I got into Devo the way everyone should: Hearing "Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy)" at a dive bar and feeling it in my bones. However, the legendary new wave band also have a banger called “Uncontrollable Urge” that was covered by reality TV star Rob Dyrdek and used as the theme song for MTV's Ridiculousness, which has led to Devo racking in about a million annually from that only, as per Rolling Stone.
Though Devo's biggest hit is the 1980 earworm "Whip It," “Uncontrollable Urge” serves as their most profitable track. Ridiculousness has over 1,500 episodes, and it's one of the most ubiquitous series on the network.
“I’ve written so many other songs for films and television shows,” Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh told Rolling Stone. “I would’ve been shocked [years ago] if you told me this is the one that would become this prime source of income.”
“It’s ironic and kind of funny,” added Anita Greenspan, Mothersbaugh's manager and wife. “In the beginning of MTV you saw a lot of Devo because they were early to make videos, but MTV started questioning the videos Devo were making. [The videos] were subversive, they didn’t like them and wouldn’t play them anymore. Now ‘Uncontrollable Urge’ is easily the most-played song on MTV, so [Devo] wins.’”
Revisit the tune below.
