It’s a strange thought to ponder: Devo, the band synonymous with quirky new wave and songs about societal devolution, and Disney, the monolithic empire of family-friendly entertainment, ever intersecting. Yet, in the mid-2000s, they did, birthing the unlikely project known as Devo 2.0. As a Devo fan myself, the sheer oddity of Disney’s venture into the world of Devo Songs performed by pre-teens is something that still sparks intrigue and a bit of head-scratching. Why would Disney delve into the discography of a band whose origins were partly inspired by the tragic Kent State shootings?
Previously, Disney had shown a penchant for dipping its toes into slightly geekier musical waters, most notably with They Might Be Giants. Their collaboration on the children’s album Here Come The ABC’s was a resounding success, proving that educational and slightly offbeat music could resonate with young audiences and parents alike. This success, coupled with the booming tween music scene of the mid-2000s, might have emboldened Disney to explore further. Perhaps they saw the burgeoning popularity of Nickelodeon’s The Naked Brothers Band or the established success of acts like The Cheetah Girls and sensed an opportunity. It’s almost surreal to consider that in 2005, Disney was simultaneously pushing forward with both Devo 2.0 and the soon-to-be-phenomenal Hannah Montana.
Devo 2.0 was comprised of five kids, aged ten to fifteen. Leading the charge was Nicole Stoehr, handpicked by Devo’s Gerald Casale after an extensive audition process. The lineup also included Jackie Emerson, who later gained fame as Foxface in The Hunger Games films, keyboardist; Nathan Norman on guitar, who had prior experience in Honeycombs cereal commercials; bassist Michael Gossard, who would later venture into Indie Rock; and drummer Kane Ritchotte, who notably toured with Portugal. The Man. Looking back, it’s clear that both Disney and Devo assembled a talented group of youngsters. One can imagine Devo’s amusement at convincing Disney to bankroll a project where kids would sing songs with undertones of “uncontrollable urge” and the ambiguous “pleasure burn,” all while Devo pocketed the production funds.
However, the creative control remained firmly in Disney’s hands, particularly regarding song selection. While tracks like “Mongoloid” were undoubtedly off-limits, Disney did approve ten devo songs for the project, alongside two new Devo tracks from the time, “Cyclops” and “The Winner.” What’s astonishing is that, initially, Disney seemingly neglected to scrutinize the lyrics of these chosen devo songs. Production moved forward, with Devo’s Mutato Muzika re-recording backing tracks and preparing music videos. It was only later in the process that Disney demanded to see the lyrics. The realization of what they had signed up for reportedly sent Disney executives into a spin, leading to significant alterations of the very songs they had initially been eager to reimagine.
Devo’s iconic “Girl U Want” underwent perhaps the most radical transformation, becoming “Boy U Want” to suit lead singer Nicole Stoehr. Almost every lyric was sanitized and Disney-fied. Gone were references to “watering mouths,” “greenest trees,” and “mists from above.” Instead, the lyrics were replaced with innocuous lines about “Tarzan and Jane” and “surfing the sky.” Similarly, “Beautiful World,” originally released in 1981, received a lyrical tweak that dramatically altered its meaning. The original music video for “Beautiful World” starkly juxtaposes cheerful imagery with scenes of societal decay and violence, including images of the KKK and police brutality. Evidently, Disney missed this crucial context. They simply changed the song’s cynical closing line, “It’s a beautiful world for you / It’s not for me,” to the awkwardly optimistic “It’s a beautiful world for you / I guess me too.”
Ultimately, Devo 2.0 proved to be a fleeting experiment. While the project offered a bizarre and fascinating glimpse into the music industry’s occasional forays into unexpected territories, it remains a curious footnote in both Devo’s and Disney’s histories. It serves as a testament to the sometimes strange and unpredictable paths that devo songs and pop culture can take, even when corporate giants attempt to sanitize the inherently subversive.
