Comments on: I'm looking for songs about selling your soul to the devil.

Question: I'm looking for songs about selling your soul to the devil.

honeydew — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:31:34 -0800

I'm looking for songs about Faust or deals with the devil, a la "Devil Went Down to Georgia" or "Gretchen am Spinnrade."

New, old, classical, punk, folk; any length or genre. Any suggestions?

By: nerdcore

nerdcore — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:33:57 -0800

I'm assuming you already know Robert Johnson's Crossroad Blues?

By: veronica sawyer

veronica sawyer — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:36:09 -0800

Friend of the Devil by the Dead and NIB by Sabbath come to mind.

By: The World Famous

The World Famous — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:36:21 -0800

King Contrary Man by The Cult

By: jtfowl0

jtfowl0 — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:36:40 -0800

Tribute by Tenacious D

By: Dee Xtrovert

Dee Xtrovert — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:53:33 -0800

The Fall's "Dktr Faustus."

Much of Randy Newman's "Faust" album.

By: jacobm

jacobm — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:57:57 -0800

The album "The Black Rider" by Tom Waits (actually the music to a musical of the same name) is all about that.

By: pineapple

pineapple — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:58:26 -0800

"Conversation With the Devil" by Ray Wylie Hubbard (which refers back to "Devil Went Down to Georgia," in fact)

By: dan g.

dan g. — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:58:51 -0800

Bob Dylan's "Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest".

By: misha

misha — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:02:03 -0800

Hard to find, but "Faust" from the Phantom of the Paradise...the whole movie, really! Classic.

By: gergtreble

gergtreble — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:07:12 -0800

Spanish Train by Chris de Burgh tells of a card game played between god and the devil for the souls of people travailing on a train. The devil cheats and wins!

By: gergtreble

gergtreble — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:12:01 -0800

Heres a wiki-link about Spanish train.

By: Brittanie

Brittanie — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:22:17 -0800

Umm, Sympathy for the Devil. Though, I guess it's not really about a deal with the devil, just about the man himself.

By: baggers

baggers — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:38:22 -0800

It's perhaps a bit outside of your Faustain remit, but Michael by Prefab Sprout fits the general bill, albeit from the other side; "Michael if you're listening/Michael who stayed true/One of us got out of line when Paradise was new/One of us was exiled and the one who wasnt's you"

By: SlyBevel

SlyBevel — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:46:57 -0800

Not exactly a "deal with the devil," but the subject matter is close:

Lake of Fire - Nirvana

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:54:23 -0800

This soundtrack to the 1968 Dudley Moore movie "Bedazzled" is all about that, and has a great 60's Go-Go vibe to boot (it is a KICKASS comedy). The title track (track 8) was also covered by Bongwater. So, so worth it.

By: pupdog

pupdog — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:58:15 -0800

Another sorta close idea - The Pogues 'Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go'

By: allterrainbrain

allterrainbrain — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:59:31 -0800

1) Most interesting large-scale classical pieces:
- Boulanger's Faust et Hélène (a cantata)
- Gounod's Faust (an opera)

2) Here's an excellent page, very comprehensive, listing hundreds of Faust pieces in classical music.

By: ORthey

ORthey — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:00:10 -0800

Another vote for Randy Newman's Faust - it's freaking fantastic, and has Don Henley as Faust, Newman as the Devil, and James Taylor as God. Throw in Elton John and Linda Rondstadt and Bonnie Raitt, tough to go wrong.

By: MonkeyToes

MonkeyToes — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:16:40 -0800

Emmylou Harris, "Raise the Dead," which goes, in part:

"Robert Johnson had a hellhound on his trail
Drove him to the coffin like a hammer and a nail
It takes a powerful man to carry that load
When your tryin' to beat the devil to the old crossroads
I wrestled the devil lived to testify but I'll never get out of your love alive"

By: OneOliveShort

OneOliveShort — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:50:25 -0800

"The Devil is my Friend" by Jazz Butcher... Hilarious.

I went out one spring morning,
To find myself a friend
Someone I could believe in
Until the very end
I met up with the devil
He was sitting in a bar
He bought me fifteen rum and cokes
And then he went too far.

By: Sailormom

Sailormom — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:18:51 -0800

There is a verse from the Weight:

I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide;
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side.
I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown."
She said, "I gotta go, but m'friend can stick around."

Maybe Jack on Fire by the Gun Club

Devil's Chasing Me by Reverend Horton Heat

Suicidal Tendencies Possessed

By: ROTFL

ROTFL — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:25:55 -0800

In the final episode of Futurama, "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings," Fry makes a deal with the Robot Devil to exchange hands. Fry uses the Robot Devil's hands to compose an opera. The opera's premiere is interrupted by the Robot Devil demanding his hands back, and the opera from that point is an "ad libbed" description of Fry's deal with the Robot Devil. Sample lyric:

"Without these hands
I can't complete
The opera that was captivating her
But if I keep them
And she marries him
Then he probably won't
want me dating her."

By: amtho

amtho — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:12:48 -0800

The entire musical "Damn Yankees" is about this. One song comes to mind: "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets" (I believe Lola is a succubus or demon sent to seduce the protagonist, who does somehow sell/lease his soul to the devil).

By: Doublewhiskeycokenoice

Doublewhiskeycokenoice — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:13:58 -0800

Who Will Survive and What Will be Left of Them? by Murder By Death is a concept album all about a village in Mexico being attacked by the Devil.

By: milquetoast

milquetoast — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:16:42 -0800

The Devil Came Up to Michigan by K.M.C. Kru
The Devil Went Down to Scunthorpe by the Toy Dolls

By: sad_otter

sad_otter — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:33:39 -0800

Bauhaus' Party of the First Part (which appeared as an extra track on the import CD re-issue of The Sky's Gone Out), though the "lyrics" are a collage of samples from the short film The Devil and Daniel Mouse, set to music.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:06:20 -0800

Nazareth, "Sold My Soul" ("I sold my soul to the devil")
Black Spider Dumpling (John D. Twitty), "Sold It to the Devil"
Better Than Ezra, "Devil Girl"

According to Wikpedia, this is a photo of the original "crossroads."

I'm assuming you already know Robert Johnson's Crossroad Blues?

Robert Johnson's song is about hitchhiking. Tommy Johnson (no relation) originated the sold-my-soul-at-the-crossroads story, and Robert Johnson adopted it later.

By: ktrey

ktrey — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:26:56 -0800

Some of my first contributions were already mentioned. I've always been fascinated by the Faust myth in popular culture. Here's a few more off the top of my head

The Pulsars - Owed To A Devil
OK GO - A Good Idea At The Time
Muse - Take A Bow
Specimen -Sharp Teeth Pretty Teeth

I'll post more when I think of them.

By: ktrey

ktrey — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:29:42 -0800

Teresa Brewer – Pickle Up A Doodle
Momus – Stefano Zarelli

By: anaelith

anaelith — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:46:01 -0800

Voltaire -- When You're Evil

By: fuzzbean

fuzzbean — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:59:12 -0800

Azure Ray, "The Devil's Feet" (lovely song)

By: solongxenon

solongxenon — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 21:11:35 -0800

"Way Down in the Hole" -- Tom Waits
"Devil Inside" -- INXS

By: Eothele

Eothele — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 21:38:57 -0800

Titties and Beer - Frank Zappa

By: padraigin

padraigin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:16:05 -0800

Not exactly a "deal with the devil," but the subject matter is close:

Lake of Fire - Nirvana
posted by SlyBevel at 4:46 PM on June 20

Originally written and performed by the Meat Puppets.

*cries, realizes she is old*

By: gingerbeer

gingerbeer — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:17:30 -0800

Up the Devil's Pay by Old 97's

More wikipedia

By: churl

churl — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:25:51 -0800

Seconding Who Will Survive and What Will be Left of Them?

By: TheFuse

TheFuse — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:47:37 -0800

Switchfoot, maybe?

By: aliasless

aliasless — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:00:53 -0800

It's more like a suite, but Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale. English language narration is common.

By: aneel

aneel — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:29:43 -0800

Honey White, Honey White, Honey White made a deal for some angel food.
8212; Morphine

By: Jahaza

Jahaza — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:45:03 -0800

"Little Piece At A Time" by David Wilcox on Big Times in a Small Town: The Vineyard Tapes

By: donmak

donmak — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 02:51:45 -0800

I agree with Pineapple. "Conversation With the Devil" by Ray Wylie Hubbard is a lesser known but FANTASTIC song. It's available on iTunes as well.

-dm

By: boogieboy

boogieboy — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 04:15:40 -0800

The Stone Roses: Driving South
Zappa: Titties and Beer

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 06:39:02 -0800

"Fable with No Moral" by Quasi off the excellent Field Studies album.
I went and sold my soul so I could pay my rent / I waited by the mail, but the check was never sent / So I called the Devil up, but I just got his machine / I left an angry message, said "I gotta have the green" / I didn't give up then, but I made another plan / If Satan didn't want my soul I'd sell it to the man / I tried to find the number, but it wasn't in the book / I'd get the money anyhow, no matter what it took / No matter what it took. / No paragon of virtue, at least I'm not a thief / It's so easily justified but always leads to grief / So I got a piece of cardboard and made myself a sign / To sell my soul below the market rate was my design / I went down on the street and I tried to make the deal / A Land Rover drove right by with Satan at the wheel / He saw what I was doing and said / "That's not yours to sell! / You'll get your check tomorrow and I'll see your ass in Hell / So you'd better spend it well."

By: scalefree

scalefree — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:38:39 -0800

Warren Zevon, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner.