Song Name: Jocko Homo
Artist: DEVO
Appears On: Mongoloid b/w Jocko Homo, B Stiff EP, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO!, E-Z Listening Disc Now It Can Be Told, Greatest Hits, Greatest Misses, DEVO Live: The Mongoloid Years, Best Of DEVO Vol. 1, Live In Central Park, DEVO Live 1980, Hot Potatoes, Hardcore DEVO Volume 1, Pioneers Who Got Scalped, The Adventures Of The Smart Patrol Soundtrack, The Essentials, Whip It And Other Hits, this is the DEVO box, New Traditionalists: Live 1981 Seattle, Live at Max's Kansas City - November 15, 1977, Butch Devo And The Sundance Gig, Miracle Witness Hour, Hardcore Devo Live!
Run Time: 3:38 (album version)
Year Written: 1975
Years Performed: 1975-present setlist.fm stats
Writing Credits: Mark Mothersbaugh
Sung By: Mark Mothersbaugh (lead), Gerald Casale, Bob Mothersbaugh, Bob Casale, audience members (backing)
Alternate Versions: Hardcore Version, Booji Boy Version, Stiff EP Version, E-Z Listening Version, "Sad" Acoustic Version
Demo Versions:
Song Connections:
Trivia / Info:
- This is essentially DEVO's theme song, summarizing de-evolution with an oft-played melody and coda.
- Along with Secret Agent Man, a music video for an early version of "Jocko Homo" appeared in Chuck Statler's film, In The Beginning Was The End: The Truth About De-Evolution.
- The title is taken from a 32-page anti-evolution tract published in 1924 by F. W. Alden [1] called Jocko-Homo Heavenbound. ("Jocko Homo" being a now obsolete euphemism for "man ape"[2].)
- The inspiration for the song came directly from the movie Island Of Lost Souls, which is based around the "Island Of Doctor Moreau" story, in which animals are forced into advanced evolution and then begin de-evolving. In an attempt to maintain order and humanity, the doctor cracks a whip and barks "Are we not men!?" to some unruly subjects. He also enforces nonviolent behavior by asking a lead animal-man, Sayer Of The Law, "What is the law!?". (This line did appear in the 1975 version.)
- This is DEVO's most-played song, first appearing in late 1975 and being played at every full show since. (It outplays it's runner-up is Uncontrollable Urge by a few shows, which appeared sometime in 1976, or very early 1977. ) The 2010 Winter Olympics is the only full length show since 2001 that did not see a performance of the song.
- Three studio versions are available to the public. The first two, which appear on Hardcore DEVO and the B Stiff EP, are slower than most versions. The Hardcore DEVO take is a very rough mix, with the bass much more prominent. The B Stiff EP version (also appearing on Pioneers Who Got Scalped and Greatest Misses) is a more professional master. The version appearing on Q/A and all other compilations is far faster than any other version (even live), and does not include the regular "O-HI-O" chant. (The only other O-HI-O-less versions are the first performance in 1975 and the acoustic version.)
- The EZ listening version has open reel tape box cover art by Mark, which says: T.O. 15lps 12/1979 JOCKO MUZAK stereo 1/4 Trak. A marker drawing depicts a bubble-eyed dog boy with sweat pleuts around his head, a bandanna tied around his neck and a bottle of alcohol in his hand. It is wearing a button-up dress shirt with barrel cuffs.
- In 1988, the song was remade as a sappy "sad" country ballad. Although the electric version returned the next year, it showed up again in 1990 alongside the normal version, at the Sundance Festival, and again at the Larry Dominello Benefit gig.
- The longest known version of Jocko Homo clocked in over 9 minutes, appearing in 1977, though a clearly edited 6 minute version can be found on Devo Live: The Mongoloid Years that was rumoured to have been played for 30 minutes.
Onstage Behavior:
- Typically, Mark takes his mic and leaps into the audience, constantly asking "are we not men?" to audience members.
- Before the chant, the band take off their radiation suits to reveal T-shirts and kneepads and throw them into the audience.
- On it's first performance on Halloween of 1975, the song featured a significantly longer coda with no members of the audience responding. On two occasions, an audience member grabbed one of the microphones and insulted the band. It then entered a segue into I Need A Chick, which was not played in it's entirety; the band was kicked off the stage and their equipment forcibly unplugged before they could finish.
- In 1977 (audible on A072), three new breaks were added to the call/answer section and never played again. The first was a chant of "white dopes on punk", the second was "we accept you/we reject you/one of us/one of us", and in the second set they simply used a chant of "S-P-U-D".
- In 1980, before the call/answer section began, the band (except Alan) donned red plastic tunics with the letters D, E, V, and O on them in luminescent yellow.
- At the 3-DEVO concert, during this song's call/answer section, Mark walked up to a camera and showed off it's 3D ability by throwing various prank objects at it.
Lyrics:
- They tell us that
- We lost our tails
- Evolving up
- From little snails
- I say it's all
- Just wind in sails
- Are we not men?
- We are Devo!
- We're pinheads now
- We are not whole
- We're pinheads all
- Jocko homo
- Are we not men?
- D-e-v-o
- Monkey men all
- In business suit
- Teachers and critics
- All dance the poot
- Are we not men?
- We are Devo!
- Are we not men?
- D-e-v-o
- God made man
- But he used the monkey to do it
- Apes in the plan
- We're all here to prove it
- I can walk like an ape
- Talk like an ape
- I can do what a monkey can do
- God made man
- But a monkey supplied the glue
- Are we not men?
- We are Devo!
- We must repeat
- D-E-V-O
- O.K. let's go!
Video: Appears on The Men Who Make the Music and We're All Devo. Part of The Truth About De-Evolution, included on The Complete Truth About De-Evolution.
Live Video: "Jocko Homo" appears on DEVO Live 1980, DEVO Live, Live In The Land Of The Rising Sun, Live at the Observatory, Santa Ana, CA and DEVO – Hardcore Live
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