When Devo opened their 1978 album Q. Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! with “Uncontrollable Urge”, few listeners could have foreseen how much money it would generate decades down the line – especially not its writer.
Fans of Devo would note that “Uncontrollable Urge” was never released as a single, despite its status as one of their most played songs. Nor was it their most successful track on the charts – that honor belongs to 1980’s “Whip It”, which peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 after being issued as the second single from Freedom of Choice. However, it’s far from their biggest earner.
As co-founding Devo vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh told Rolling Stone, even though “Whip It” became a staple of the burgeoning MTV network in the early ’80s, his biggest success has indeed come via the channel, but in a manner that was wholly unexpected: MTV’s ubiquitous Ridiculousness.
When Ridiculousness first launched in 2012, the viral video series used a cover of “Uncontrollable Urge” by host Rob Dyrdek. Over 12 years later, the program boasts over 1,500 episodes, becoming a staple of MTV in the process. Famously, the show saturates the network so much that in August 2020, The Ringer noted it was played on repeat for 36 hours straight. Two months earlier, Variety noted that 113 of a single week’s 168 hours (or 67.3%) were filled with episodes of Ridiculousness.
For Mothersbaugh – who has penned music for beloved series such as Rugrats and Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and scored films for directors such as Wes Anderson – the revenue from the ubiquity of Ridiculousness generates around $1 million annually, according to estimates from his wife and manager Anita Greenspan
“I’ve written so many other songs for films and television shows,” Mothersbaugh explained. “I would’ve been shocked [years ago] if you told me this is the one that would become this prime source of income.”
“It’s ironic and kind of funny,” adds Greenspan. “In the beginning of MTV you saw a lot of Devo because they were early to make videos, but MTV started questioning the videos Devo were making. [The videos] were subversive, they didn’t like them and wouldn’t play them anymore. Now ‘Uncontrollable Urge’ is easily the most-played song on MTV, so [Devo] wins.’”
Despite the massive exposure the world has had to “Uncontrollable Urge” thanks to Ridiculousness, it’s far from the first big earner that Mothersbaugh has had in the world of music. As Greenspan told Rolling Stone, his theme song to Rugrats managed to pay for their home back in the ’90s.