| "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Charlie Daniels Band | ||||
| from the album Million Mile Reflections | ||||
| B-side | "Rainbow Ride" | |||
| Released | May 21, 1979 | |||
| Studio | Woodland (Nashville, Tennessee)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:34 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | John Boylan | |||
| Charlie Daniels Band singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" on YouTube | ||||
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a song written and recorded by American music group Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 album Million Mile Reflections.[4]
The song is written in the key of D minor. Although uncredited, Vassar Clements originally wrote the basic melody an octave lower, in a tune called "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" released on Clements' self-titled 1975 album on which Charlie Daniels played guitar. The Charlie Daniels Band moved it up an octave and put words to it. The song's verses are closer to being spoken rather than sung (i.e., recitation), and tell the story of a young man named Johnny, in a variant on the classic deal with the Devil. The performances of the Devil and Johnny are played as instrumental bridges. The song was the band's biggest hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, prevented from further chart movement by "After the Love Has Gone" by Earth, Wind and Fire and "My Sharona" by The Knack.[5]
- ^ Oermann, Robert K. (May 23, 2018). "Nashville Recording Pioneer Glenn Snoddy Passes". Music Row. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Bluegrass Unlimited. Vol. 40. Bluegrass Unlimited. 2005. p. 71.
- ^ Heller, Marsha (July 7, 2020). "What you need to know July 7". KFVS-TV. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ "Million Mile Reflections - Charlie Daniels, The Charlie Daniels Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel: "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", p. 92, ISBN 0-8230-7518-4