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Violin Phase by Steve Reich
Violin Phase — Steve Reich safe 144 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 28/100, down from 52.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan safe 80 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 12/100 — the pull without the edge.

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 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 24/100.

If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé
If I Were a Boy — Beyoncé safe 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 28/100, versus the original's 52.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Warning Sign” by Talking Heads?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Into the Twilight” by Jack White, “Jubilee Street” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “Little Johnny Jewel” by Television — 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 “Warning Sign” but calmer?

“Seigfried” by Frank Ocean, “People's Parties” by Joni Mitchell, “Man on the Moon” by R.E.M. keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Warning Sign”?

It measures 52/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 110 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 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 68% 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
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1978 in context

The 214 songs we’ve measured from 1978 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 7/10, 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
Dynamics67
Tempo39
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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