The Devil Went Down to Georgia

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia"
Single by Charlie Daniels Band
from the album Million Mile Reflections
B-side	"Rainbow Ride"
Released	May 21, 1979
Genre	Country[1] Southern rock[2]
Length	3:34
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Charlie Daniels Tom Crain "Taz" DiGregorio Fred Edwards Charles Hayward James W Marshall
Producer(s)	John Boylan
Charlie Daniels Band singles chronology
"Trudy" (1978) "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" (1979) "Mississippi" (1979)
Music video
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" on YouTube

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a song written and recorded by American music group Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 album Million Mile Reflections.^[3]

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), 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, prevented from further chart movement by "After the Love Has Gone" by Earth, Wind and Fire and "My Sharona" by The Knack.^[4]