Since its inception, rock’n’roll has been thought of by moral authorities as 'the Devil’s music'. Because rock's bass-heavy rhythms make people want to dance, laugh, and eventually have sex, squares and evangelists hear Satan in every twanging guitar, and vilify provocative rock stars for being minions of the adversary himself. What these people don't seem to realise is how much of sin and blasphemy is based in simple human behaviour, and that by associating good times and killer tunes with Lucifer, they only drove young rockers further into his arms.
Rock fans know that our love of the Devil isn't about devotion to darkness and misery, it's a rebellion against the stuffy, regimented moral code of society at large. If holiness involves being a judgmental puritan, then Satan is just the ultimate bar buddy, the kind of sweaty, good-natured dude who just wants to skull a cold beer. As such, when they blast a song about evil and damnation, they're not stewing in gloom and doom, they're having their spirits lifted and being made to feel less alone. But while plenty of songs about the Devil are life-affirming and cool, only some of them feel tailor-made to chase the clouds away.
Here are 12 songs about Satan that'll put a smile on your face and spring in your step…