"Be Stiff" is the third single by American new wave band

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

, released in 1978 by

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the p ...

. The song was taken from the sessions for '' Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!'' (1978), produced by

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

. Guitarist Bob Lewis wrote the music and came up with the title concept, while bassist and singer

Gerald Casale Gerald Vincent Casale ( ) ( ''né'' Pizzute; born July 28, 1948) is an American musician. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, co-lead vocalist and bass player of the new wave band Devo, which released a top 20 hit in 1980 wi ...

penned the verses. The song became an anthem for Stiff, and was a minor success in the UK. It was covered multiple times, including on a Stiff-released EP of their own artists' interpretations. It was performed by the band in 1980 and live recordings appear on '' DEV-O Live'' (1981) and '' Devo Live 1980'' (2005). It was also performed as an encore for the ''

Freedom of Choice Freedom of choice describes an individual's opportunity and autonomy to perform an action selected from at least two available options, unconstrained by external parties. In politics In the abortion debate, for example, the term "freedom of c ...

'' shows of Devo's November 2009 tour, and was included in the setlist of their 2014 '' Hardcore Devo Live!'' tour. According to author

Simon Reynolds Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his career at ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He subsequently worked as a freelancer and published a number of books on music and popular culture. Reynold ...

, with its stop-start rhythms and angular arrangement, "Be Stiff" exemplified Devo's stance against

soft rock Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, mel ...

complacency.

Release history

An early demo of "Be Stiff" with a very different sound appears on the collection '' Hardcore Devo: Volume Two'' (1991), recorded in either 1974 or 1975. In early 1978, Devo toured the UK for the first time and Stiff Records released three Devo singles in a row: " Jocko Homo" which charted at number 51; their arrangement of

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' "

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it features a guitar riff by Richards that opens and drives the song. The riff is w ...

", which reached number 41; and "Be Stiff", which rose to number 71. These three singles were later compiled on the '' B Stiff'' EP. "Be Stiff" was also produced in London in limited quantities on clear and yellow vinyl, released at the same time as five colored vinyl versions of "Whoops-a-Daisy" by Stiff Records artist Humphrey Ocean and the Hardy Annuals.

Covers and alternate versions

Following Devo's popular July 1978 performance at the Knebworth Festival, Stiff released an EP (catalog number ODD-2) featuring six artists from the Be Stiff '78 tour performing versions of "Be Stiff". The artists were

Lene Lovich Lili-Marlene Premilovich (born March 30, 1949), known professionally as Lene Lovich ( ), is an American-British singer. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Sin ...

Mickey Jupp Michael Graham "Mickey" Jupp (born 6 March 1944, in Worthing, Sussex, England) is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene. Career Jupp played in several Southend bands after leaving art college in 19 ...

Wreckless Eric Eric Goulden (born 18 May 1954), known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock music, rock and New wave music, new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single "Whole Wide World (song), Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two d ...

Rachel Sweet Rachel Sweet (born July 28, 1962) is an American singer, television writer and actress. Early life and education Rachel Sweet was born in Akron, Ohio.Campbell, Mary (1979)Rachel Sweet: Busy Singer at 16, Made Debut at 5, Lewiston ''Daily Sun ...

Jona Lewie Jona Lewie (born John Lewis; 14 March 1947) is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his 1980 UK hits "You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties" and "Stop the Cavalry". Career Early career Jona Lewie ...

, and the Be Stiff Ensemble (led by Lovich). A website devoted to Mickey Jupp offers the following review: Live recordings of the song from Devo's 1980 tour have been released on ''DEV-O Live'' and ''Devo Live 1980'', and an alternate demo version (erroneously labeled as an "alternate mix" of the single version) appears on the compilation '' Recombo DNA'' (2000). In 1980, Devo backed singer/choreographer

Toni Basil Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her cover of the song " Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Austral ...

for a 12” single, contributing three of their own songs, including a new four-minute arrangement's of “Be Stiff.” The following year a shorter Devo-backed version appeared on Basil’s album ''

Word of Mouth Word of mouth is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others a ...

'', and an even shorter version was used for Basil’s video album that aired in the United Kingdom. In live performances in the 1980s, Devo played the Toni Basil arrangement of “Be Stiff.” The version of "Social Fools" featured on the B-side of the single is a Devo-produced studio version. A second studio version produced by Brian Eno was later issued as the B-side of the "Come Back Jonee" 7-inch single.

Big Business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...

released a cover of "Be Stiff" on their 2006 ''Tour EP II.''

Chart positions

References

{{authority control 1978 songs 1978 singles Devo songs Songs written by Gerald Casale Song recordings produced by Brian Eno Songs written by Bob Lewis (musician) Stiff Records singles