Song · Devo
“Working In The Coalmine” by Devo
From the album New Traditionalists (1981)
“Working In The Coalmine” by Devo appears on 8 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2007 and 2025. It was first released in 1981 on the album New Traditionalists. Its best result is #417 on the CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,701 alternative song of all time.
Devo took on "Working in the Coal Mine" in 1981, and the version tied to New Traditionalists turns Allen Toussaint's song, a hit for Lee Dorsey back in 1966, into a jerky, clockwork march. Toussaint wrote it about a man hauling himself up before five every morning to go down the mine, five days a week, in harsh and dangerous conditions, too worn out by the weekend to enjoy any of it.
Devo's stiff, mechanical treatment makes that drudgery sound as if it's being stamped out on a production line, which suits the song better than you'd expect. The band produced it themselves, with Michael Boshears engineering.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 420 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 418 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 417 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 421 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 430 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 439 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 453 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2025 | 591 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs | 800 |
Also listed as: Working In The Coal Mine.
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