The band released their first album in 20 years, Something for Everybody on June 15, 2010.
Their style has been variously classified as punk, industrial and rock, but are most often considered to be the 70s/early 80s New Wave band that ushered in the synth pop of the 1980s, along with other acts such as Gary Numan and The B-52s.
Devo's music and stage show mingle kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and mordantly satirical social commentary, often dealing with the concept of De-Evolution, in sometimes-discordant pop songs that often feature unusual synthetic instrumentation and time signatures.
Their work has proved hugely influential on subsequent popular music, particularly New Wave, alternative and grunge music, they created some memorable music videos popular in the early days of MTV.
The name "Devo" comes from the concept of Devolution (also referred to by the band as de-evolution). This idea was developed as a joke by Kent State University art students Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis as early as the late 1960s. Casale and Lewis created a number of art pieces in the vein of Devolution. At this time, Casale had also performed with the local band 15-60-75. They met Mark Mothersbaugh around 1970, who introduced them to the pamphlet Jocko Homo Heavenbound, which would later inspire the song Jocko Homo
The pivotal moment for the formation of Devo was the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970. Casale knew two of the murdered students, and even saw one student, Allison Krause, with exit wounds from the M1 Garand rifle. At this moment, Casale claims he changed the idea of Devolution into a serious concept.
The first form of Devo was the Sextet Devo which performed at the 1973 Kent State performing arts festival. It included Casale, Lewis and Mothersbaugh, as well as Gerald's brother Bob Casale on guitar, and friends Rod Reisman and Fred Weber on drums and vocals, respectively. This performance was filmed and a part was included on the home video The Complete Truth About De-evolution. This lineup only performed once. Devo returned to perform in the Student Governance Center (featured prominently in the film) at the 1974 Creative Arts Festival with a line-up including the Casale brothers, Bob Lewis, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Jim Mothersbaugh on drums.
Devo later formed as a quartet focusing around Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale. They recruited Mark's brothers Bob Mothersbaugh and Jim Mothersbaugh. Bob played electric guitar, and Jim provided percussion using a set of homemade electronic drums. This lineup of Devo lasted until 1976 when Jim left the band. The lineup was occasionally fluid, and Bob Lewis would sometimes play guitar during this period. In concert, Devo would often perform in the guise of theatrical characters, such as Booji Boy, and The Chinaman. Live concerts from this period were often confrontational, and would remain so until 1977. A recording of an early Devo performance from 1975 with the quartet lineup appears on DEVO Live: The Mongoloid Years, ending with the promoters unplugging Devo's equipment.
Following Jim Motherbaugh's departure, Bob Mothersbaugh found a new drummer in Alan Myers, who played a conventional, acoustic drum set with mechanical precision. Casale re-recruited his brother Bob Casale, and the popular line-up of Devo was formed. It would endure for nearly ten years.
Devo embarked on a Euro-Tour 2007 on June 16th in Barcelona. They also performed concerts in Brighton, London, Manchester and Glasgow. More information about it can be found here.
In May 2020 Devo re-opened their online store where face masks with logo designs and an infamous Energy Dome with the attacheable protective shield can be pre-ordered to help their fans protect themselves from Covid-19.
Deep Sleep
Devo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sleepwalking, but I just woke up
From a deep sleep.
A very deep sleep.
I've been running on remote control,
In a deep sleep.
I awoke the moment I was told
That a smile is just a frown turned around,
It was a deep sleep,
A very deep sleep.
I can't remember what I used to know.
Somebody help me now and let me go.
Into a deep sleep.
Push me back, now let me go
Into a dream again.
To a sleep unlike before,
So deep it never ends.
I've been caught inside a deep sleep,
Sinking deeper after I forgot.
Sleepwalking, as I watch myself,
In a deep sleep.
I keep pretending that it's someone else.
Devo's song Deep Sleep speaks of a state of unconsciousness, where the singer is in a deep sleep, both metaphorically and physically. The opening lines, "I've been walking in a deep sleep; Sleepwalking, but I just woke up," signify how one can go through life being unaware of their surroundings, and only when they wake up from this slumber, do they truly realize what's happening around them. The lines, "I've been running on remote control, In a deep sleep," further emphasize how people can get caught up in the daily grind, becoming automated and lacking a sense of awareness.
The song's protagonist only remembers being in this deep sleep, unable to recollect what they've lost in the process. In the lyrics, "I can't remember what I used to know. Somebody help me now and let me go. Into a deep sleep," we see how this state of being can lead to a sense of confusion and a loss of self. The song suggests that the way out of this deep sleep is to let go and enter a dream, "Push me back, now let me go Into a dream again. To a sleep unlike before, So deep it never ends."
In conclusion, Deep Sleep is a commentary on how people can become unresponsive and unaware of things happening in their lives, leading to a deep sense of detachment and a loss of selfhood. The song suggests that to break out of this trance-like state, one needs to let go of their current perception of reality and enter a dream-like state where they are fully present and alive.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been walking in a deep sleep;
I have been living life in a daze, unable to fully experience reality;
Sleepwalking, but I just woke up
My life felt automatic and unfulfilling, but I've recently had a moment of clarity and self-awareness;
From a deep sleep.
This realization came after a prolonged period of being unconscious and unaware of my surroundings;
A very deep sleep.
I was not just physically asleep, but also mentally and emotionally disconnected from the world around me;
I've been running on remote control,
I have been living my life on autopilot, without any real direction or conscious decision-making;
In a deep sleep.
This was due to my lack of awareness and presence in my own life;
I awoke the moment I was told
One specific event or experience brought me out of this state of unconsciousness;
That a smile is just a frown turned around,
I learned that happiness and sadness are two sides of the same coin, and one often can't exist without the other;
On the face of a clown with a mean streak.
Even those who appear happy and carefree may be hiding darker emotions or intentions underneath the surface.
It was a deep sleep,
This state of unconsciousness was not superficial or temporary, but deeply ingrained in my psyche;
I can't remember what I used to know.
During my long period of disconnection from the world, I lost touch with my own identity and sense of purpose;
Somebody help me now and let me go.
I need assistance in breaking free from this state and rediscovering who I am;
Push me back, now let me go
I want to retroactively fix my mistakes and start over with a new perspective;
Into a dream again.
I crave the feeling of having my eyes opened to new experiences and possibilities, like being in a dream state;
To a sleep unlike before,
This dream-like state would be different from the deep sleep I've been in, in that it would be full of wonder and excitement instead of disconnection and apathy;
So deep it never ends.
I want to fully immerse myself in this new state of awareness and stay there for as long as possible, allowing myself to grow and evolve in ways I never thought possible;
I've been caught inside a deep sleep,
Even though I have woken up to some degree, I'm still struggling to fully escape the patterns of behavior and thought that kept me in this disconnected state for so long;
Sinking deeper after I forgot.
Sometimes, when something reminds me of my past patterns, I start to slip back into my deep sleep state, further and further;
Sleepwalking, as I watch myself,
Even when I'm awake and conscious, it can feel like I'm just going through the motions of life without any real agency or purpose;
In a deep sleep.
This feeling of detachment and disconnection from the world is similar to being in a deep sleep state, both physically and mentally;
I keep pretending that it's someone else.
Sometimes it's easier to imagine that the problems I'm facing are happening to someone else, rather than taking full responsibility for my own life and actions.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MOTHERSBAUGH CASALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind