Top 10 Mink DeVille Songs

Photo: Plismo [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Our Top 10 Mink Deville songs list takes a look at a band from the 1970s that stands as one of the most mislabeled and underrated bands of the classic rock era. From 1975 to 1977, Mink Deville worked as one of the house bands at the famous New York City club CBGB’s. Because of their residency at the renowned punk music club, most people thought of them as representing that punk new wave sound.

It made sense if you never saw them, since they were a house band at the place that many writers argue was the cradle of punk. However, their sound was more closer to Springsteen than it was to The Ramones. Mink Deville was a band that reimagined the sound of the 1950s. There were all the elements of the 1950s and early 1960s rock in their sound. Dion, Ben E. King, and a little bit of rockabilly mixed in fueled a fresh yet retro sound. The band Blondie was actually doing the same thing on their first two records, but no one seemed to be able to look past the stage persona of Debbie Harry back then.

Mink Deville was one of the coolest bands of the late 1970s. Willy Deville fronted the group. In essence, Mink Deville was Willy Deville. The artist wrote all the songs and sang lead on every track. The name of the band used to confuse some people. Some thought that Mink Deville and Willy Deville were brothers.

Nonetheless, the eight years when Willy Deville recorded albums and fronted his band as Mink Deville stands as a unique time in his musical career. After the release of the last Mink Deville album in 1985, Willy Deville began releasing albums under his own name. With that, his sound evolved, and a new musical era began for the gifted artist.

Our top 10 Mink Deville songs list will cover the period from 1977 to 1985 when all the records were released under the Mink Deville name. We will cover Willy Deville’s second half of his career in another article. Sadly, Willy Deville passed away in 2009.

# 10 – Maybe Tomorrow

We open our Top 10 Mink Deville songs list with an excellent track from the critically heralded Coup De Grace album. Some will argue that this album was Willy Deville’s most significant artistic moment. The album was recorded in France in 1979. For anyone who has ever visited the city of Paris or any of the other breathtaking parts of France, one can not help but be inspired by the poetic cinematic landscapes and culture of France. Willy Deville’s surroundings in France played a significant role in the outcome of this breathtaking album.

# 9 – Just Your Friends

In 1978, Mink DeVille released the fabulous Return to Magenta album. Although critics were not kind to the record, we always thought it was a brilliant album and a fabulous testament to so many various styles of rock and roll. It was a romantic street album filled with great songs and mesmerizing vocals by Willy Deville. The wonderful song “Just Your Friends” opened the album’s second side. Willy DeVille and Jack Nitzsche wrote the song.

# 8 – She’s So Tough

The classic track “She’s So Tough” was released on Mink Deville’s debut album in 1977. In the United States, the album was titled Mink Deville. In the United Kingdom, the album was titled Cabretta. This is one of the coolest songs ever released by Mink DeVille

# 7 – Italian Shoes

The Mink Deville song “Italian Shoes” was released on the final Mink Deville album entitled Sportin’ Life. The album was released in 1985. The song “Italian Shoes” succeeded commercially in Europe but was barely noticed in the United States. In 1985, the music of Prince, Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Hall and Oates, and hair metal bands like Whitesnake, Ratt, Def Leppard, etc… so dominated the airwaves a band like Mink Deville had little chance of getting anything played on the radio or even MTV in the United States during that period.

# 6 – This Must Be The Night

“This Must Be The Night” was released on the Le Chat Bleu album. The record was released in 1980. If you can’t already tell from the name, the album was recorded in Paris, France. It was an album that Willy Deville was very proud of. The only problem was that Capitol Records in the U.S. hated and shelved the record. Capitol then dropped Mink Deville from the label. However, EMI in Europe released the album, and it became a big hit. The album’s success in Europe resulted in Mink Deville being signed by Atlantic Records in the U.S.

# 5 – Love and Emotion

Continuing with our top 10 Mink Deville songs list, we turn to the Coup de Grâce album, released in 1981. By the time the album was being recorded, no members were left from the original Mink Deville unit, with the exception, of course, of Willy Deville. On an album of standout tracks, “Love and Emotion“ has always been one of our favorites.

# 4 – Each Word’s a Beat of My Heart

As we close in on the number one spot on this top 10 Mink Deville songs list, we can’t ignore the band’s fantastic album Where Angels Fear to Tread. It’s not a band anymore, as no one from the original group was on the record. It’s all Willy Deville and studio musicians at this point. Nonetheless, the results were stunning. The killer track “Each Word’s a Beat of My Heart” was the album’s great single that did break the Billboard Top 100 in the United States in 1983.

# 3 – Cadillac Walk

The following two Mink Deville songs on this top 10 list stem from the band’s excellent debut album Cabretta. The classic track “Cadillac Walk” was written by John Martin, who would gain recognition as the composer behind Robert Palmer’s “Addicted To Love.” Cadillac Walk” was a perfect song for the band to cover, defining in one song so many of the genes that the band crossed in their music.

# 2 – Spanish Stroll

“Spanish Stroll” was Mink Devilles’ first hit record. It was released on their debut album in 1977 and was a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom. The song was written by Willy Deville and produced by Jack Nitzsche.

# 1 – Guardian Angel

We close out our top 10 Mink DeVille songs list with the excellent opening track to the band’s second album, Return to Magenta, released in 1978. The album was the first to feature strings, which gave it an outstanding cinematic quality. The beautiful song “Guardian Angel“ was an unheralded gem that somehow was overlooked by critics and the rest of the music industry. It has always been our favorite Mink Deville song since the first time we heard it in 1978.