Song · Devo
“Mongoloid” by Devo
From the album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
“Mongoloid” by Devo appears on 3 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1988 and 2003. It was first released in 1978 on the album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!. Its best result is #470 on the KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,396 alternative song of all time.
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"Mongoloid" was the first shot Devo fired, a 1977 single on Booji Boy Records with "Jocko Homo" on the flip, and a year later they cut it again for their debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, with Brian Eno producing and Conny Plank engineering. Gerald Casale wrote it, and it's punk stripped for parts and rebuilt on a motorik chug: bass first, then drums and guitar clicking into place, while a Minimoog swoops and bends at the start and finish but never takes the lead.
Casale and Bob Mothersbaugh sing it together in lockstep, pinched through the nose on the original single, like two lab technicians reading out a report. Its collage-built video was one of the earliest of its kind, and the song has stayed a fixture of their live shows.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 470 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) | 496 |
| 2002 | 1750 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 691 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
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