Editing Devo (section)

=== 1980–1982: Mainstream breakthrough, ''Freedom of Choice'', and ''New Traditionalists'' ===
Devo gained a new level of visibility with 1980's ''[[Freedom of Choice (album)|Freedom of Choice]]''. This album included their best-known hit, "[[Whip It (Devo song)|Whip It]]", which quickly became a [[Top 40]] hit. The album moved to an almost completely electronic sound, with the exception of acoustic drums and Bob Mothersbaugh's guitar. The tour for ''Freedom of Choice'' was ambitious for the band, including dates in Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huboon.com/1980.html |first=Mike |last=Ziegler |title=Devo Live Guide 1980 |website=Huboon.com |access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> The band used a minimalist set including large custom light boxes which could be laid on their back to form a second, smaller stage during the second half of the set. Other popular songs from ''Freedom of Choice'' were "[[Girl U Want]]", the [[Freedom of Choice (song)|title-track]], and "Gates of Steel". The band released popular music videos for "Whip It" and "Girl U Want". Devo made three appearances on the TV show ''[[Fridays (TV series)|Fridays]]'' in 1980 and 1981, as well as on ''Don Kirshner's Rock Concert'', ''[[American Bandstand]]'', and other shows. The band members often wore red, terraced [[energy dome]] hats as part of its stage outfit. The dome was first worn during the band's ''Freedom of Choice'' campaign of 1980. It reappeared in the 1981, 1982, and 1988 tours, as well as in most of their performances since 1997. Devo also recorded two albums of their own songs as elevator music for their fan club, Club Devo, released on cassette in 1981 and 1984. These were later re-released on the album ''[[E-Z Listening Disc]]'' (1987), with all but two of the original Club Devo songs. These songs were often played as house music before Devo concerts.

In August 1981, the band's ''[[DEV-O Live]]'' EP spent [[List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s#1981 (Kent Music Report)|three weeks at the top of the Australian charts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://australianmusichistory.com/australian-singles-chart-for-1981 |title=Australian Singles chart for 1981 |date=November 5, 2010 |first=Mark |last=Gibson |website=Australian Music History |access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> In 1982, they toured Australia and appeared on the TV show ''[[Countdown (Australian TV series)|Countdown]]''. Devo enjoyed continued popularity in Australia, where the nationally broadcast 1970s–1980s pop TV show ''Countdown'' was one of the first programs in the world to broadcast their video clips. They were given consistent radio support by Sydney-based non-commercial rock station [[Triple J|Double Jay]] (2JJ) and Brisbane-based independent community station Triple Zed ([[4ZZZ]]), two of the first rock stations outside America to play their recordings. The late-night music program ''Nightmoves'' aired ''The Truth About De-Evolution''.

In 1981, Devo contributed a cover of "[[Working in the Coal Mine]]", recorded during the ''Freedom of Choice'' sessions, to the film ''[[Heavy Metal (film)|Heavy Metal]]''. They offered the song to be used in the film when Warner Bros. refused to include it on the album. Warner then included it as an independent bonus single accompanying their 1981 release, ''[[New Traditionalists]]''. For this album Devo wore self-described "Utopian Boy Scout uniforms" topped with a "New Traditionalist Pomp"—a plastic half-wig modeled on the hairstyle of [[John F. Kennedy]]. Among the singles from the album was "[[Through Being Cool (Devo song)|Through Being Cool]]", written as a reaction to their new-found fame from "Whip It" and seen as a response to new fans who had misinterpreted the message behind the hit song. The album's accompanying tour featured the band performing an intensely physical show with treadmills and a large Greek temple set. That same year they served as [[Toni Basil]]'s backing band on [[Word of Mouth (Toni Basil album)|''Word of Mouth'']], her debut album, which included versions of three Devo songs, recorded with Basil singing lead.<ref name="Top One Hit Wonders: Mickey">{{cite web |title=Mickey – Toni Basil |url=http://toponehitwonders.com/pop/mickey-toni-basil/ |website=Top One Hit Wonders |access-date=May 26, 2014 |archive-date=September 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140925174420/http://toponehitwonders.com/pop/mickey-toni-basil/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Gruber: Mickey">{{cite web |last=Gruber |first=Xaque |title='Mickey' Turns 30: A Closer Look at the One and Only Toni Basil |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/xaque-gruber/toni-basil-mickey-anniversary_b_2080971.html |website=The Huffington Post |date=November 8, 2012 |access-date=May 26, 2014}}</ref>