DEVO Song: Whats This Mean?

Cafe Society
1

A local AM station was playing an old DEVO song-I can’t get it out of my head: “so you need to whip, whip it good”-what was this song about? :confused:

2

If you have a problem, you can overcome it. (Officially, at least).

3

It was written as a parody of that “You can do it!”, “Go get 'em, Tiger!” positive thinking mindset that had been sold to so many Americans in the 70’s and 80’s, the Zig Zigler/Dale Carnegiesque chart your course to success mentality.

*when a problem comes along
you must whip it
<I must snip it>
when something’s going wrong
you must whip it *

4

It’s about nitrous oxide and the consumption thereof by America’s impressionable youth.

5

Thanks-I though the song was about some weird S&M cult :smack:

6

Think how confused you’d be if you’d seen the video.

7

Luuuuuurrrves that song.

8

As with a lot of Devo stuff, this song is a joke on several different levels. It’s a parody of positive thinking. It’s a joke about S&M. It’s a joke against rock and roll pretention. It’s actually a well-crafted song. It’s a meta-joke about meta-jokes. It’s a dessert topping. It’s a floorwax.

9

I’m soaking in it right now.

10

I thought it was about masturbation! :smack:

11

[QUOTE=silenus]
I thought it was about masturbation! :smack:
[/QUOTE]

Well, Lemur did say it’s a dessert topping.

12

[QUOTE=Gadarene]
It’s about nitrous oxide and the consumption thereof by America’s impressionable youth.
[/QUOTE]

No, no, no; it’s about those weird-looking, skinny dogs.

13

[QUOTE=silenus]
I thought it was about masturbation! :smack:
[/QUOTE]

No, that was “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors

14

[QUOTE=Unix Geek]
No, that was “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors
[/QUOTE]

No, it was “Pictures of Lily” by the Who.

15

If a problem comes along, I don’t whip it. I dare to be stupid.

I can’t hear you!
Okay, I can hear you now!

16

Whipping it. Good.

17

[QUOTE=vivalostwages]
No, it was “Pictures of Lily” by the Who.
[/QUOTE]

Actually, I think it was “Uncontrollable Urge” by…Devo.

18

I thought it was about Thomas Pynchon.

19

It wasn’t about Thomas Pynchon per se, but it was done with his particular style of parody, namely that embodied in Gravity’s Rainbow.

20

[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird]
Actually, I think it was “Uncontrollable Urge” by…Devo.
[/QUOTE]

No, that’s “Nights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues