Song · Devo
“Uncontrollable Urge” by Devo
From the album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
“Uncontrollable Urge” by Devo appears on 10 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 1992 and 2026. It was first released in 1978 on the album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!. Its best result is #92 on The Best Opening Tracks of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,897 alternative song of all time.
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"Uncontrollable Urge" comes off Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, the album Devo released in July 1978, and the credits read like a dare: Brian Eno in the producer's chair and Conny Plank behind the board as engineer. Mark Mothersbaugh wrote the words and the music by himself. True to its title, it plays like a twitch set to a beat, wound tight and jerking, a factory line that has somehow learned to dance.
Rock radio's countdowns keep digging it up decades later.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 424 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) | 500 |
| 1994 | 375 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) | 497 |
| 1995 | 415 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) | 500 |
| 1996 | 467 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) | 500 |
| 2019 | 337 | KEXP | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time | 627 |
| 2022 | 648 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
| 2022 | 112 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time | 1055 |
| 2024 | 92 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
| 2025 | 433 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs | 800 |
| 2026 | 906 | KXT | KXT 917 Song Countdown | 917 |
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