WikiDevo
Register
Advertisement

Song Name: Gates of Steel

Artist: DEVO

Appears On:

  • DEV-O Live (Live EP/ promo 12" & split 7" single versions) (3:32)
DEVO Live: 1980, New Traditionalists: Live 1981 Seattle, Now It Can Be Told: DEVO at the Palace 12/9/88,
Live in Central Park, Live at the Observatory, Santa Ana, CA (other live versions)

Run Time: 3:28 (album version)

Year Released: 1980 (album version)

Years Performed: [1] 1979-present setlist.fm stats

Writing Credits: Mark Mothersbaugh/Gerald V. Casale/Susan Schmidt/Deborah Smith

Sung By: Mark Mothersbaugh (lead), Gerald V. Casale (backing)

Alternate Versions: Gates Of Steel (EZ)   Run Time: 2:55

Demo Versions: Freedom of Choice Home Version Demo

Song Connections: Human Rocket ("secret voice" lyric)

Trivia / Info:[]

  • Based on a riff Mark heard in the jam session he taped with Susan Schmidt and Deborah Smith - who were in the Akron bands The Poor Girls, followed by Chi-Pig - the riff was in the track titled "Pimple On My Plans" before the release of the DEVO track Gates of Steel.
  • Jerry exclaims "a man is real" and sings backup.

Onstage Trivia:

  • As Mark sings "half a goon and half a god," he gestures to divide himself and then moves to the left and right.
  • First performed by DOVE, The Band of Love on 31 December 1979, then performed later by DEVO that same night.
  • Performed as a medley on the New Traditionalists and Total DEVO tour, segueing from "Gut Feeling." Played after Mongoloid from 1989-1991. Played after Mr. DNA from 2005-Present.

Lyrics:

Twist away the Gates of Steel !
Unlock the secret voice
Give in to ancient noise
Take a chance a brand new dance
Twist away the Gates of Steel
Twist away, now twist and shout
The Earth, it moves too slow
But the Earth is all we know
We pay to play the human way
Twist away the Gates of Steel
(A man is real, not made of steel !)
But the Earth is all we know
We pay to play the human way
Twist away the Gates of Steel
The beginning was the end
Of everything now
The ape regards his tail
He's stuck on it
Repeats until he fails
Half a goon and half a god
A man's not made of steel
Twist away, now twist and shout
The Earth, it moves too slow
But the earth is all we know
We pay to play the human way
Twist away the Gates of Steel !
(A man is real - that's how he feels !)

Video:

N/A. DEVO made no music video for "Gates of Steel."  

Live Video:

"Gates of Steel" appears on Live: 1980, In The Land Of The Rising Sun, and Live at the Observatory, Santa Ana, CA.
Live in Toronto 2009-11-24 YouTube Unofficial live video by Avery Strok.

References:

External links:

Gates Of Steel b/w Be Stiff (Live EP single) 45cat
Gates of Steel (releases) MusicBrainz
Gates Of Steel (Live EP promo single) Discogs
Gates Of Steel b/w 1. Mr. B's Ballroom 2. Whip It (album promo single) Discogs
Gates Of Steel Freedom Of Choice [Deluxe Remastered Edition] MySpace.com/DEVO


Current Shows | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2016 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 | 1982 | 1981 | 1980 | 1979 | 1978 | 1977 | 1976 | 1975 | 1974 | 1973


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. 
Stiff | Virgin | Rykodisk | Infinite Zero | Restless | Discovery | Rhino 
MVD Audio | The Orchard | Superior Viaduct | Futurismo
Production
Brian Eno | Ken Scott | Robert Margouleff | Roy Thomas Baker | DEVO 
The Teddybears | Greg Kurstin | Santi White | John King | John Hill | Mark Nishita 
Official 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)
Other Albums
Be 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

Advertisement