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What We Do

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Song Name: What We Do

Artist: DEVO

Featured In:[1]

Song Study (Trailer)[2]

Appears On: 

Fresh (Album Version) b/w What We Do (Album Version) [1][3]
Devo 5 Track Sampler [2],  Something for Everybody (Standard),  Something for Everybody (Song Study Version),  Something for Everybody (Deluxe)

Other Versions:

“What We Do (Single Edit)” (3:09)  What We Do: Electro-Devo Remix Cornucopia
“What We Do (Single Edit)” [2023 Remaster]  50 Years Of De-Evolution (1973-2023)
“What We Do (Static Revenger Remix)” (6:22)  What We Do: Electro-Devo Remix Cornucopia
“What We Do (Kinky Remix)” (4:44)  What We Do: Electro-Devo Remix Cornucopia,  Somewhere With DEVO: Live At The Palace 1988 + Remix Set
“What We Do (Avant Hard Remix)” (5:13)  What We Do: Electro-Devo Remix Cornucopia

Run Time: 3:17 (albums version)

Personnel:

Mark Mothersbaugh
Gerald V. Casale
Bob Mothersbaugh
Bob Casale
Josh Freese

Years Performed: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013[3]

Writing Credits:

Gerald V. Casale
Mark Mothersbaugh

Sung By: Gerald V. Casale (co-lead, chorus, additional),  Mark Mothersbaugh (co-lead, chorus, additional),  Bob Casale (backing, additional),  Bob Mothersbaugh (backing, additional)


Trivia / Info:[]

  • Additional audio engineering by Doug Boehm and Paul Hager. Additional recording and programming by Paul Hager. [Brother of Josh 2.]
  • Mixed by Greg Kurstin
  • Bob Mothersbaugh performed the song’s original solo in Austin, Texas.[5]
  • Live and rare versions available at BBB[6]

Lyrics:

[Yow!]
[What we do is what we do],
[What we do is what we do],
[What we do is what we do],
[What we do is what we do]
(What we do is what we do),
(It's all the same, there’s nothing new)
(What we do is what we do),
(It's turnin’ ‘round on me and yo u)
(What we do is what we do),
(Just different names, it's nothing new)
(What we do is what we do),
(‘Cause all we do is what we do)
(Gamin’, prayin’, believin’, maintainin’),
(Textin’, electin’, rejectin’, infectin’)
[Eenie-meanie-meanie-meanie-minie-minie-mo],
[The lucky ones are gonna be the first to go]
[Eenie-meanie-meanie-meanie-minie-minie-mo],
[The lucky ones are gonna be the first to go]
[Eenie-meanie-meanie-meanie-minie-minie-mo],
[The lucky ones are gonna be the first to go]
[Eenie-meanie-meanie-meanie-minie-minie-mo],
[The lucky ones are gonna be the first to go]
[Yow!]
[“Don't do what I do, just do what I say!”]
[“My door does what I say - I say ‘open,’ and it does!”]
[“My lights do what I say - I say ‘on,’ and they snap on!”]
[“My car does what I say - I say ‘start,’ and it jumps out!”]
[“But my dog doesn't do what I say.”]
[“My girl doesn't do what I say.”]
[“My mind doesn't do what I say.”]
[“I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! ”]
(What we do is what we do),
(It's all the same, there's nothing new)
(What we do is what we do),
(It's turnin' 'round on me and you)
(Strokin’, hopin’, dreamin’, repeatin’)
[Feedin’ and breedin’ and pumpin’ gas],
[Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, do it again]
[Feedin’ and breedin; and pumpin’ gas],
[Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, do it again]
[Feedin’ and breedin’ and pumpin’ gas],
[Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, do it again]
[Feedin’ and breedin’ and pumpin’ gas],
[Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, do it again]
[Yow!]
[What we do is what we do],
[What we do is what we do],
[What we do is what we do],
[What we do is what we do]


Video:[]

Music Videos –
360° video :
[click and drag version] : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr3akQ8XX3M
[guided viewpoint version] : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp2tQ75pTD0  [4]
“View it repeatedly, explore by moving your viewpoint, and see something new each time.”
– DEVO
“ ‘The user/viewer is the director in this video,’ said Devo’s Gerald Casale, who co-directed the video with Kii Arens and Jason Trucco...”
- Jerry (2011) [7]
Mark (Mothersbaugh) and I are running around in circles like hamsters in a wheel between the camera and the various activity stations where people of both genders and many ethnicities are doing things humans do over and over. It's the endless cycle of life that we are all caught up in. We must repeat! Hence, “We're all Devo.”
– Jerry (2010)
The original video was posted at Mashable.com.
(YouTube had no 360 capability. This interactive video was also available as a download that was viewable with special software, included for free.)
The viewer could click around and buy things, click and drag to any viewpoint, and zoom in and out.
Co-directed by Gerald V. Casale, Kii Arens and Jason Trucco, released 2011. [8] [9] [5]
This real time video was shot with nine cameras running simultaneously. [10] [6]
The final frame size is 15,500 x 1080.[11]
The guided viewpoint version was re-posted to YouTube on November 10, 2025.[12]
360° video outfits description
DEVO talk about this video in Episode 9, at DEVOvision.


Live Video –
Concert backing video
The onstage backing video illustrates song lyrics. Stacked strips scroll in opposing directions. Imagery includes 2-D animation and live action silhouettes. [7]
“Devo - What We Do | Live in Santa Ana | Moshcam” uploaded to YouTube by Moshcam


Fan videos and cover versions of “What We Do” are available online. [13]

Additional Info:[]

“The songs are all about Devo and the process of making music together. Some are more cloaked than others.” - Jerry (2010)[14]
“It’s almost like the fifth Devo rule: “We must repeat.” What we’re saying is humans are just stuck in a rut and they just do this. It’s like, eat, sleep, defecate. Eat sleep, defecate. Eat sleep, defecate.” - Jerry (2024)
Jerry said that the original version of this song sounded different, and that a producer added the doubled bass.
“What We Do” made its TV / streaming debut in an internationally telecast concert, with DEVO performing the song live at the Winter Olympics.
Subsequently, free previews of “Fresh” and “What We Do” were available as MP3 format limited time downloads.[15]
An email address was etched into the Record Store Day single, allowing 200 respondents to get a limited edition multi-artist single; Greetings From Akron Ohio - Home Of Devo & The Black Keys.

References: []

  1. ↑
    "What We Do" appears in SFE era video content, including:
    DEVO Cat Listening Party (album streaming)
    https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_great_devo_cat_listening_party_of_2010/
    Tattoo inspired by Cat Listening Party : https://devo-obsesso.com/html/html_tatts/megan_ultimate.html

    DEVO Makes Something For Everybody (outtake):
    “DEVO MSFE Outtakes 1 - @ Mutato What We Do and Phone Call” uploaded to YouTube by Frank Sol
  2. ↑
    "What We Do" is featured in:
    “DEVO - Song Study (Trailer)” uploaded to YouTube at DEVOvision
    https://consequence.net/2010/04/devo-begins-the-devo-song-survey/
  3. ↑
    Singles
    Fresh
    Fresh (Album Version) (3:04) / What We Do (Album Version) (3:23)
    https://www.45cat.com/12single/record/5238810
    https://www.discogs.com/release/2237123-Devo-Fresh
    Song Study
    Fresh (Album Version) (3:04) / What We Do (Album Version) (3:23) / Song Study [video] (2:01)
    https://music.apple.com/us/album/song-study-single/366915647


    The Fresh / What We Do single was also available as a promo digital download : https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://wbr.edgeboss.net/wmedia/wbr/devo/audio/devo*
    https://www.discogs.com/master/355072-Devo-Fresh
  4. ↑
    Demo: A demo version of “What We Do”, about 3:15, was completed in 2009:
    “– What We Do (2009 Demo)” uploaded to YouTube by Devolved Spudgun
  5. ↑
    DEVO debuted “Fresh”, “What We Do”, and “Don’t Shoot (I’m A Man) songs and backing videos within their set performed March 20, 2009 at the SxSW festival in Austin, Texas.
    https://boojiboysbasement.com/product/ultimate-live-rarities-v5-1/
    crapple.iwarp.com/music/devoguide.html
  6. ↑
    Live and rare versions of “What We Do” are available at Booji Boy’s Basement:
    https://boojiboysbasement.com/?s=%22What%20We%20Do%22
  7. ↑
    https://www.wired.com/2011/04/devo-what-we-do-video/
    (https://archive.is/JZpF6#selection-773.0-781.26)
    “The user/viewer is the director in this video,” said Devo’s Gerald Casale, who co-directed the video with Kii Arens and Jason Trucco, in a brief interview with Mashable. “They decide what to see and when to see it in real time.
    They will be able to navigate and save a version of what they think others should see.
    It’s like having a vote in Devo’s creative process. It’s truly interactive.”
  8. ↑
    Title card credits:
    Instant®
    Presents
    DEVO
    Performing
    “WHAT WE DO”
    In 360 TV
    Misdirected by
    GERALD CASALE
    KII ARENS & JASON TRUCCO
  9. ↑ Mathias Bonde Kordgaard. “References”, Music Video After MTV : Audiovisual Studies, New Media, and Popular Music. (Routledge, 2017)
  10. ↑
    https://bigtakeover.com/interviews/gerald-casale-of-devo-duty-again-for-the-future
    I love “What We Do.” It’s one of my favorites and we shot a video to it. It’s kind of a groundbreaking video and it’s really cool. We have nine cameras arranged in a ring that shoot 360. Then a computer stitches together the nine camera images as one 360 degree strip visual. We shot it in a round room with all kinds of bizarre activities going on at stations that are equally spaced around the room, like spokes on a wheel.
    Then Mark and I are running around in a mid-range circle in front of it. You’re going to be able as the user—you don’t just view this video, you use your cursor to navigate the space. So in real-time, you can go during the song wherever you want to go in this room and look at whatever you want to look at, and everything’s going on all at once! What you’re about to see, you’ve never seen anything like it.
    - Jerry (2011)
  11. ↑
    “SA360 Key Features,” Digital Cinema, SiliconImaging.com
    siliconimaging.com/DigitalCinema/SA360_KeyFeatures.html

    Silicon Imaging (SI-2K)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Imaging

    Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey. Social Animal SA9 Camera Rig review, “Gadget Pr0n” segment, Attack of the Show, G4TV (2011, May 19)
    https://archive.org/details/Attack.of.the.Show.2011.05.19
    https://thetvdb.com/series/attack-of-the-show/episodes/4106291
  12. ↑
    Unexpectedly, the wrong file could not be located by the publicity people now responsible for this YouTube channel.
    Subsequently, an uncorrupted copy of the 360° video – "What We Do" [guided viewpoint version] – was re-uploaded on November 10, 2025.

    Other versions include:
    Original 360° video : Formerly at: https://mashable.com/archive/devo-what-we-do
    (https://web.archive.org/web/20110423053007/http://mashable.com/2011/04/19/devo-what-we-do/)
    (https://web.archive.org/web/20110510031515/http://download.wbr.com/devo/videowidget/devo.swf)
    [Viewer could click around and buy things, and click-and-drag to navigate.]

    360° video, without click-and-buy : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr3akQ8XX3M
    [Click-and-drag to navigate.]

    360° video, without navigation : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp2tQ75pTD0 (Repost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeAg8tqLLqg)
    [Guided viewpoint edit of the 360° video.]
  13. ↑
    Fan videos and cover versions of “What We Do” are available online, including:
    “Devo - "What We Do"” uploaded to YouTube by @studio19tv
    (https://vimeo.com/35279593)
    “DEVO What We Do - The Color Survey Remix” uploaded to YouTube by DPJTRON
  14. ↑
    Chris William. “21 : Pedal To The Meta”, The Secret History of DEVO : Masterminds Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale (with a little help from Josh Freese) trace the evolution of the de-evolutionists, Spin (2010, August): 78
  15. ↑
    splash.clubdevo.com/olympics/
    undertheradar.co.nz/utr/more/NID/1983/Download-New-Single-From-Devo---Fresh.utr

Links:[]

https://www.discogs.com/release/3351120-Devo-What-We-Do-Electro-Devo-Remix-Cornucopia
https://musicbrainz.org/work/5d2f0fcf-ac9e-4e75-9c97-7d4f6a86fece


https://open.spotify.com/track/59Ss7vvOhGkuScI5dFFqLm
https://music.apple.com/us/song/what-we-do/375622401
https://music.apple.com/gb/album/what-we-do-electro-devo-remix-cornucopia-ep/431546592


360° video outfits description


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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. 
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Production
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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)
Compilations / Live 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
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