Top 10 Devo Songs

Photo: Malcolm Riviera / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Devo remains one of the most unique and influential bands to emerge from the late 1970s. Formed in Akron, Ohio, in 1973, the band grew around Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale. Their whole identity was built around the satirical idea of “de-evolution,” the belief that society was regressing instead of advancing. The classic lineup featured Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, Bob Mothersbaugh, Bob Casale, and drummer Alan Myers. Brian Eno produced their 1978 debut, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, which introduced their sound and strange visual style to a much wider audience.

By 1980, Freedom of Choice and “Whip It” had pushed Devo into the mainstream without taking away their weirdness. Matching outfits, red energy domes, robotic movement, and bizarre videos all became part of the same artistic vision. The band continued through New Traditionalists, Oh, No! It’s Devo, Shout, Total Devo, and Smooth Noodle Maps, then returned with Something for Everybody in 2010. Their influence reached bands such as Nirvana and Arcade Fire. These ten songs show just how much more there was to Devo than “Whip It.”

# 10 – Freedom of Choice

“Freedom of Choice” gets this list started with one of Devo’s clearest statements about free will and conformity. The 1980 title track runs on a tight new wave groove built from synthesizers, bass, clipped guitars, and robotic vocals. Its famous story about a dog unable to choose between two bones turns the whole argument into one dark little joke. Gerald Casale has said Warner Bros. never actually released the song as a single, even though it became one of the album’s best-known tracks. Few Devo songs explain the band’s philosophy this clearly while still being this much fun to hear.

# 9 – Puppet Boy

“Puppet Boy” comes from Devo’s 1984 album Shout, where the band pushed much further into digital synthesizers and sampling. Written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, the song turns the image of a puppet into a sharp metaphor for obedience and control. Mark and Gerald share the lead vocals, giving the track a mechanical back-and-forth that fits the subject perfectly. The production is slicker than the early guitar-heavy records, but the sarcasm underneath it is pure Devo. “Puppet Boy” remains one of the strongest tracks from a difficult but interesting period in the band’s career.

# 8 – Gut Feeling

“Gut Feeling” is one of the great early Devo tracks from 1978’s Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!. The song begins patiently, letting a simple guitar figure build tension before the whole band crashes into a much harder groove. Brian Eno’s production keeps the sound lean, allowing the guitars, bass, and Alan Myers’s drumming to hit with real force. The lyrics are angry and personal, centered on the moment when someone has finally pushed you too far. For a band remembered so often for synthesizers and robotic movement, this song proves Devo could flat-out rock.

# 7 – Theme from Doctor Detroit

“Theme from Doctor Detroit” gave Devo a perfect setting for their sense of humor in the 1983 Dan Aykroyd comedy Doctor Detroit. The song appeared on the soundtrack and on a Devo EP that also included “Luv-Luv” and a dance mix of the title track. Mark Mothersbaugh’s vocal rides over synthesizers, bass, guitars, and Alan Myers’s drums in a performance that still sounds unmistakably like Devo. The single reached No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 50 on Billboard’s Dance/Disco chart. Even on a movie assignment, Devo managed to sound completely like themselves.

# 6 – Girl U Want

“Girl U Want” opens 1980’s Freedom of Choice with one of the catchiest songs Devo ever recorded. Written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, the song turns desire into something urgent, detached, and almost mechanical. Robert Margouleff’s production gives the synthesizers and guitars a clean punch that helped define Devo’s early-1980s sound. The music video pushes the joke further with a deliberately artificial television-show setting and stiff, absurd imagery. Under all that satire is a killer pop hook, which is why “Girl U Want” has lasted so well.

# 5 – Working In A Coal Mine

Devo’s “Working in the Coal Mine” takes Allen Toussaint’s song and runs it through the band’s own industrial machinery. Their 1981 version appeared on the Heavy Metal soundtrack and was also packaged as a bonus 7-inch with early copies of New Traditionalists. The repetitive rhythm was already perfect for a song about exhausting labor, but Devo makes it sound even more mechanical. Mark Mothersbaugh’s detached vocal gives the track a strange mixture of humor and weariness. It is a great cover because Devo never tries to imitate Lee Dorsey; they simply turn the song into Devo.

# 4 – Uncontrollable Urge

“Uncontrollable Urge” explodes out of the opening seconds of Devo’s debut album and never really lets up. Written by Mark Mothersbaugh, the song is all jagged guitar, pounding drums, clipped vocals, and nervous energy. Brian Eno produced the album, but this track still sounds raw enough to feel like the band is right in the room. The repeated vocal bursts make the song feel less like a polished composition than an impulse suddenly taking control. It remains one of the fiercest recordings Devo ever made.

# 3 – Here To Go

“Here to Go” comes from Devo’s 1984 album Shout, where the band pushed its digital sound further than ever before. Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale wrote the song, and its heavy use of synthesizers fits the electronic direction of the album. The title itself sounds like a Devo contradiction: being here only so you can move on from here. That sense of forward motion gives the song more drive than some of the colder tracks around it. A later “Go Mix” helped keep the song alive beyond Shout and returned on the band’s 50 Years of De-Evolution 1973–2023 collection.

# 2 – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Devo’s version of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is one of rock’s great examples of how to cover a famous song without copying it. The band first issued its version in 1977 and then re-recorded it with Brian Eno for the 1978 debut album. Devo stripped away the Rolling Stones’ swagger and rebuilt the song as nervous, fractured, mechanical rock. Mick Jagger heard the version before the Warner Bros. release and gave it his approval. Their 1978 Saturday Night Live performance then introduced millions of viewers to Devo’s strange movements, yellow suits, and completely different idea of rock music.

# 1 – Whip It

There really was no other song that could finish this list. “Whip It,” from 1980’s Freedom of Choice, became Devo’s biggest hit and reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gerald Casale built the lyrics from American can-do clichés and the influence of Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow. Mark Mothersbaugh assembled the music from several different ideas, while the main guitar figure twisted the feel of Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Then came the unforgettable ranch video, the energy domes, and the whip routine that made Devo impossible to ignore on television. For all the jokes, “Whip It” is still a brilliantly constructed record, and it earned its place at number one.