May 27, 2025

What’s your favorite track one on a debut album?
This prompt was a really tough one for me to decide on, since the 1976 debut album from the Ramones opens with the iconic "Hey, Ho! Let's Go!" I'll say the Ramones are my runner-up this time, and go with "Uncontrollable Urge" by Devo.
Devo's first studio album was several years in the making, and everything about it was going to be a statement. The album artwork, the inclusion of "Jocko Homo" (a musical manifesto if ever there was one)...
I love that this album opens with the guitar riff so similar to "I Want to Hold You Hand" by the Beatles (another iconic album opener!) followed by the "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah!" This song has its own choreography too. And when it's over it leads right into track two: a truly devolved cover of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."