"The Devil Made Me Do It" by Golden Earring

Song#:  1420
Date:  04/23/1983
Debut:  87
Peak:  79
Weeks:  4
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  It took many years, but this Dutch band finally grabbed their first US Top 10 hit, "Twilight Zone" (#10 Pop, #1 Rock), from their sixteenth studio album "Cut." They tried to keep the momentum going with this second single, but it just wasn't meant to be. The song spent a short month on the Pop chart while not even registering on the Rock chart. A contributing factor to the single's quick demise was its lyrics. The song contains the word "bullshit," which made it not acceptable for airplay on the vast majority of pop/rock radio stations. The curse word limited the song's exposure and pretty much killed its chances of becoming a hit in the US. It still did well in their home territory reaching #15 on the Dutch chart.

ReduxReview:  Even if the song didn't include the word "bullshit," I don't think it would have been a hit. It's a bit odd. The quick tempo, horns, and spoken background vocals were not exactly pop radio friendly. However, I like the tune. I find it different and interesting. The production is great and it grabbed my attention right away. As an album track, it's terrific. As a single, not so great.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  For the cover of their "Cut" album, a famous photograph was used. In 1964, M.I.T. professor Harold "Doc" Edgerton used stroboscopic equipment to capture the image of a playing card getting sliced in half by a bullet. The image was also used in the espionage-style video for "Twilight Zone." Golden Earring was not the only band to use one of Edgerton's images for an album cover. The 1988 self-titled debut LP by the Bullet Boys featured Edgerton's image of a bullet passing through an apple.

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