Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth

Song Name: Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth

Artist: DEVO

Appears On:

New Traditionalists, Greatest Hits (Album/Single Version)

New Traditionalists: Live 1981 Seattle, Now It Can Be Told: DEVO at the Palace 12/9/88, Butch Devo And The Sundance Gig (Live Versions)

Run Time: about 3:00 (Album/Single Version)

Year Written: 19xx

Year Recorded: 1980-81

Year Released: 1981

Years Performed: 1981-82, 1988-91, 1996, 1999(June 6 Only), 2013(June 9 Only)

Writing Credits: Original release credits Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald V. Casale

Now credited to "Bob Mothersbaugh / Robert Casale / Mark Mothersbaugh / Gerald V. Casale / Alan Myers"

Sung By: Gerald V. Casale (Lead vox), Mark Mothersbugh (Co-Lead vox)

Alternate Versions:

Jerking Back and Forth (EZ) (3:09)

Trivia / Info:[]

Lyrics: Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth -- LyricWikia

I know I let you tell me what to do
You were confident you knew best
Now things aren't working like you want them to
Your confidence is what I detest

You got me lookin' up high
You got me searchin' down low
You got me, I know you know
You got me jerkin' back 'n' forth

You told me people like to suffer
You told me that's the way it is
You said that things were getting better
You said I should accept all this

You think it's funny
But what I say is true
The reason that I live like this
Is all because of you

You got me lookin' up high
You got me searchin' down low
You got me, I know you know
You got me jerkin' back 'n' forth

There is a thought that keeps me thinking
Like a stone inside my shoe
It is a vision reoccurring
A dirty window I can see you through

You think it's funny
But what I say is true
The reason that I live like this
Is all because of you

You got me lookin' up high
You got me searchin' down low
You got me I know you know
You got me jerkin' back 'n' forth

You got me lookin' up high
You got me searchin' down low
You got me, I know you know
You got me jerkin' back 'n' forth

Video:

Short Film / Music Video: None.

Live Video:

Nutra Theme, JERKIN BACK AND FORTHat 1:38 (live 10/9/1981 on Fridays)(TV)

Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth Solid Gold (TV)

Jerkin Back n Forth with interview Merv Griffin Show (TV)

Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth (1988-11-03)

Jerkin Back n Forth - Modena Italy 10/10/90

Jerkin Back n' Forth LIVE @ the Sundance Film Fest 1996

Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth. NHM 100th Bday Los Angeles 6/9/13

Notes and References:

Jerkin' Back And Forth (Master Release) -- Discogs

Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth b/w Mecha-Mania Boy -- 45cat

Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth b/w Going Under / Through Being Cool (WB 1981 US 12" Promo Single)PRO-A-993

Jerkin' Back n' Forth (Releases/Recordings) -- MusicBrainz ↴

Album Version US/UK,US (b), Japan

EZ Version - Jerkin' Back and Forth

Live Versions - Seattle '81, the Palace '88

Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth -- AllMusic ↴

Album Version - Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth, Jerkin' Back and Forth, Jerkin' Back & Forth, Jerkin' Back N' Forth, Jerkin Back 'N Forth (Overview)

EZ Version - Jerkin' Back and Forth (Overview)

Live Versions - Seattle '81, the Palace '88 (Overview)

New Traditionalists: Singles -- Wikipedia

"DEVO TV RARITIES" -- RockPeaks

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DEVO
Mark Mothersbaugh \| Gerry Casale \| Bob Mothersbaugh Bob Lewis \| Bob Casale \| Jim Mothersbaugh \| Alan Myers David Kendrick \| Josh Freese Jeff Friedl \| Josh Hager
Record Labels / Publishers
Booji Boy Records \| Warner Brothers \| Enigma \| Devo, Inc. Stiff \| Virgin \| Rykodisk \| Infinite Zero \| Restless \| Discovery \| Rhino MVD Audio \| The Orchard \| Superior Viaduct \| Futurismo
Production
Brian Eno \| Ken Scott \| Robert Margouleff \| Roy Thomas Baker \| DEVO The Teddybears \| Greg Kurstin \| Santi White \| John King \| John Hill \| Mark Nishita
Official Studio Albums
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978) \| Duty Now For The Future (1979) \| Freedom of Choice (1980) \| New Traditionalists (1981) \| oh, no! it's Devo (1982) \| Shout (1984) \| Total Devo (1988) \| SmoothNoodleMaps (1990) \| Something for Everybody (2010)
Other Albums
B Stiff EP (1978) \| E-Z Listening Disc (1987) \| Now It Can Be Told: DEVO at the Palace (1989) \| Hardcore DEVO Vol. 1 74-77 (1990) \| Hardcore DEVO Vol. 2 1974-1977 (1991) \| DEVO Live: The Mongoloid Years (1992) \| DEV-O Live (1999) \| Recombo DNA (2000) \| Live In Central Park (2004) \| DEVO Live 1980 (2005) \| New Traditionalists: Live 1981 Seattle (2012) \| Something ELSE for Everybody (2013) \| Miracle Witness Hour (2014) \| Live at Max's Kansas City - November 15, 1977 (2014) \| Butch Devo and the Sundance Gig (2014) \| Hardcore DEVO Live! (2015) \| Art Devo 1973-1977 (2023)
Filmography
In The Beginning Was The End: The Truth About De-Evolution (1976) \| The Men Who Make The Music (1981) \| Human Highway (1982) \| We're All DEVO (1984) \| The Complete Truth About De-Evolution (1993) \| DEVO Live (2004) \| DEVO Live In The Land Of The Rising Sun (2004) \| DEVO Live 1980 (2005) \| Butch Devo and the Sundance Gig (2014) \| Hardcore DEVO Live! (2015)
Related Articles
History \| Bootlegs \| Booji Boy \| Devolution \| Influence \| The Wipeouters \| Jihad Jerry & The Evildoers \| Devo 2.0 \| Akron, Ohio \| Kent, Ohio \| Music Videos \| Cover Versions \| Outfits DEVO: The Brand / DEVO: Unmasked U S E Y O U R F R E E D O M O F C H O I C E

Spelling / Orthography: Jerkin' Back n' Forth, Jerkin' Back & Forth, Jerkin' Back and Forth, etc.