The Parquet Courts song inspired by Devo
It’s not hard to trace the lineage of Devo back to entire generations of alternative artists. The Ohio new wave band were best known for their unique fashion sense and the 1980 hit ‘Whip It’, but the influence that the band had on alternative rock, no wave, synth-rock, and even hardcore punk is immeasurable. If you have any doubts about their contribution to the latter genre, just listen to ‘Uncontrollable Urge’ or listen to the testimonials from acolytes like Parquet Courts.
While discussing the song ‘Total Football’ from their 2018 album Wide Awake!, Parquet Courts guitarist Andrew Savage highlighted the elements that made the song so unique, including some connective tissue with Devo. “The first element of ‘Total Football’ to come to me was the intro and outro sections,” Savage told the NPR radio station WESA in 2018. “In fact, it was probably the first new thing I had written for Parquet Courts since Human Performance. I remember coming up with it and playing it over and over again on guitar”.
“I like songs like Poison Idea’s ‘Made to Be Broken,’ which have these catchy, mid-tempo intro and outro parts and a faster, hardcore song sandwiched between. ‘Total Football’ isn’t exactly a hardcore song, but that’s the imagery I see when I hear it,” Savage continues. “Kids stage-diving and creepy crawling. Definitely, a lot of [hardcore punk] youth crew influence toward the end, with the gang vocals and the vocals on the outro.”
“The bass line of the song was inspired by Devo. I had these parts written for the longest time before [adding] the pre-chorus and chorus bits,” he said. “The lyrics take the form of a manifesto, which is fitting for the first song on this album, I think. Bold and declarative.”
“It’s certainly not just a song about sports,” Savage added when he discussed the song with Q Magazine. “It’s basically applying their concept to the USA today, where many, including a lot of younger people, are craving a cultural model that’s against the American individualism that’s been so emphasised for generations here.”
“You look at the wave of demonstrations that are going on in the US right now he continued, and it’s obvious that people are seeking a more collective ideology,” he concludes, “but because we are Americans, I guess there will always be this craving for individuality and autonomy, so the song’s about finding a more nuanced version of collectivism that also allows an opportunity for strong personal expression.”
