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Devo — Whip It
Album: Freedom of Choice
Avg rating:
6.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1116









Released: 1980
Length: 2:37
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Crack that whip
Give the past the slip
Step on a crack
Break your momma's back

When a problem comes along you must whip it
Before the cream sits out too long you must whip it
When something's going wrong you must whip it

Now whip it into shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it
It's not too late to whip it
Whip it good

When a good time turns around you must whip it
You will never live it down unless you whip it
No one gets their way until they whip it
I say whip it whip it good
I say whip it whip it good

Crack that whip
Give the past the slip
Step on a crack
Break your momma's back

When a problem comes along you must whip it
Before the cream sits out too long you must whip it
When something's going wrong you must whip it

Now whip it into shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it
It's not too late to whip it into shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it
It's not too late to whip it
Whip it good
Comments (69)add comment
Stupid
'Tattoo Detective' was my misheard lyric
Total classic.  
 Steely_D wrote:


And sometimes did the music for episodes of PeeWee’s Playhouse, when it wasn’t Todd Rundgren or someone else equally unexpected.



Rugrats too, I think.  Mothersbaugh, in any case, if not the whole band.  I've seen his name on recent things too.
I wonder....do you think this would have survived the censorship police back in the day if they's said "spank it" instead of whip it? 🤣😉
GREAT TUNE!!  Brings back memories!   Thanx RP!   
 lynn01 wrote:

fun song and a fun band, you must hear their cover of "can't get no satisfaction" - best cover ever imo, love the video too.



Didn't Devo do this song during their appearance on SNL? Hmm .. the 70's were a long time ago, and many brain cells away.
This is fun! 
Wonder if anyone's experimented with playing it in a BDSM club. Sorry 


 xtalman wrote:

To think one of these guys went on to create a kids show.....Yo Gabba Gabba.



And sometimes did the music for episodes of PeeWee’s Playhouse, when it wasn’t Todd Rundgren or someone else equally unexpected.
 freddyfender wrote:

My first exposure to 'alternative' music while growing up in piss-ant central MN in the 80's.  Perhaps the first indication to me that there was a world outside of the farm.


Saw them at Northrup Auditorium, U of MN  2nd row balcony. 1978. Never so scared that I was going to fall off the balcony to the crowd below!
 DaMoGan wrote:

This, and "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen were the very first 45s I ever owned as a kid.  Darn, now I want to get a turntable.


Did you get a turntable yet? If not, why not? Enjoy life now.
I'm actually singing along with this at work, man I hope nobody walks into my office
now more than ever we need this - DEVO must march on Moscow to teach Putin and Lavarov to dance and enjoy life instead of inflict misery .... oooops
Just hilarious classic pop music.
Perform a rocking show
ahhh the sounds of my childhood
fun song and a fun band, you must hear their cover of "can't get no satisfaction" - best cover ever imo, love the video too.
OMG I'm old.  How is this 41 years old? Definitely 'out there' at the time, there was nothing quite like Devo.
To those who know these are brilliant Conceptual Artists. Check out their deeper catalogue and collaborations with other artists like Bruce Conner
Trying too hard.
This, and "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen were the very first 45s I ever owned as a kid.  Darn, now I want to get a turntable.
 JeriF wrote:
Saw these guys at the Santa Monica Civic Center way back when, before I'd even heard of MTV (didn't own a television) and they were GREAT!  Still the only time I've ever bought scalped tickets- I was determined to see them no matter what.  And still the only time I've ever seen a band playing with each musician ('cept the drummer) on a running treadmill.  What a show!!


 
What a hoot!
Saw them live in 1980 at Birmingham Odeon. Was just the craziest gig, videos before it started when videos were not really invented, paper overalls that were ripped off by the mosh pit revealing hob-nailed boots and shorts and the red flower pot hats. 
Four of them wearing crazy fluorescent bibs (D - E - V - O) in complete darkness bobbing around the stage for 'Are we not Mean we are Devo'.  
Not particularly revolutionary now but was pretty out there then ... 
love it!
Devo had a bunch of other very good songs that never get played... Girl U Want...Gates of Steel... (hint hint Bill!)
 Steely_D wrote:
Quaint now, but unbelievably subversive and ground breaking when it came out. We were listening to Muskrat Love and Afternoon Delight on the radio when Costello, Pretenders, Devo, Talking Heads and others came through as "New Wave" and gave us something more.

What a time that was...
 

Wouldn't you have been listening to Steely Dan on heavy late 70's rotation at that time? 

FM... no static at all.
 Hannio wrote:
 
Thank you. Now I know just WHEN to whip it (and when to whip it good).
Saw these guys at the Santa Monica Civic Center way back when, before I'd even heard of MTV (didn't own a television) and they were GREAT!  Still the only time I've ever bought scalped tickets- I was determined to see them no matter what.  And still the only time I've ever seen a band playing with each musician ('cept the drummer) on a running treadmill.  What a show!!


Maybe Rock Hall bound?  Short I-77 distance from their Akron hometown to the  CLE !!
 Steely_D wrote:
Quaint now, but unbelievably subversive and ground breaking when it came out. We were listening to Muskrat Love and Afternoon Delight on the radio when Costello, Pretenders, Devo, Talking Heads and others came through as "New Wave" and gave us something more.

What a time that was...

 
Well maybe their cover of Satisfaction. Whip It was popular but only because it's funny. I don't think it got anyone thinking about its place in music history.
Brilliant performance/collaborative artists and musicians. Enormous, very influential catalog. Pioneers of "electronica" and EDM. Enormous catalog, largely unknown to the masses who only recall this from MTV
Yay! Christmas Music  {#Biggrin}     (I must whip it)
 Sunbird94 wrote:
Reminds me of high school. The Mighty 690.(a border blaster Top 40 station out of Tijuana/San DIego).. would play this single to death.
 
Yes, along with Double Dutch Bus and Smoke Two Joints. All hail the Mighty 690, the pre-KROQ of Southern California.
nice... {#Wave}{#Whipit}
Quaint now, but unbelievably subversive and ground breaking when it came out. We were listening to Muskrat Love and Afternoon Delight on the radio when Costello, Pretenders, Devo, Talking Heads and others came through as "New Wave" and gave us something more.

What a time that was...
 Hannio wrote: 
I am so glad someone had "too much time" on their hands. I never would have thought of this but it sure gave me a good chuckle
Saw them in Cleveland in 1983 - one of the best shows I've ever seen
New Years resolution 1981. I will not buy a Devo album. 
{#Dancingbanana}{#Dancingbanana}{#Dancingbanana}
So much more from their Catalogue. Brilliant techno, way ahead of their time. Performance artists with a great sense of humor/irony and a point of view. Their live shows are Epic
Love the video of this song! Weird early MTV.
Has a bit of a Talking Heads vibe to it…
german wave ... in english ... better play original "fred vom jupiter" and so on ...
Funny thing happened this morning - on the radio they said Donald Trump asked for the "Working Class" to rise up and vote for him against Hillary Clinton (who represents - as he sees it - the political elite).

The report said that he was trying to galvanize support from the "Industrial Mid West" of America.

I tried to visualize where the industrial mid west actually was and immediately Ohio came to mind and then Akron, Ohio and then logically to one of their most famous products - Devo,

And the first record played when I switched on RP this morning was... Devo "Whip it".

Yeah - synchronicity or what?

 
Where in hell is my spudhat? I haven't seen it since 1988.
https://doctorsardonicus.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/oh-that-alan.png?w=300&h=204
 
Reminds me of high school. The Mighty 690.(a border blaster Top 40 station out of Tijuana/San DIego).. would play this single to death.
My first exposure to 'alternative' music while growing up in piss-ant central MN in the 80's.  Perhaps the first indication to me that there was a world outside of the farm.
{#Whipit}
great song!
{#Dancingbanana_2}
they crack me up!
To think one of these guys went on to create a kids show.....Yo Gabba Gabba.
the video they made for this is just about the best video ever
 Axelito wrote:
Oh come on... It this a fucking joke?! Make it stop... Pleaaaaaassseeeeee!!!

 
The joke must just be on you. 

At least it's a funny one.
YEAH DEVO!!!!! {#Clap} More More More!
this is mighty
How bizarre to hear Devo on here - they were definitely an 'aquired taste' at the time. I did buy a couple of their singles back then (but there was a lot of good competition for my saturday-job-money). Maybe you could dig out the Devo cover of the Stones 'Satisfaction' - thats a strange one. Actually on 2nd thoughts finding Devo on here explains the occurance of XTC on here too. 'whacky' i think is the word {#Laughing}
Oh come on... It this a fucking joke?! Make it stop... Pleaaaaaassseeeeee!!!
Yes !  

Local boys make good !
music we deserve
I saw Devo in Kent Ohio before they became big. We were convinced they would be a failure.  Shows what we knew.
Yes!
Extremely strange band, extremely weird video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_QLzthSkfM 
This should have been the theme music to Fifty Shades of Grey.
Pretty clean .... so I give it a 7.
No. Just no.
RIP, Bob 2. : - (