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.
Snowball
Devo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And then she rolled it up
Rolled it up a hill
Like a ball of snow
Like a snowball grows
Until it gets too big
Until she lost control
And it rolled back down [Repeat: x3]
She took a tiny bit
And rolled it up again
Slower than before
She went a step too far
She had to let it go
I saw it go straight down
My baby turned around
Started up again [Repeat: x3]
Eyes were made for looking'
Hands were made for holdin'
Hearts were made for lovin'
Lips were made for kissin'
Legs were made for walkin'
Tracks were made to follow
That's what I'm gonna do
Two tracks
In the snow
Two tracks
Up that hill
My heart broke
When my baby left
Two tracks behind
Devo's "Snowball" is an analogy of love, describing how the initial stages of a relationship is like a snowball rolling down a hill slowly but eventually becomes unstoppable. The singer describes how his lover has taken their love and formed it into a snowball, rolling it up the hill, reminiscent of how love grows stronger with time. However, as the snowball gains momentum, it becomes too big for her to handle and it rolls back down the hill, causing her to lose control of the relationship. Despite this setback, she gathers the tiny bits remaining and starts again. The lyrics emphasize the delicate nature of love, how easily it can slip out of one's grasp but how important it is to keep trying.
The song does not follow the usual structure of verse-chorus-verse, as the singer repeats the first two lines in each of the three sections. The chorus is simply a repetition of the last four lines of the final verse, with slight variations. The instrumentals are upbeat and playful, with emphasis on the synthesizer and percussion, which adds to the light-heartedness of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
My baby took our love
My significant other took our love and began to manipulate it
And then she rolled it up
She compressed our love and made it into something more manageable
Rolled it up a hill
She pushed our love towards a goal that was perceived to be desirable
Like a ball of snow
Our love was rolled up like a ball of snow - it was ever-growing and constantly accumulating more complications
Like a snowball grows
Our love grew and continued to bring forth more difficulties as it went
Until it gets too big
Our love got to a point of being overwhelming and out of control
Until she lost control
She couldn't handle the magnitude of our love anymore
And it rolled back down [Repeat: x3]
Our love came crashing down and ended
She took a tiny bit
She tried to resurrect some portion of our former love
And rolled it up again
She attempted to begin anew with our love
Slower than before
Our love grew at a more gradual pace compared to the initial rapidity
She went a step too far
She made a mistake trying to relive our love
She had to let it go
She decided that our love was better left in the past
I saw it go straight down
Our love ended just as quickly as it had begun
My baby turned around
She gave up on our love for good
Started up again [Repeat: x3]
She tried to form a new relationship with a different passion
Eyes were made for looking'
Our eyes were designed to observe the world around us
Hands were made for holdin'
Our hands were designed to grasp objects and people
Hearts were made for lovin'
Our hearts are meant to love others
Lips were made for kissin'
Our lips are designed to perform actions of affection
Legs were made for walkin'
Our legs are designed to move us from one place to another
Tracks were made to follow
We have the ability to follow in the footsteps of others
That's what I'm gonna do
I'm going to follow through with the plan of finding new love
Two tracks
As we move along in our lives, we leave behind remnants of ourselves
In the snow
Just as footprints in the snow, the remnants of our past can be followed and seen
Up that hill
Our pursuits in life can involve obstacles and hindrances
My heart broke
I was emotionally hurt by the way our love ended
When my baby left
When my significant other walked away from our relationship
Two tracks behind
The remnants of our relationship that were left behind continue to follow me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK MOTHERSBAUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind