Devo Songs Ranked
Devo (/ˈdiːvoʊ/, originally /diːˈvoʊ/) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaugh’s (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single “Whip It”, the song that gave the band mainstream popularity. Devo is known for their music and stage shows mingling kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and mordantly satirical social commentary. Their early, pre-Warner Bros. dissonant songs use synthetic instrumentation and time signatures have proven influential on subsequent popular music, particularly new wave, industrial, and alternative rock artists. Devo (most enthusiastically Gerald Casale) was also a pioneer of the music video, creating clips for the LaserDisc format, with “Whip It” getting heavy airplay in the early days of MTV. Here are all of Devo songs ranked.
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20. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (Out of Our Heads, 1965)
“I think this version of the song is just greater than the original! Is like stealing something and making it even more original. This is like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa. Devo’s Bizarro reconstruct of the Stones 60’s monument in their own image, with its robotic beat and eccentric vocal (try counting the number of “Baby’s” sung in one breath by Mark Mothersbaugh) just totally works.”
19. Patterns (Oh, No! It’s Devo, 1982)
“Tucked in the middle of all this mess is one of my favorite all time Devo songs “Patterns”. Like no other cut here it is heartfelt and incredibly catchy. It was the last brilliant moment from the band.”
18. Working in a Coal Mine (New Traditionalists, 1981)
“The emotion in this song is raw and uncensored, it tells an amazing and beautiful story. It’s original and calming ; yet there’s something in the lyrics that stirs up emotions and memories.”
17. Through Being Cool (New Traditionalists, 1981)
“”Through Being Cool” was written as a kiss-off to Johnny-come-lately fans that had gravitated toward the group after the success of “Whip It.” Devo were now (albeit temporarily) part of the mainstream and were disturbed by some of the human skidmarks inhabiting their fan base and responded with this anthem. For a synthpop song, it’s pretty damn weird, considering it’s based on a shuffle beat and each chorus alternates between two different keys. A great paean to eschewing the mainstream and the joy one experiences when encountering like-minded individuals.”
See more: Devo Albums Ranked
16. Fresh (Something for Everybody, 2010)
“I think this song was a great opening song for their new album, It has a different sound than a-lot of their other stuff. It sounds great on every instrument, and once you hear it, every time you hear the word Fresh, you will be singing SO FRESH in your head!”
15. That’s Good (Oh, No! It’s Devo, 1982)
“They did a great job on this song. It is from the album, Oh No it’s Devo. It’s starts off with a fat sounding synth, and then the Oberheim strings come in and it just sounds great. Also talking about Alan Myers again, his syndrum hits on this song just fit in perfectly.”
14. Big Mess (Oh, No! It’s Devo, 1982)
“Don’t let the name deceive you, this song is definitely not a Mess at all. It is off of my second favorite Devo album, Oh No it’s Devo. This was when they had drummer Alan Myers ( Rest In Peace), he really contributed on this album using his synare syndrums. There is not really much I can say about this song except it is awesome.”
13. S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain) (Duty Now for the Future, 1979)
“This is a pretty good follow up to Devo’s classic debut, but a few things keep it from the same status. The very flat production, in particular, is a headscratcher, as well as a general lack of cohesiveness. The songs all feel like they could hit a lot harder with a little more punch in the recording. Lyrically this follows the same satirical De-Evolution brand as before with rawer, less polished results.”
12. Beautiful World (New Traditionalists, 1981)
“This is Devo’s most Beautiful song. See what I did there. It is from their album New Traditionalist. It was original sung by Gerald Casale, but now is usually sung by Booji Boy.”
11. What We Do (Something for Everybody, 2010)
“This is a song off of Devo’s new (sort of) album made in 2010 titled Something for Everybody. This song is great because it has a driving beat and great synth parts.”
10. Blockhead (Duty Now for the Future, 1979)
“I remember a lad at school we used to call him square head behind his back not very nice i know. He was intelligent especially at Mathematics and Genetics in Biology. He loved Magazine and turned up to class with a spike top nestling on to his squared bonce. Funny enough he gained more respect. Not sure where Devo got inspiration for the lyrics maybe it stems from childhood watching the Munsters star cast Herman with his dalliances with Uncle Fester and his wife Morticia.”
9. Jocko Homo (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, 1978)
“Jocko Homo” by Devo is a prime example. I can remember sitting down to Sunday lunch when this came on the radio. It was completely different to anything else around at the time. The jerky, uncoordinated rhythm sounded as if the band were afflicted by a particularly ferocious strain of St Vitus’ dance. They were also one of the first bands, outside the sphere of contemporary rock, to combine the synthesiser with the guitar – a device which also gave them a distinctive edge.”
8. Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA (Duty Now for the Future, 1979)
“This song is awesome to say the least. It is off of Devo’s second album Duty Now For The Future. Even though it is two songs it is still considered one song. This was my favorite Devo song for a long time until I heard What We Do. It starts off with a great low synth note, and also Smart Patrol has what I consider to be the only true Devo guitar solo. Mr. DNA is my favorite out of the two parts, it has a fast pace and is difficult on the drums.”
7. Freedom of Choice (Freedom of Choice, 1980)
“Freedom Of Choice” (the song) was an exception as one of the few tracks on the album that actually featured riffs more dominant than the synth lines. If there’s a complaint, it’s the odd, hollow drum sound that ball and chains the track rather than drives it. Minor gripe on a classic track.”
See more: The Cars Albums Ranked
6. Whip It (Freedom Of Choice, 1980)
“I figured if I didn’t add this song to the list I would get burnt at the stake. Just kidding, This song is Devo’s biggest song and it is great. It is from their album, Freedom of choice. It has one of the most recognisable Hi-Hat parts of all time, and gets quoted all the time. YOU MUST WHIP IT!”
5. Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy) (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, 1978)
“I love the opening and how it builds with guitar, drums then bass then piano. Awesome. Creeps up on you!. This song suggested that if Devo had wanted to ditch being ironic commentators on spud society, and just record good guitar-based rock, they could’ve. They probably would’ve needed a different vocalist, though.”
4. Girl U Want (Freedom Of Choice, 1980)
“I love this song. It is from their most famous album Freedom Of Choice. It is fun to play on every instrument, it has one of my favorite bass synth parts of all time. IT is also a really catchy song, She’s just the girl, she’s just the girl, The girl you want!”
3. Gates of Steel (Freedom Of Choice, 1980)
“The whole aim of the devolution band is and was that the beginning was the end! And as mentioned so often in context with humanity we are all human but we do have artificial transplants is this good or bad. One can ponder a long time over that question. These clever lyrics; “twist away the gates of steel” in context with the naturally functioning human is that the latest operations unfortunately do go wrong and one can die. Hence, knee surgery put in a pin, the pin is unstable the old man falls breaks his neck and dies. Moreover, in context, we evolve we improve are well being yet we are finite. As the late George Harrison once said everything must pass!”
2. Uncontrollable Urge (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, 2006)
“This song is great. It is from their debut album, Q: Are We Not Men. A: We Are Devo. It is my favorite song off of that album. IT has a fast pace, and good guitar parts. Also ( Just a Fun fact) it is the theme song of Rob Dyrdek’s show, Ridiculousness.”
1. Mongoloid (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, 2006)
“To a degree “Mongoloid” is equally bizarre and, inevitably, attracted a great deal of criticism. As is to be expected of the mostly facile music press, they failed to bother trying to decipher the song’s meaning and immediately castigated the band for insulting the disabled, whereas this is actually a call for equality.”