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Whip It (Devo song)
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Whip It (Devo song)
"Whip It" is a song by American new wave band Devo from their third studio album Freedom of Choice (1980). It is a new wave and synth-pop song that features a synthesizer, electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums in its instrumentation. The apparently nonsensical lyrics have a common theme revolving around the ability to deal with one's problems by "whipping it". Co-written by bassist Gerald Casale and lead vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo recorded "Whip It" with producer Robert Margouleff at the Record Plant in Los Angeles.
Although "Whip It" was released as the second single from Freedom of Choice, Warner Bros. Records did not expect it to be a hit, due to its nonstandard tempo and strange lyrics. The disc jockey (DJ) Kal Rudman took an interest in the song and it was soon being played on several radio stations in the Southeastern United States. Peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Whip It" became a hit single and found chart success in several countries. Mothersbaugh believes the song sold well because some people assumed the lyrics were about masturbation or sadomasochism.
An accompanying music video depicts these sexual themes; it features Mothersbaugh whipping clothing from a woman on a dude ranch. Despite some claims of misogynistic undertones, the video became popular on the fledgling television channel MTV.
Devo's previous studio album Duty Now for the Future (1979) was considered a disappointment by critics and band members; critics regarded it as a formulaic repeat of the band's 1978 debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and the band members primarily blamed the formulaic sound on the album's producer Ken Scott. Warner Bros. Records was also unhappy with Duty Now for the Future and issued an ultimatum to Devo that they needed to produce a successful follow-up album, or they would be dropped from the label. The band members believed a hit single would bolster the next album's popularity and finally give them radio exposure. In late 1979, audio engineer Robert Margouleff was brought on to produce "Whip It", along with its parent album Freedom of Choice.
"Whip It" was written between August and October 1979 by bassist Jerry Casale and lead vocalist and keyboardist Mark Mothersbaugh. Howard Siegal engineered the song while Margouleff served as the producer. It was recorded at the Record Plant in Los Angeles and mastered by Ken Perry at Capitol Studios. The song was recorded using API mixing consoles, 3M tape machines, and Minimoog and Prophet-5 synthesizers. Throughout the song, there are whipcracking noises that were recorded using an Electrocomp 500 synthesizer and Neumann KM 84 and U 87 microphones.
The music for "Whip It" was crafted by taking elements from four different demo tapes that Casale had collected. Mothersbaugh composed what became the song's break in his bedroom; the break was originally much slower and had a classical sound. On another tape, Mothersbaugh played what became the main riff with a drum machine. One of Captain Beefheart's drummers created a beat that Mothersbaugh recorded; the last demo was a live recording between Casale and Mothersbaugh. Casale took the four demos and layered them to create a smooth, consistent time signature. Mothersbaugh created the main riff in "Whip It" by taking the riff used in Roy Orbison's song "Oh, Pretty Woman" and changing the ending slightly.
"Whip It" is a new wave and synth-pop song, that is built around a consistent 4/4 beat known as a motorik beat. It is constructed in verse–chorus form. With a chord progression of D-A-E7sus4 in the verses and C-G-D in the choruses, the song is written in the key of E major. "Whip It"'s main riff alternates between a five-note ascension and a three-note descension, and is played with a synthesizer, electric guitar, and bass guitar. The chorus features two synthesizer notes that are a half step apart, which creates what AllMusic's Steve Huey describes as "a disorienting aural effect".
As the song progresses, a guitar lick in the main riff becomes more prominent. During the instrumental break, the riff temporarily reconfigures to a nonstandard 6/4 beat before returning to the original 4/4 beat. Casale and Mothersbaugh sing the vocals of "Whip It" with a vocal range of A4-F#5. The singers take alternate turns on vocals; Mothersbaugh uses a nasal drawl while Casale sings in a more powerful "cartoonish" voice. The use of two vocalists is a call and response that Casale said is "kind of like white boys rapping".
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Whip It (Devo song)
"Whip It" is a song by American new wave band Devo from their third studio album Freedom of Choice (1980). It is a new wave and synth-pop song that features a synthesizer, electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums in its instrumentation. The apparently nonsensical lyrics have a common theme revolving around the ability to deal with one's problems by "whipping it". Co-written by bassist Gerald Casale and lead vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo recorded "Whip It" with producer Robert Margouleff at the Record Plant in Los Angeles.
Although "Whip It" was released as the second single from Freedom of Choice, Warner Bros. Records did not expect it to be a hit, due to its nonstandard tempo and strange lyrics. The disc jockey (DJ) Kal Rudman took an interest in the song and it was soon being played on several radio stations in the Southeastern United States. Peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Whip It" became a hit single and found chart success in several countries. Mothersbaugh believes the song sold well because some people assumed the lyrics were about masturbation or sadomasochism.
An accompanying music video depicts these sexual themes; it features Mothersbaugh whipping clothing from a woman on a dude ranch. Despite some claims of misogynistic undertones, the video became popular on the fledgling television channel MTV.
Devo's previous studio album Duty Now for the Future (1979) was considered a disappointment by critics and band members; critics regarded it as a formulaic repeat of the band's 1978 debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and the band members primarily blamed the formulaic sound on the album's producer Ken Scott. Warner Bros. Records was also unhappy with Duty Now for the Future and issued an ultimatum to Devo that they needed to produce a successful follow-up album, or they would be dropped from the label. The band members believed a hit single would bolster the next album's popularity and finally give them radio exposure. In late 1979, audio engineer Robert Margouleff was brought on to produce "Whip It", along with its parent album Freedom of Choice.
"Whip It" was written between August and October 1979 by bassist Jerry Casale and lead vocalist and keyboardist Mark Mothersbaugh. Howard Siegal engineered the song while Margouleff served as the producer. It was recorded at the Record Plant in Los Angeles and mastered by Ken Perry at Capitol Studios. The song was recorded using API mixing consoles, 3M tape machines, and Minimoog and Prophet-5 synthesizers. Throughout the song, there are whipcracking noises that were recorded using an Electrocomp 500 synthesizer and Neumann KM 84 and U 87 microphones.
The music for "Whip It" was crafted by taking elements from four different demo tapes that Casale had collected. Mothersbaugh composed what became the song's break in his bedroom; the break was originally much slower and had a classical sound. On another tape, Mothersbaugh played what became the main riff with a drum machine. One of Captain Beefheart's drummers created a beat that Mothersbaugh recorded; the last demo was a live recording between Casale and Mothersbaugh. Casale took the four demos and layered them to create a smooth, consistent time signature. Mothersbaugh created the main riff in "Whip It" by taking the riff used in Roy Orbison's song "Oh, Pretty Woman" and changing the ending slightly.
"Whip It" is a new wave and synth-pop song, that is built around a consistent 4/4 beat known as a motorik beat. It is constructed in verse–chorus form. With a chord progression of D-A-E7sus4 in the verses and C-G-D in the choruses, the song is written in the key of E major. "Whip It"'s main riff alternates between a five-note ascension and a three-note descension, and is played with a synthesizer, electric guitar, and bass guitar. The chorus features two synthesizer notes that are a half step apart, which creates what AllMusic's Steve Huey describes as "a disorienting aural effect".
As the song progresses, a guitar lick in the main riff becomes more prominent. During the instrumental break, the riff temporarily reconfigures to a nonstandard 6/4 beat before returning to the original 4/4 beat. Casale and Mothersbaugh sing the vocals of "Whip It" with a vocal range of A4-F#5. The singers take alternate turns on vocals; Mothersbaugh uses a nasal drawl while Casale sings in a more powerful "cartoonish" voice. The use of two vocalists is a call and response that Casale said is "kind of like white boys rapping".