Mongoloid - Live

The word Mongoloid was originally used as a derogatory term for people of Mongolian descent in East Asia, but it was later used as an equally derogatory term for a person with Down syndrome, which is how it's used in this song. The song reclaims the word, with the main character a proud mongoloid who is happier than most and has a job. No one even knows he has a condition. Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo explained in an interview with Smashing Magazine: "In the bigger sense of things it was questioning man's calling himself superior to all other forms. It was just calling into question the insanity of what our value system was." He said that while some radio stations found it objectionable and refused to play the song, the band heard from parents of kids with Down syndrome who said their kids loved the song. "They were happy to have a song about them," Mothersbaugh said. "It wasn't making fun of mongoloids. It was kind of questioning why the value system of humans is about going out and getting a job, just mindless toil."

"Mongoloid" was Devo's first single, released with "Jocko Homo" as the B-side. The band formed at Kent State University in the wake of the tragic on-campus shootings of 1970. Their music reflected their mantra that humans were evolving backward, thus we were regressing, going through "de-evolution." This song is an expression of that tenet, showing how the mongoloid, a person perceived as an outlier with a deformity, is actually the only one who has it figured out.

The song was written by Devo co-founder Jerry Casale, who along with Mark Mothersbaugh is a primary songwriter in the group. Casale shares lead vocals on the track with the group's guitarist, Bob Mothersbaugh (Mark's brother).