View source for The Devil Went Down to Georgia

{{short description|1979 single by Charlie Daniels}}
{{use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = The Devil Went Down to Georgia
| cover      = The Devil Went Down To Georgia cover.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Charlie Daniels|Charlie Daniels Band]]
| album      = [[Million Mile Reflections]]
| B-side     = Rainbow Ride
| released   = May 21, 1979
| format     =
| recorded   =
| studio     = [[Woodland Sound Studios|Woodland]] (Nashville, Tennessee)<ref name="Oermann">{{cite web|last=Oermann|first=Robert K.|title=Nashville Recording Pioneer Glenn Snoddy Passes|url=https://musicrow.com/2018/05/nashville-recording-pioneer-glenn-snoddy-passes/|website=Music Row|date=23 May 2018|access-date=25 September 2024}}</ref>
| venue      =
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Country music|Country]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zi9LAAAAYAAJ|title=Bluegrass Unlimited|date=2005|publisher=Bluegrass Unlimited.|volume=40|page=71|issue=1–6}}</ref>|[[Southern rock]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Heller|first=Marsha|date=July 7, 2020|title=What you need to know July 7|url=https://www.kfvs12.com/2020/07/07/what-you-need-know-july/|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=[[KFVS-TV]]}}</ref>}}
| length     = 3:34
| label      = [[Epic Records|Epic]]
| writer     = {{hlist|Charlie Daniels|Tom Crain|[[Joel DiGregorio|"Taz" DiGregorio]]|Fred Edwards|Charles Hayward|James W Marshall}}
| producer   = [[John Boylan (record producer)|John Boylan]]
| prev_title = Trudy
| prev_year  = 1978
| next_title = [[Mississippi (Charlie Daniels song)|Mississippi]]
| next_year  = 1979
| misc       = {{External music video|{{YouTube|wBjPAqmnvGA|"The Devil Went Down to Georgia"}}}}
}}
"'''The Devil Went Down to Georgia'''" is a song written and recorded by American music group [[Charlie Daniels|Charlie Daniels Band]] and released on their 1979 album ''[[Million Mile Reflections]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/million-mile-reflections-mw0000650049 |title=Million Mile Reflections - Charlie Daniels, The Charlie Daniels Band &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=2016-10-14}}</ref>
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 song|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|''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]].<ref>Whitburn, Joel: "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", p. 92, {{ISBN|0-8230-7518-4}}</ref>
==Background and recording==
Daniels was inspired to write the song when he realized that the album he and his band was recording was lacking a song that featured [[fiddle]]. He wrote the song on the spot at the [[Woodland Sound Studios]] where the band was recording.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tamburin|first=Adam|title=CMA Fest 2016: 5 tidbits from Charlie Daniels|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/cma-music-festival/2016/06/09/cma-fest-2016-5-tidbits-charlie-daniels/85651860/|website=The Tennessean|date=9 June 2016|access-date=2 October 2024}}</ref>
==Content==
The song tells a story about the [[Devil]]'s failure to gain a young man's [[soul]] through a [[fiddle]]-playing contest. The song begins as a disappointed Devil arrives in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], apparently "way behind" on stealing souls, when he comes upon a young man named Johnny who is playing a fiddle, and quite well. Out of desperation, the Devil, who claims to also be a fiddle player, wagers a fiddle of gold against Johnny's soul to see who is the better fiddler. Although Johnny believes taking the Devil's bet might be a [[sin]], he fearlessly accepts, confidently boasting "I'm the best that's ever been."
The Devil plays first, backed by a band of [[demon]] musicians. When he has finished, Johnny compliments him ("Well, you're pretty good, old son.") and takes his own turn, rendering at least four old-time songs, named (though not played) in the Charlie Daniels Band recording—the third of the four being identified not by title, but by an excerpt of its lyrics:
*"Fire on the Mountain," the name of an early 19th-century fiddle tune, and also the name of Daniels' [[Fire on the Mountain (album)|1974 album]],
*"[[The House of the Rising Sun]]," a traditional American southern folk song,
*"Chicken in the bread pan peckin' out dough," which was famously used in [[Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys]]' song "[[Ida Red]],"<ref name="classic-country-song-lyrics.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.classic-country-song-lyrics.com/idaredlyricschords.html|title=Ida Red lyrics chords {{!}} Bob Wills|website=Classic-country-song-lyrics.com|access-date=2017-01-20}}</ref> and
*"Granny Will Your Dog Bite."<ref>{{cite web |title=Granny will Your Dog Bite |url=https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Granny_Will_Your_Dog_Bite%3F_(1) |access-date=28 February 2023}}</ref>
Realizing he has been defeated, the Devil lays his golden fiddle at Johnny's feet. Johnny then invites the Devil to "c'mon back if y'ever wanna try again" before repeating his claim to be "the best that's ever been".
==Reception==
''[[Cash Box]]'' praised the "engaging narrative story line" and said the song has "thundering piano", "screaming fiddle work", "pounding drums and screeching guitar".<ref name=cb>{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=June 23, 1979|page=18|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2022-01-01|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1979/CB-1979-06-23.pdf}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' said that Daniels "administers heavy doses of both [storytelling and fiddle-playing] with producer John Boylan capturing the excitement like no one else can."<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=June 23, 1979|accessdate=2023-02-11|title=Single Picks|page=24|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/79/RW-1979-06-23.pdf}}</ref>
In 2024, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked the song at #120 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-country-songs-1234986540/the-charlie-daniels-band-the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-1235012717/|title =The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time|magazine = [[Rolling Stone]]|date =May 24, 2014}}</ref>
===Censorship===
Johnny's final boast, from the [[Million Mile Reflections|album]] version of the song, goes, "I done told you once, you son of a bitch, I'm the best that's ever been". But to accommodate radio airplay for Country and Top 40 formats, Daniels changed the lyric for the single release to, "'Cause I told you once, you son of a ''gun'', I'm the best that's ever been", though [[Album-oriented rock|AOR]] stations continued to use the unaltered version.
==Musical references==
The [[ballad]]'s story is a derivative of the traditional [[deal with the Devil]] motif. Charlie Daniels has stated in interviews, "I don't know where it came from, but it just did. Well, I think I might know where it came from, it may have come from an old poem called 'The Mountain Whippoorwill' that [[Stephen Vincent Benét]] wrote many, many years ago (1925), that I had in high school."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/int/2007/05/charlie-daniels.html |title=Charlie Daniels : Songwriter Interviews |website=Songfacts.com |date=2007-03-30 |access-date=2016-10-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.charliedaniels.com/soap-box?b_id=5029&pg=1 | title=Forty and Forward: The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}</ref>
==Personnel==
*[[Charlie Daniels]] - [[guitar]], [[fiddle]], [[vocal]]s
*Tom Crain - guitar, vocals
*[[Joel DiGregorio|"Taz" DiGregorio]] - [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], vocals
*Fred Edwards - [[Drum kit|drums]], [[Percussion instrument|percussion]]
*James W. Marshall - drums, percussion
*Charles Hayward - [[bass guitar|bass]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Charlie-Daniels-Band-Million-Mile-Reflections/release/6571072 |title=The Charlie Daniels Band – Million Mile Reflections (1979, Vinyl) |website=Discogs|date=August 19, 1979 |access-date=2021-06-21}}</ref>
==Parodies and covers==
{{Infobox song
| name       = The Devil Went Down to Georgia
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Nickelback]]
| album      =
| released   = {{Start date|2020|08|14}}
| recorded   = 2016–2017
| studio     =
| venue      = Little Mountain View Studio
| genre      =
| length     = {{Duration|m=3|s=58}}
| label      = Nickelback II Productions Inc.
| writer     = {{hlist|Charlie Daniels|Tom Crain|[[Joel DiGregorio|"Taz" DiGregorio]]|Fred Edwards|Charles Hayward|James W Marshall}}
| producer   = Nickelback
| prev_title = [[After the Rain (Nickelback song)|After the Rain]]
| prev_year  = 2017
| next_title = [[San Quentin (song)|San Quentin]]
| next_year  = 2022
}}{{Infobox song
| name          = The Devil Went Down to Georgia
| cover         =
| alt           =
| type          = song
| artist        = [[Primus (band)|Primus]]
| EP            = [[Rhinoplasty (EP)|Rhinoplasty]]
| released      = {{Start date|1998|08|11}}
| recorded      =
| studio        = Prairie Sun (Cotati, California)
| venue         =
| genre         = [[Alternative rock]], [[funk rock]]
| length        = {{Duration|m=4|s=35}}
| label         = [[Interscope]], [[Prawn Song]]
| writer        = {{hlist|Charlie Daniels|Tom Crain|[[Joel DiGregorio|"Taz" DiGregorio]]|Fred Edwards|Charles Hayward|James W Marshall}}
| producer      = Primus, [[Toby Wright]]
}}
*[[The Levellers (band)|The Levellers]] released a version of the song in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Levellers-One-Way/release/1123598 |title=The Levellers - One Way (CD) |website=Discogs.com |date=2012-09-28 |access-date=2016-10-14}}</ref>
*The musician Travis Meyer performed a parody entitled "The Devil Went to Jamaica" circa 1998, although it is frequently misattributed to [[David Allan Coe]] or [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], in which Johnny is recast as a Jamaican weed dealer who is challenged by the devil to a pot-smoking contest to see whose [[marijuana]] is best: his, or Johnny's.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dgQzgNLmpA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/_dgQzgNLmpA |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=David Allan Coe - Devil went down to jamaica (the complete song)|access-date=October 26, 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*On a 1980 ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' episode (Episode 420), the Muppet versions of the Devil and Johnny are portrayed in an opening number cover of the song.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC9X8Xf3XRc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/FC9X8Xf3XRc |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Muppet Songs: The Devil Went Down to Georgia|access-date=October 26, 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*The rap group K.M.C. Kru released a hip hop re-imagining of the song entitled "The Devil Came Up to Michigan" in 1991, featuring the devil and a deejay competing for a turntable of gold.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/KMC-Kru-The-Devil-Came-Up-To-Michigan/release/1604241 |title=K.M.C. Kru - The Devil Came Up to Michigan (CD) |website=Discogs.com |date=2012-09-28 |access-date=2016-10-27}}</ref>
*In the 2000 movie ''[[Coyote Ugly (film)|Coyote Ugly]]'', the original song version by the [[Charlie Daniels Band]] is sung and danced to as an on-bar line dance by the troupe of female bartenders.<ref>[[Coyote Ugly (film)|Coyote Ugly]]</ref>
*[[Steve Ouimette]] (with Ed DeGenaro and [[Geoff Tyson]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Steve Ouimette - Radio King|url=https://www.radioking.com/artist/steve-ouimette|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-27|website=Radio King|language=en}}</ref>) performed a cover of the song for the 2007 video game ''[[Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock]]'' and, eventually, his 2010 album ''Epic''. This version uses electric guitars instead of fiddles, though the original lyrics are still performed. It is played as the conclusion of the game in a simulated guitar battle with the devil. Daniels objected to this version on the grounds that the devil may win the contest, which he referred to as "violating the very essence of the song".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox-2008/soapbox-2008-040408.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-06-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003070904/http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox-2008/soapbox-2008-040408.htm |archive-date=2012-10-03}}</ref>
*In 2013, the Boston-based roots rockers Adam Ezra Group recorded a parody version, "The Devil Came Up to Boston", with Boston-focused lyrics. In this version's official music video, group leader Adam Ezra, who wrote the lyrics to the parody, narrates it with an exaggerated version of his real-life Boston accent, and the Devil is depicted as a [[New York Yankees]] fan, playing off the historic [[Yankees–Red Sox rivalry|rivalry]] between the Yankees and [[Boston Red Sox]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/06/13/adam-ezra-group-devil-came-up-to-boston/ |title=Rate This Boston Accent and Anti-Yankees Music Video |first=Steve |last=Annear |work=Boston Magazine |date=June 13, 2013 |access-date=October 11, 2021}}</ref>
*In the [[1996 Summer Olympics]], American gymnast [[Dominique Moceanu]] used an instrumental version of the song as her music for the floor routine.
*The pop singer and electric violinist [[Michelle Lambert]] recorded a version of the song in 2015, and released a music video. In her rendition "Johnny" is replaced by "Michelle".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPhONj9b8kk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/rPhONj9b8kk |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=The Devil Went Down to Georgia by Michelle Lambert (Official Video)|website=[[YouTube]] |date =25 July 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*A cappella group [[Home Free (group)|Home Free]] recorded a version of the song in collaboration with [[Taylor Davis (violinist)|Taylor Davis]] and [[Charlie Daniels]] playing fiddle, released in September 2015. The narration is performed by Home Free bass singer Tim Foust.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40XcAmWxyb4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/40XcAmWxyb4 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=The Devil Went Down To Georgia|website=Youtube.com|date =19 September 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*The rock band [[Blues Traveler]] often performs this song in concert, with [[John Popper]] playing the fiddle parts on [[harmonica]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l83dArJkQzs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/l83dArJkQzs |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Blues Traveler - Devil Went Down To Georgia |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=2007-02-24 |access-date=2016-10-14}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They featured a live version of the song on their 2006 EP ''¡Bastardos en Vivo!''<ref>{{cite web |title=Blues Traveler - ¡Bastardos en Vivo! Live |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/10000745-Blues-Traveler-Bastardos-en-Vivo-Live |website=Discogs |access-date=11 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
*''[[Robot Chicken]]'' featured a composite parody of the song along with the animated series ''[[Todd McFarlane's Spawn|Spawn]]'' in episode 49 of season 3, where [[Malebolgia]], an infernal lord, is challenged by [[Spawn (character)|Spawn]] to a fiddle duel set to a similar tune.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3KY46nXfH4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201035425/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3KY46nXfH4 |archive-date=2013-02-01 |url-status=dead|title=Spawn Went Down to Georgia|website=Youtube.com|date =20 December 2011}}</ref>
*In the ''[[Futurama]]'' episode "[[Hell is Other Robots]]", [[Leela (Futurama)|Leela]] must challenge the robot devil in a fiddle-playing contest to win back [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]]'s soul. Also included as a prize for the winner of the contest is a solid gold fiddle.
*In the ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' episode "[[Swan Song (Supernatural)|Swan Song]]", Lucifer quotes a line from the song "a fiddle of gold against your soul that says I'm better than you".
*The funk metal band [[Primus (band)|Primus]] covered the song and featured it, in the form of a [[stop motion]] animated music video, on a CD-ROM that was included with the 1998 release of their EP ''[[Rhinoplasty (EP)|Rhinoplasty]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9uk9IcoQ0w |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/X9uk9IcoQ0w |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Primus - The Devil Went Down To Georgia|website=Youtube.com|date =16 June 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*British Punk band [[The Toy Dolls]] recorded a version called "The Devil Went Down to Scunthorpe", which used a guitar duel instead of a fiddle duel between Johnny and the Devil.
*The Christian parody band [[ApologetiX]] recorded a parody called "The Devil Went Down to Jordan" which records the Devil's attempt to tempt Jesus in the wilderness.
*British comedy folk band [[The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican]] recorded a version called "The Devil Went Down to Barnsley", in which the devil has a fiddle duel with Bjorn Doonicansson.
*The American metal band Nature of Rebel Minds<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reverbnation.com/normrocks|title = Nature of Rebel Minds &#124; Rock from Winston Salem, NC|website=Reverbnation.com}}</ref> released a cover of the song in 2019 and released an official music video to [[YouTube]] as well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NR9iGi1Jwo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/-NR9iGi1Jwo |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Nature Of Rebel Minds-The Devil Went Down To Georgia(OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*The American nu metal band [[Korn]] recorded a cover of the song in 2020 which featured the band playing the devil and rapper [[Yelawolf]] as Johnny.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9426225/korn-the-charlie-daniels-band-the-devil-went-down-to-georgia|title=Korn Unveils Cover of The Charlie Daniels Band's 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia'|website=Billboard.com|date =28 June 2020}}</ref>
*The Canadian rock band [[Nickelback]] recorded a cover in 2020 with [[Dave Martone]]. This version uses electric guitars instead of fiddles, tuned down a whole step, and contains the original lyrics with slight changes.
*A metal version of the song was recorded by [[Leo Moracchioli]] for his YouTube channel, Frog Leap Studios. The video was publicly released<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTdeQIY0jjs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/LTdeQIY0jjs |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Frog Leap Studios - The Devil Went Down To Georgia (metal cover by Leo Moracchioli)|publisher=[[YouTube]]|date=2020-07-17|access-date=2020-10-23}}{{cbignore}}</ref> on July 17, 2020.
*A sequel to the song titled "Devil Comes Back to Georgia" was done by [[Mark O'Connor]] in 1993. [[Johnny Cash]] was the lead singer and narrator, [[Marty Stuart]] and [[Travis Tritt]] sang as Johnny and the Devil, respectively, Charlie Daniels played the Devil's solo on the fiddle, and O'Connor played Johnny's solo on the violin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0XUTD7QYcs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/L0XUTD7QYcs |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title="Devil Comes Back to Georgia" feat. Mark O'Connor with Daniels, Cash, Tritt and Marty Stuart|access-date=October 26, 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Mark O'Connor - The Devil Comes Back To Georgia |date=August 19, 1993 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/8338722-Mark-OConnor-The-Devil-Comes-Back-To-Georgia |language=en |access-date=2022-07-11}}</ref>
*In 1996, the indie rock band [[Mono Puff]] released their studio album ''Unsupervised'', which spawned a single "The Devil Went Down to Newport".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tmbw.net/wiki/Unsupervised |title=Unsupervised - TMBW: The They Might Be Giants Knowledge Base |website=tmbw.net |date=2020-09-05 |access-date=2022-06-07}}</ref>
*The [[Zac Brown Band]] perform the song regularly in concert, and included a version on their 2009 EP ''Live from Bonnaroo''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zac Brown Band - Live From Bonnaroo 2009 EP |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/7928611-Zac-Brown-Band-Live-From-Bonnaroo-2009-EP |website=Discogs |access-date=11 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Adrenaline Mob]] released a heavy metal cover in their 2015 album ''Dearly Departed''.
*In the fifth ''[[Hazbin Hotel]]'' episode, "[[Dad Beat Dad]]", during the song "[[Hell's Greatest Dad]]", Lucifer pulls a golden fiddle when challenged by [[Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)|Alastor]].
*In 2002, [[Tenacious D]] released "[[Tribute (song)|Tribute]]". The song chronicles the band members' encounter with a demon who demands the duo play "the best song in the world" or have their souls eaten.
*In The Walking Dead episode "Home", Merle Dixon says to his brother Daryl "I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold, that (...)".
==Chart performance==
The original version of the song spent fourteen weeks on the [[Hot Country Singles]] charts in 1979, peaking at number 1 and holding the position for one week. It spent two weeks at a peak of number 3 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref name="whitburn">{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2008|page=114|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}}</ref> The single was [[Platinum certification|certified Platinum]] by the [[RIAA]] on December 20, 1989, for sales of over one million copies in the United States.{{Certification Cite Ref |region=United States |artist=Charlie Daniel Band |title=The Devil Went Down to Georgia |type=single}} In 2003, the song was ranked at #69 on ''CMT's 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music'', and #5 on ''CMT's 20 Greatest Southern Rock Songs'' in 2006. Since it became available as a download in the digital era, it has also sold 2.49 million digital copies in the US as of November 2019.<ref name="sales">{{cite web |title=Top 30 Digital Country Downloads Chart |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2019/11/44041-top-30-digital-country-downloads-chart |last=Bjorke |first=Matt |work=Roughstock |date=November 6, 2019 |access-date=November 7, 2019}}</ref> In June 1998, Epic Records re-released the song to country radio, but accidentally sent out the version in which the line "son of a bitch" was uncensored. This error was quickly corrected, and the song re-entered the country charts at number 62 for the chart dated June 20, 1998.<ref name="billboard">{{cite magazine|last=Jessen|first=Wade|date=20 June 1998|title=Country Corner|magazine=Billboard|volume=110|issue=25|page=34}}</ref> It spent seven weeks on the chart and peaked at number 60.<ref name="whitburn"/>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Chart (1979)
! Peak<br />position
|-
| Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=82}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 14
|-
| Canada Country Tracks ([[RPM (magazine)|RPM]])
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|-
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
|-
|Ireland ([[Irish Singles Chart|IRMA]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |title=Irish Singles Chart – Search for song |access-date=July 6, 2011 |publisher=[[Irish Recorded Music Association]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602061251/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |archive-date=June 2, 2009}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|14
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|25|title=The Charlie Daniels Band|song=The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|13|title=The Charlie Daniels Band|song=The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}
|-
|UK Singles ([[Official Charts Company]])
|style="text-align:center;"|14
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|3|artist=Charlie Daniels}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardcountrysongs|1|artist=Charlie Daniels}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|30|artist=Charlie Daniels}}
|-
|US [[Cash Box (magazine)|''Cash Box'']] Top 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19790908.html|title=Cash Box Top 100 9/08/79|website=tropicalglen.com|access-date=1 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214184825/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19790908.html|archive-date=14 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|align="center"|4
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Chart (1998)
!Peak<br />position
|-
{{single chart|Billboardcountrysongs|60|artist=Charlie Daniels}}
|}
{{col-2}}
===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1979)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/VVyraDN.jpg|title=Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979|publisher=[[Kent Music Report]], via Imgur.com|access-date=December 9, 2019}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|100
|-
|Canada <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6855a&URLjpg=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.6855a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6855a|title=Image : RPM Weekly|first=Library and Archives|last=Canada|date=July 17, 2013|website=bac-lac.gc.ca|access-date=April 1, 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|56
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1979.htm|title=Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979|website=Musicoutfitters.com|access-date=April 1, 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|50
|-
|US Hot Country Songs (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1979/hot-country-songs|title=Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1979|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 17, 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|41
|-
|US ''Cash Box''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1979YESP.html|title=Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1979|website=tropicalglen.com|access-date=1 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713094315/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1979YESP.html|archive-date=13 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|49
|-
|}
{{col-end}}
==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Charlie Daniels Band|title=The Devil Went Down to Georgia|award=Silver|relyear=2004|certyear=2020|id=16766-5412-1|access-date=October 16, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Charlie Daniels Band|title=The Devil Went Down to Georgia|award=Platinum|relyear=1979|certyear=1989|access-date=October 16, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}
==Sequel {{anchor|[[The Devil Comes Back to Georgia]]}} ==
{{Infobox song
| name       = The Devil Comes Back to Georgia
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Mark O'Connor]] featuring [[Johnny Cash]], [[Charlie Daniels]], [[Marty Stuart]] and [[Travis Tritt]]
| album      = [[Heroes (Mark O'Connor album)|Heroes]]
| B-side     = [[This Can't Be Love (song)|This Can't Be Love]]
| released   = September 14, 1993
| format     =
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Bluegrass music|Bluegrass]], [[Country music|country]], [[country rock]]
| length     = 4:13
| label      = [[Epic Records|Epic]]
| writer     = {{hlist|Charlie Daniels|Tom Crain|[[Joel DiGregorio|"Taz" DiGregorio]]|Fred Edwards|Charles Hayward|James W Marshall}}
| producer   = [[Mark O'Connor]] and [[Jim Ed Norman]]
}}
In 1993, a sequel to the song, "The Devil Comes Back to Georgia", was released by master violinist [[Mark O'Connor]] on his album [[Heroes (1993 album)|''Heroes'']]. The song featured Daniels on fiddle, with [[Johnny Cash]] as the narrator, [[Marty Stuart]] as Johnny, and [[Travis Tritt]] as the devil. The song peaked at #54 on Billboard's [[Hot Country Songs]] chart in 1994.
In the sequel, the devil, still furious ten years after being beaten, decides to take up Johnny's challenge to "c'mon back if y'ever wanna try again". Johnny is now grown with a wife and infant son, and the devil believes that Johnny's [[Hubris|sinful pride]] will be his undoing, so he takes back the golden fiddle, forcing Johnny to practice with his old fiddle before their rematch – the same one he played when he defeated the devil.
Though the song reiterates Johnny's bold claim that he is "the best that's ever been", the lyrics do not reveal who won the rematch. But in the video, the devil is shown defeated by Johnny again.
==See also==
* "[[Cross Road Blues]]"
* [[Faust]]
* "[[The Devil and Daniel Webster]]"
* "[[The Devil and Tom Walker]]"
* "[[The Devil's Dream]]"
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{YouTube|i_XGnxTi-fE|Listen to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"}}
{{Charlie Daniels}}
{{Faust navbox}}
{{CMA Single of the Year}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devil Went Down To Georgia, The}}
[[Category:1979 singles]]
[[Category:1979 songs]]
[[Category:2020 singles]]
[[Category:Charlie Daniels songs]]
[[Category:Epic Records singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Charlie Daniels]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by John Boylan (record producer)]]
[[Category:Songs about Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Music based on the Faust legend]]
[[Category:Halloween songs]]