Album · Devo
Freedom of Choice by Devo
Freedom of Choice is an album by Devo, released in 1980. 4 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 134 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Whip It”, on 78 lists and voted number one once.
Freedom of Choice, Devo's third album, came out on Warner Bros. in May 1980, and it's the record where Devo's jerky new wave finally found its way onto the pop charts. The guitars are still there, twitching away, but the synthesizers run the show, all rubbery, robotic pulses and clipped new wave hooks that sound like a factory line learning to dance.
"Whip It" is the one: a herky-jerky stomp set to a stiff, whip-crack beat, and it became their biggest hit, reaching number 14 on the Billboard pop chart and number 8 on the club play chart. "Girl U Want" is a nervy, tightly wound rocker, the title track struts with a smirk, and "Gates of Steel" clanks along with a righteous stomp.
The album itself got to number 22 on the Billboard pop albums chart, a fine showing for a record this gloriously odd.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Freedom of Choice on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whip It#309 of all time | 78 | #1 | 1 | 1980–2026 | |
| 2 | Girl U Want | 30 | #48 | – | 1980–2024 | |
| 3 | Freedom of Choice | 24 | #17 | – | 1980–2023 | |
| 4 | Gates of Steel | 2 | #66 | – | 1980–2003 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.