Devil vs Music: Jack Black, Bedazzled, Futurama, more
“This is not the greatest song in the world, no…”
With music videos from Jack Black’s Tenacious D, the sci-fi sitcom Futurama, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in 1967’s Bedazzled, pop-rock band The Monkees, and country artist Charlie Daniels.
Over the centuries now, creatives have explored various ideas about the Devil. (Sometimes with music.)
To be clear, this whole article exists so that I can show you a very funny music video from Jack Black’s band Tenacious D. In which the duo runs into a demon. And are, well, forced to perform the greatest song in the world. (If you don’t already know where that goes, you’re free to just skip to our list of music videos now.)
But in case you want some context:
About the Devil
For this article, we’re talking specifically about the Judeo-Christian idea of Satan. And even looking at what’s said in the Bible—given all the ancient documents involved—there are actually different theories about who or what is the Devil.
For centuries now, there have been storytellers exploring the various ideas about the nature of the Devil.
Just some of the books have included Dante Alighieri’s Inferno (1321), John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667), and C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters (1942). More recent examples have included Stephen King’s Needful Things (1991), Victor LaValle’s The Devil in Silver (2012) and Ania Ahlborn’s Seed (2011).
There have also been a number of movies. These include The Story of Mankind (1957), Damn Yankees (1958), Bedazzled (1967)—which we’ll be discussing in a minute, plus The Exorcist (1973), The Omen (1976), The Amityville Horror (1979), Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), and End Of Days (1999).
TV shows have included Lucifer (2016-2021), Supernatural (2005-2020), Penny Dreadful (2014-2016), and Evil (2019–2024). Plus there was also an episode of the 1960s show The Monkees and a robotic interpretation that showed up a few times on the animated sci-fi series Futurama. (Those last two shows both show up in our list below, too.)
Want to learn more about what the Bible tells us about the Devil? More links about info below.
But first, let’s hear some music…
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List: The Devil vs Music
With videos from Jack Black’s Tenacious D, Futurama, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in Bedazzled, The Monkees, and Charlie Daniels.
#1 Tenacious D | “Tribute”
“The song we sang on that fateful night, it didn’t actually sound anything like this song…”
#2 Futurama | “Robot Hell”
“You’ll suffer till the end of time / Enduring tortures, most of which rhyme…”
Of course, on the show Futurama, the Robot Devil only plagues other robots. But he sings well. And I looooove that musical episode “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings.” Which was the show’s finale. (Well, its first finale. The show returned. More than once.)
#3 Bedazzled | “Love Me” vs “Bedazzled”
“I’m on my knees, won’t you please come and love me?”
While I do enjoy the 1967 Bedazzled movie, this musical battle is the part I can’t stop watching again and again.
#4 The Monkees from the episode “The Devil & Peter Tork”
“Salesman as the years go by / People changin’ every day / Hey, Salesman, till the end of time / You’ll be living in the same way…”
If you don’t know this, the 1960s TV sitcom The Monkees was about an actual band (complicated history, too long to go into now)—and the songs played in each episode did not actually represent the stories. So, while this episode is about one of the band members dealing with the devil, this song is (probably) not actually about either party involved.
#5 Charlie Daniels | “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”
“But if you lose, the devil gets your soul…”
Bonus: Bedazzled explains why the Devil got in trouble
“C’mon, start dancing.”
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More about what the Bible says about the Devil
Now, some mistakenly believe that the Judeo-Christian version of the Devil is somehow the counterpoint of God. But, according to the Bible, Satan and the other demons are actually only members of Creation just like you and me.
Now, God the Father is actually bigger than all of time and space. (Because, you know, He made it from scratch and now holds it all like it was in a box in His hands.) But the demons are just ex-angels that made a bad decision and now have to deal with it.
Here are some links to find what (certain interpretations of) the Bible tells us about all this:
Who Is Satan? The many forms of the devil in the Bible (Biblical Archaeology Society)
Topical Bible: Devil (Bible Hub)
What does the Bible mean when it calls Satan an “angel of light”? (Billy Graham Association)
Satan in the Bible: 14 Sobering Facts about the Devil (Logos)
What Christians get wrong about Satan (Premier Christianity Magazine)
Five Common Questions about the Devil (Concordia Publishing House)
Image above from the Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS), a nonprofit, nondenominational, educational organization dedicated to the dissemination of information about archaeology in the Bible lands.
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For centuries, storytellers have explored various ideas about the nature of the devil. But this article is really just so I can show you some funny music videos.