Edited by author 08-14-2003 05:55 PM
"Whip It," the 1980 song that was the anthem of the band Devo's rage against a society dehumanized by industry and commercialism "

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
 repeated

So the above is an anthem "against a society dehumanized by industry and commercialism" ? Really?!

Any selling out happened when they signed with a major label, in the 70's. Like Mark, I appreciate the absurdity.

I remember when the song came out everyone thought it was about doing "whippits," the little nitrous oxide (laughing gas) chargers for whipped cream dispensers.

Edited by author 08-14-2003 06:03 PM
Regarding /m1
Devo has been quoted as saying that all the lines in "Whip It" were taken from business self-help books from the 50s and 60s. The band arranged them so they sounded mildly perverse with intent of showing how silly the phrases were.

Edited by author 08-14-2003 06:34 PM
Days like this, delvering news of massive blackouts and human-rabbit hybrid embryos, call for a spin of It's a Wonderful World.

They might be playing "It's A Beautiful World" at a nearby Target store - I don't think they bothered to re-record it, they just left out the punchline :

http://www.monkeyspit.net/rantman/rock.php

Rantman left out the use of Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" by Carnival Cruise Lines - like Target, they used the original song, but edited out some critical lines :

     Well, here comes Johnny Yen again
     With the liquor and drugs
     And a flesh machine
     I know he's gonna do another strip tease


     Hey man, where'd ya get that lotion?
     Your skin starts itching once you buy the gimmick
     about something called love
     Oh Love, love, love
     Well, that's like hypnotising chickens.


     Well, I'm just a modern guy
     Of course, I've had it in the ear before
     And I've a lust for life (lust for life)
     'Cause I've a lust for life (lust for life)
     Got a lust for life
     Yeah, a lust for life
     I got a lust for life
     Oh, a lust for life
     Got a lust for life
     Yeah a lust for life
     I got a lust for life
     Lust for life (repeat and fade)

This reminds me of an old Steve Allen bit. He talked for a minute about the deep meaning in rock and roll music, then read the lyrics of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction."

At the time, it wasn't that funny, but I'm reminded of it any time people go on about how deep a song is.

In other news, 'Encyclopedia' Britney Spears' "Oops! I did it again!" is an impassioned treatise on the inexorable forces of fate and habit that draw man (and woman!) to the very pain and chaos they fear. By drawing upon the intrinsic conflict between innocence and lack thereof, her work informs and educates even as it titillates and jiggles.

--Dan

"try to detect it" Oh my gawd...I am 41 years old and always thought that line was "tattoo detective." Geeze, you learn something new every day.

EXCLUSIVE! ACTUAL LYRICS TO "SWIFF' IT" BY DE-VO!!!

Break out the swiff'
Give the dirt the biz
With the weight that it lacks,
It won't break yo' mama's back

When a bad spill comes along,
You must swiff' it,
If you spill the water from the bong,
You must swiff' it,
Don't let that blood sit there too long,
You'd better swiff' it.


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