THE Story in THE Song THE Charlie Daniels Band THE Devil Went Down to Georgia

THE STORY IN THE SONG THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA 1979

This is a simple story of a musical duel between Satan and a young man called Johnny, with the devil foiled out of getting to take Johnny’s soul by Johnny’s brilliant fiddle-playing.

Horror stories about the devil trying to strike up a game or a Faustian deal with someone are commonplace. Usually the devil wins, or gets defeated in some ingenious unexpected fashion. Here, the devil is simply left accepting that he is beaten in a fair contest. However, I think he deserved to win.

The Devil is behind on his quota of souls, indicating that he has a schedule and production targets to attain. He heads to Georgia to find some easy pickings, and sees Johnny sitting on a hickory stump playing his fiddle, just for fun and to pass the time of day.

The Devil challenges Johnny to a play off, and promises Johnny that if Johnny wins, he will get a new fiddle, made of gold. (as if he’d be able to lift it, let alone play it) However, the Devil plans to take Johnny’s soul if Johnny plays less well.

Johnny responds with rampant egotism and pride 9surely sins), that he is the best fiddle player there is and happily takes the Devil’s bet without showing a shred of fear.

The Devil plays first, on a fiddle made of fire. He is quickly accompanied by a band of demons. His presentation is entirely instrumental, but very well orchestrated.

Johnny is quite impressed and says so, but he is confident that he can do better. He invites, and even commands the Devil to sit down and watch him as he takes his own go.

Johnny’s set is a solo one, but with lyrics. He sings of cooking chicken, and strangely, of asking his grandmother if the dog might bite him, and her reply that the dog is quite safe. The line apparently comes from an obscure American nurdsery rhyme.

The Devil concedes defeat and freely gives Johnny the golden fiddle, which seems odd. The fiddle playing instrumentals by both contestants (played of course by the Charlie Daniels Band) are excellent, but the Devil’s is much darker and edgier. Johnny’s set is rather trite, clichéd and the lyrics quite meaningless in the context of the contest. There are no independent judges – the Devil could easily insist that he played best and take Johnniy’s soul anyway, but he doesn’t. We have also seen the Devil notice Johnny playing even before challenging him to the musical fight, so that should have told him that Johnny was going to be a tough competitor, best left alone.

As The Devil leaves, Johnny reprises his silly lyrics, and invites the Devil to a rematch any time he fancies his chances. His arrogance in itself suggests Johnny deserved damnation. The Devil was robbed here. 

The band recorded a much less successful sequel, The Devil Went Back To Georgia in which a second attempt is made to get Johnny’s soul, but again, without success.  There seems little point in a sequel that isreally a remake.

The much parodied original song topped the US Country Music charts, but only reached number 14 in the mainstream UK pop charts.