Shout At The Devil

Album: Shout At The Devil (1983)
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Songfacts®:

  • This was written by Motley Crue's bass player Nikki Sixx. In the band's biography The Dirt, Tom Zutaut, who signed the band to Elektra Records, explains that Sixx was exploring Satanism at the time, and wanted to call the song (and the album) "Shout With The Devil." Zutaut was having a hard enough time getting the label to promote the band, and he knew the title would make it an even harder sell, but Sixx was determined to go with the devil theme, telling Zutaut: "It just looks cool. It's meaningless symbols and s--t. I'm just doing it to piss people off. It's not like I worship Satan or something."

    When Zutaut saw Sixx two nights later, he witnessed a knife and fork rise off the table and stick into the ceiling. Zutaut writes: "I looked at Nikki and freaked out. 'There is no more 'Shout With The Devil.' If you keep shouting with the devil, you're going to get killed.' I truly believe that Nikki had unknowingly tapped into something evil, something more dangerous than he could control that was on the verge of seriously hurting him. Nikki must have realized the same thing, because he decided on his own to change the album title to Shout At The Devil."
  • This wasn't released as a single, but it quickly became one of Motley Crue's more popular songs and a live favorite.
  • In the line, "My head's spinnin' round and round, but in the seasons of wither, we'll stand and deliver," "Round and Round" and "Seasons of Wither" are references to Aerosmith songs. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alec Thorp - Yorktown Heights, NY
  • A spoken-word track called "In the Beginning" leads into this song on the album, and was typically played at concerts. Written by Nikki Sixx, "In the Beginning" is a menacing monologue that explains how evil has overcome good, and it was now time to "Be strong and shout at the Devil."

    The track was credited to "Allister Fiend," a character Sixx came up with. It was voiced by engineer Geoff Workman.
  • With its satanic title and the original album art's pentagram design, "Shout At The Devil" upset parents worldwide. That might have been the plan, according to Sixx. "It has always been a song about pushing back," he told Entertainment Weekly in 2015. "It can be about the perceived enemy at hand, the devil inside, or someone on a wobbly campaign trail."
  • This is the song the band has played the most live, with roughly 1,500 performances throughout their career.
  • This was used on season 2 of Stranger Things in the episode "Trick Or Treat, Freak." It starts playing as Jonathan arrives at the Halloween party and Billy is seen doing a keg stand.

Comments: 9

  • AnonymousAwesome song.
  • Dan Gillespy from Courtenay BcThe title track to the best Motley Crue album. I love this song.
  • Anonymouswait so this ain't satanic right?
  • AnonymousAnd all these years l thought they were singing "Shout at the level". Glad to finally get it straight
  • Aaron Wright from Portland OrIt's funny that I recently read a dated interview with Sixx and he was outright asked the question "Are you (or is your band.. can't recall 4sure) Satanic (or devil worshipers)? The question came as a direct response to ShoutATD. Sixx answered by saying "No. Besides, the words are Shout AT the Devil, not Shout WITH the Devil."
    LOL... now we find in The Dirt a claim that the original title and lyrics WERE Shout WITH the Devil.
    Most bands from the 70s and 80s used this dark BS as nothing more than a gimmick, so (mostly) who cares anyway, right? But if you take all that's being pointed out in my post, it at least leads one to question whether it was anything even remotely close to a gimmick for The Crue (or at least Sixx) *In The Beginning* (pun def. intended)
  • Lucy from Slovakia"It has always been a song about pushing back..." F--king love that.
  • Mike from Washington StateThe Dirt inspired me to do two motley covers so far. As it turned out my Shout at the Devil cover is the best one up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq5BTovNAa8
  • Jason from Aurora, CoLilyibanez,
    Who in the Motley Crue organization wasn't at that time?
  • Lilyibanez from Los Angeles, Cazutaut was probably on drugs..or not, who knows
see more comments

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