20 Songs That Put The Devil Right In The Title
Song titles usually flirt with romance, heartbreak, trouble, or Friday night chaos.
Then somebody decides to skip subtlety, drag the devil straight into the headline, and let everybody deal with the fallout. Bold move.
Nothing about a title like that slips quietly onto a playlist. It struts in wearing mischief and the kind of energy that suggests somebody in the studio had excellent instincts or terrible ideas, possibly both.
Rock has done it, country has done it, pop has wandered into the fire too, and every genre seems oddly comfortable handing Lucifer a featured spot.
Curiosity kicks in fast with songs like these because the title alone already sounds like a dare. Some lean spooky, some lean playful, and some sound like they were written with one eyebrow raised and the speakers turned all the way up.
Either way, subtle never got invited.
1. Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones
Picture Mick Jagger, around 25 years old, strutting across a stage while narrating history’s worst moments from the devil’s point of view.
Released in 1968, this Rolling Stones classic is basically a history lesson wrapped in a samba beat. Jagger wrote it after reading Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel ‘The Master and Margarita.’ Wild, right?
The song lists atrocities like the Russian Revolution and the Kennedy assassination, suggesting evil lurks everywhere. It’s uncomfortable, brilliant, and impossible to ignore.
How many songs make you rethink world history while you’re tapping your foot? This one absolutely does.
2. The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band
If you’ve ever wanted to watch someone out-fiddle the literal devil, this 1979 country-rock banger delivers exactly that.
Charlie Daniels wrote a song about a boy named Johnny who wagers his soul in a fiddle duel, and somehow it became one of the most thrilling three-minute stories ever recorded.
The fiddle playing is so fast it practically sparks. Johnny wins, by the way, so don’t worry too much.
Fun fact: the song hit number three on the Billboard Hot 100, which is pretty impressive for a track about supernatural musical combat.
3. Runnin’ with the Devil by Van Halen
Van Halen burst onto the scene in 1978 with this track as the very first song on their debut album. It’s loud, it’s bold, and it basically announced to the world that a new kind of rock had arrived.
Eddie Van Halen’s guitar work alone could wake up a neighborhood.
Lyrically, it’s about choosing a wild, free lifestyle over a conventional one. Whether that’s wise advice is debatable, but as a rock anthem it’s unbeatable.
The song’s opening horn blast was actually made from car horns the band rigged together. Resourceful AND rebellious? Now that’s rock and roll.
4. Devil Inside by INXS
Released in 1987, this INXS track is hypnotic and just a little dangerous sounding, which is exactly what they were going for.
Michael Hutchence delivers the lyrics with the kind of smoldering intensity that made him one of rock’s most magnetic frontmen. Every word feels loaded.
The song explores the idea that everyone carries a darker side, a devil within. It’s less about supernatural evil and more about human nature, which is honestly scarier.
‘Devil Inside’ peaked at number two in the US charts.
5. Devil Woman by Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard scoring a US Top 10 hit was not exactly expected in 1976, but ‘Devil Woman’ made it happen.
The song tells the story of a man visiting a fortune teller who turns out to be dangerously enchanting. It’s got a haunting melody that sticks around long after the song ends.
Interestingly, Cliff Richard is known for his clean-cut, family-friendly image, which makes a song about a mysterious, spell-casting woman feel delightfully unexpected.
It reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, proving that even the most wholesome pop star can pull off a devilish tune when the moment calls for it.
6. Devil Woman by Marty Robbins
Way before Cliff Richard got his hands on a similar title, Marty Robbins released his own ‘Devil Woman’ back in 1962.
This country tearjerker tells the story of a man who cheated on his wife, got dumped by his mistress, and is now crawling back home. Quite the journey.
Robbins was a country legend known for dramatic storytelling, and this song fits perfectly into that tradition. The guilt and regret in his voice feel genuinely earned.
7. Devil in Her Heart by The Beatles
Before The Beatles conquered the world, they were covering other people’s songs and making them sound like their own.
‘Devil in Her Heart’ was originally recorded by The Donays in 1962, but the Fab Four put it on their second album ‘With the Beatles’ in 1963. George Harrison takes lead vocals here, which is always a treat.
The song describes a girl who seems dangerous but is actually wonderful, so the ‘devil’ is really just a misunderstanding. Sweet, right?
It’s a charming early Beatles moment that often gets overshadowed by their bigger hits.
8. Devil in a New Dress by Kanye West featuring Rick Ross
From Kanye West’s critically acclaimed 2010 album ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,’ this track samples Smokey Robinson’s ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ in the most luxurious way imaginable.
Kanye raps about a complicated relationship with someone glamorous but untrustworthy, hence the ‘devil’ reference. Rick Ross drops a verse toward the end that many fans consider one of his finest moments ever.
The production feels like velvet wrapped around heartbreak. How do you make something so sad sound so gorgeous? Kanye somehow figured that out on this one.
9. Better the Devil You Know by Kylie Minogue
Released in 1990, this was the song that transformed Kylie Minogue from a bubbly pop newcomer into a genuine dance floor force.
The title borrows from the old saying about sticking with a familiar bad situation rather than risking something unknown. Deep stuff hidden inside a very catchy beat.
Produced by the legendary Stock Aitken Waterman team, the song is pure infectious pop energy. It hit number one in Australia and the UK, launching Kylie into superstar territory.
The chorus is the kind that plants itself in your brain and absolutely refuses to leave. Not complaining, though.
10. Better the Devil You Know by Sonia
If one version of a classic pop song is great, two must be better, right? Sonia, another Stock Aitken Waterman artist, released her own take on ‘Better the Devil You Know’ in 1993.
Her version leans even more into bubbly, upbeat pop territory, and it’s genuinely hard not to smile while listening.
Sonia had already scored a UK number one with ‘You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You,’ so she knew her way around a pop hook.
Comparing the two versions is actually a fun exercise in how the same song can feel completely different depending on who’s singing it.
11. Shout at the Devil by Motley Crue
Few album titles in rock history caused as much parental panic as Motley Crue’s 1983 release ‘Shout at the Devil.’
The title track is a full-throttle heavy metal declaration that dares listeners to stand up against whatever force of darkness is ruining their day.
The band leaned hard into the provocative imagery partly for shock value and partly because it matched their rebellious energy perfectly.
Despite the controversy, the album went platinum multiple times. Vince Neil’s vocals on this track are raw and aggressive in the best way.
12. Dance with the Devil by Immortal Technique
Warning: this is not a comfortable song. Released in 2001, Immortal Technique’s ‘Dance with the Devil’ is a brutal, unflinching narrative about the consequences of chasing street credibility at any cost.
It’s structured like a short story, and the ending will leave you speechless. The production is sparse, which forces the listener to focus entirely on the storytelling.
Immortal Technique has always used hip-hop as a tool for social commentary, and this track is one of his sharpest instruments. It’s not fun listening, but it is important listening.
13. Dance with the Devil by Cozy Powell
Drummer Cozy Powell proved that you don’t need a vocalist to make a devilishly good track.
Released in 1973, ‘Dance with the Devil’ is a drum-heavy rock instrumental that became a surprise UK hit, reaching number three on the charts. A drum-led song cracking the Top 5? Legendary.
Powell was known as one of rock’s greatest drummers, working with Jeff Beck, Black Sabbath, and Rainbow throughout his career. This track showcases exactly why he earned that reputation.
The song builds with such intensity that by the end you feel like you’ve survived something dramatic.
14. Devil Pray by Madonna
From her 2015 album ‘Rebel Heart,’ Madonna’s ‘Devil Pray’ is a surprisingly reflective track that deals with temptation, spiritual struggle, and the search for something real in a chaotic world.
For a pop queen known for reinvention, it’s one of her more genuinely vulnerable moments.
The acoustic-leaning production gives the song a stripped-back feel that contrasts nicely with the album’s more polished tracks.
Madonna was around 56 when this was released, and the maturity in the songwriting shows.
15. Devil or Angel by The Clovers
Long before the devil became a rock and roll cliche, the R&B group The Clovers were asking the real question back in 1956: is she a devil or an angel?
The song is a gorgeous piece of doo-wop storytelling about romantic uncertainty, and it’s aged beautifully.
Bobby Vee later covered it in 1960 and scored a Top 5 hit, introducing the song to a whole new generation.
The Clovers’ original version has a raw, heartfelt quality that the cover, charming as it is, can’t quite replicate.
16. Devils Haircut by Beck
Beck has never been interested in making music that fits neatly into a box, and ‘Devils Haircut’ from his 1996 album ‘Odelay’ is a perfect example.
The title doesn’t really explain itself, and that’s kind of the point. It’s an absurdist, sample-heavy rocker that somehow feels completely coherent despite its chaos.
The song samples a track called ‘How Many More Times You Gonna Leave Me’ by the Pretty Things, which Beck then buries under layers of distortion and attitude.
‘Odelay’ is considered one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, and this track is a big reason why.
17. The Devil by Banks
Jillian Banks, known simply as Banks, released ‘The Devil’ as part of her 2014 debut album ‘Goddess.’
It’s a dark, electronic pop track that explores the push and pull of a toxic relationship, with Banks casting herself as someone drawn to someone she knows is bad for her.
Her voice is hauntingly expressive, somewhere between whisper and wail depending on the moment. The production is minimal but layered, creating a feeling of beautiful dread.
‘Goddess’ was widely praised as one of the strongest debut albums of that year.
18. Devil by Shinedown
Rock band Shinedown has always had a knack for writing songs that hit you square in the chest, and ‘Devil’ from their 2018 album ‘Attention Attention’ is no exception.
The song tackles the idea of confronting the darkest parts of yourself and refusing to let them win.
The album itself was conceived as a theatrical narrative about mental health and personal struggle, giving ‘Devil’ an emotional weight that goes beyond typical rock posturing.
Shinedown has always been more thoughtful than they get credit for. This song is proof of exactly that.
19. Devil by Stereophonics
Welsh rock band Stereophonics released ‘Devil’ as a B-side in 2001, and it has that loose, lived-in quality that great B-sides often carry.
There’s something about tracks that weren’t meant to be singles that makes them feel more honest, like catching a band in an unguarded moment.
Kelly Jones’s raspy, weathered voice gives the song an authenticity that’s hard to manufacture.
Stereophonics built their reputation on songs that felt real rather than polished, and this track fits that tradition perfectly.
20. The Devil You Know by X Ambassadors
Released in 2019, X Ambassadors brought a modern, cinematic energy to the devil-in-the-title tradition with ‘The Devil You Know.’
The song is anthemic and emotionally charged, dealing with the complicated comfort of familiar pain versus the fear of genuine change. Heavy themes, massive sound.
X Ambassadors are known for blending indie rock with arena-sized ambition, and this track captures that balance well.
Singer Sam Harris delivers the kind of performance that makes you want to pump your fist and think deeply at the same time.
