:The Devil Went Down to Georgia

{{Infobox song

| name = The Devil Went Down to Georgia

| cover = The Devil Went Down To Georgia cover.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Charlie Daniels Band

| album = Million Mile Reflections

| B-side = Rainbow Ride

| released = May 21, 1979

| format =

| recorded =

| studio = Woodland (Nashville, Tennessee){{cite web|last=Oermann|first=Robert K.|title=Nashville Recording Pioneer Glenn Snoddy Passes|url=https://musicrow.com/2018/05/nashville-recording-pioneer-glenn-snoddy-passes/|website=Music Row|date=23 May 2018|access-date=25 September 2024}}

| venue =

| genre = {{hlist|Country{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zi9LAAAAYAAJ|title=Bluegrass Unlimited|date=2005|publisher=Bluegrass Unlimited.|volume=40|page=71|issue=1–6}}|Southern rock{{cite web|last=Heller|first=Marsha|date=July 7, 2020|title=What you need to know July 7|url=https://www.kfvs12.com/2020/07/07/what-you-need-know-july/|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=KFVS-TV}}}} bluegrass

| length = 3:34

| label = Epic

| writer = {{hlist|Charlie Daniels|Tom Crain|"Taz" DiGregorio|Fred Edwards|Charles Hayward|James W. Marshall}}

| producer = John Boylan

| prev_title = Trudy

| prev_year = 1978

| next_title = Mississippi

| next_year = 1979

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|wBjPAqmnvGA|"The Devil Went Down to Georgia"}}}}

}}

"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.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/million-mile-reflections-mw0000650049 |title=Million Mile Reflections - Charlie Daniels, The Charlie Daniels Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2016-10-14}}

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.Whitburn, Joel: "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", p. 92, {{ISBN|0-8230-7518-4}}

Background and recording

Daniels was inspired to write the song when he realized that the album he and his band was recording was lacking a song that featured fiddle. He wrote the song on the spot at the Woodland Sound Studios where the band was recording.{{cite web|last=Tamburin|first=Adam|title=CMA Fest 2016: 5 tidbits from Charlie Daniels|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/cma-music-festival/2016/06/09/cma-fest-2016-5-tidbits-charlie-daniels/85651860/|website=The Tennessean|date=9 June 2016|access-date=2 October 2024}}

Content

The song tells a story about the Devil's failure to gain a young man's soul through a fiddle-playing contest. The song begins as a disappointed Devil arrives in Georgia, apparently "way behind" on stealing souls, when he comes upon a young man named Johnny who is playing a fiddle, and quite well. Out of desperation, the Devil, who claims to also be a fiddle player, wagers a fiddle of gold against Johnny's soul to see who is the better fiddler. Although Johnny believes taking the Devil's bet might be a sin, he fearlessly accepts, confidently boasting "I'm the best that's ever been."

The Devil plays first, backed by a band of demon musicians. When he has finished, Johnny compliments him ("Well, you're pretty good, old son.") and takes his own turn, rendering at least four old-time songs, named (though not played) in the Charlie Daniels Band recording—the third of the four being identified not by title, but by an excerpt of its lyrics:

"Fire on the Mountain," the name of an early 19th-century fiddle tune, and also the name of Daniels' 1974 album,
"The House of the Rising Sun," a traditional American southern folk song,
"Chicken in the bread pan peckin' out dough," which was famously used in Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys' song "Ida Red,"{{Cite web|url=http://www.classic-country-song-lyrics.com/idaredlyricschords.html|title=Ida Red lyrics chords {{!}} Bob Wills|website=Classic-country-song-lyrics.com|access-date=2017-01-20}} and
"Granny Will Your Dog Bite."{{cite web |title=Granny will Your Dog Bite |url=https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Granny_Will_Your_Dog_Bite%3F_(1) |access-date=28 February 2023}}

Realizing he has been defeated, the Devil lays his golden fiddle at Johnny's feet. Johnny then invites the Devil to "c'mon back if y'ever wanna try again" before repeating his claim to be "the best that's ever been".

Reception

Cash Box praised the "engaging narrative story line" and said the song has "thundering piano", "screaming fiddle work", "pounding drums and screeching guitar".{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=June 23, 1979|page=18|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2022-01-01|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1979/CB-1979-06-23.pdf}} Record World said that Daniels "administers heavy doses of both [storytelling and fiddle-playing] with producer John Boylan capturing the excitement like no one else can."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=June 23, 1979|accessdate=2023-02-11|title=Single Picks|page=24|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/79/RW-1979-06-23.pdf}}

In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #120 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-country-songs-1234986540/the-charlie-daniels-band-the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-1235012717/|title =The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time|magazine = Rolling Stone|date =May 24, 2014}}

=Censorship=

Johnny's final boast, from the album version of the song, goes, "I done told you once, you son of a bitch, I'm the best that's ever been". But to accommodate radio airplay for Country and Top 40 formats, Daniels changed the lyric for the single release to, "'Cause I told you once, you son of a gun, I'm the best that's ever been", though AOR stations continued to use the unaltered version.

Musical references

The ballad's story is a derivative of the traditional deal with the Devil motif. Charlie Daniels has stated in interviews, "I don't know where it came from, but it just did. Well, I think I might know where it came from, it may have come from an old poem called 'The Mountain Whippoorwill' that Stephen Vincent Benét wrote many, many years ago (1925), that I had in high school."{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/int/2007/05/charlie-daniels.html |title=Charlie Daniels : Songwriter Interviews |website=Songfacts.com |date=2007-03-30 |access-date=2016-10-14}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.charliedaniels.com/soap-box?b_id=5029&pg=1 | title=Forty and Forward: The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}

Personnel

Charlie Daniels - guitar, fiddle, vocals
Tom Crain - guitar, vocals
"Taz" DiGregorio - keyboards, vocals
Fred Edwards - drums, percussion
James W. Marshall - drums, percussion
Charles Hayward - bass{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Charlie-Daniels-Band-Million-Mile-Reflections/release/6571072 |title=The Charlie Daniels Band – Million Mile Reflections (1979, Vinyl) |website=Discogs|date=August 19, 1979 |access-date=2021-06-21}}

Parodies and covers

{{Infobox song

| name = The Devil Went Down to Georgia

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Nickelback

| album =

| released = {{Start date|2020|08|14}}

| recorded = 2016–2017

| studio =

| venue = Little Mountain View Studio

| genre =

| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=58}}

| label = Nickelback II Productions Inc.

| writer = {{hlist|Charlie Daniels|Tom Crain|"Taz" DiGregorio|Fred Edwards|Charles Hayward|James W Marshall}}

| producer = Nickelback

| prev_title = After the Rain

| prev_year = 2017

| next_title = San Quentin

| next_year = 2022

}}{{Infobox song

| name = The Devil Went Down to Georgia

| cover =

| alt =

| type = song

| artist = Primus

| EP = Rhinoplasty

| released = {{Start date|1998|08|11}}

| recorded =

| studio = Prairie Sun (Cotati, California)

| venue =

| genre = Alternative rock, funk rock

| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=35}}

| label = Interscope, Prawn Song

| writer = {{hlist|Charlie Daniels|Tom Crain|"Taz" DiGregorio|Fred Edwards|Charles Hayward|James W Marshall}}

| producer = Primus, Toby Wright

}}

The Levellers released a version of the song in 1991.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Levellers-One-Way/release/1123598 |title=The Levellers - One Way (CD) |website=Discogs.com |date=2012-09-28 |access-date=2016-10-14}}
The musician Travis Meyer performed a parody entitled "The Devil Went to Jamaica" circa 1998, although it is frequently misattributed to David Allan Coe or "Weird Al" Yankovic, in which Johnny is recast as a Jamaican weed dealer who is challenged by the devil to a pot-smoking contest to see whose marijuana is best: his, or Johnny's.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dgQzgNLmpA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/_dgQzgNLmpA |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=David Allan Coe - Devil went down to jamaica (the complete song)|access-date=October 26, 2021|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}
On a 1980 The Muppet Show episode (Episode 420), the Muppet versions of the Devil and Johnny are portrayed in an opening number cover of the song.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC9X8Xf3XRc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/FC9X8Xf3XRc |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Muppet Songs: The Devil Went Down to Georgia|access-date=October 26, 2021|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}
The rap group K.M.C. Kru released a hip hop re-imagining of the song entitled "The Devil Came Up to Michigan" in 1991, featuring the devil and a deejay competing for a turntable of gold.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/KMC-Kru-The-Devil-Came-Up-To-Michigan/release/1604241 |title=K.M.C. Kru - The Devil Came Up to Michigan (CD) |website=Discogs.com |date=2012-09-28 |access-date=2016-10-27}}
In the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly, the original song version by the Charlie Daniels Band is sung and danced to as an on-bar line dance by the troupe of female bartenders.Coyote Ugly
Steve Ouimette (with Ed DeGenaro and Geoff Tyson{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Steve Ouimette - Radio King|url=https://www.radioking.com/artist/steve-ouimette|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-27|website=Radio King|language=en}}) performed a cover of the song for the 2007 video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and, eventually, his 2010 album Epic. This version uses electric guitars instead of fiddles, though the original lyrics are still performed. It is played as the conclusion of the game in a simulated guitar battle with the devil. Daniels objected to this version on the grounds that the devil may win the contest, which he referred to as "violating the very essence of the song".{{cite web |url=http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox-2008/soapbox-2008-040408.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-06-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003070904/http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox-2008/soapbox-2008-040408.htm |archive-date=2012-10-03}}
In 2013, the Boston-based roots rockers Adam Ezra Group recorded a parody version, "The Devil Came Up to Boston", with Boston-focused lyrics. In this version's official music video, group leader Adam Ezra, who wrote the lyrics to the parody, narrates it with an exaggerated version of his real-life Boston accent, and the Devil is depicted as a New York Yankees fan, playing off the historic rivalry between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox.{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/06/13/adam-ezra-group-devil-came-up-to-boston/ |title=Rate This Boston Accent and Anti-Yankees Music Video |first=Steve |last=Annear |work=Boston Magazine |date=June 13, 2013 |access-date=October 11, 2021}}
In the 1996 Summer Olympics, American gymnast Dominique Moceanu used an instrumental version of the song as her music for the floor routine.
The pop singer and electric violinist Michelle Lambert recorded a version of the song in 2015, and released a music video. In her rendition "Johnny" is replaced by "Michelle".{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPhONj9b8kk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/rPhONj9b8kk |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=The Devil Went Down to Georgia by Michelle Lambert (Official Video)|website=YouTube |date =25 July 2015}}{{cbignore}}
A cappella group Home Free recorded a version of the song in collaboration with Taylor Davis and Charlie Daniels playing fiddle, released in September 2015. The narration is performed by Home Free bass singer Tim Foust.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40XcAmWxyb4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/40XcAmWxyb4 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=The Devil Went Down To Georgia|website=Youtube.com|date =19 September 2015}}{{cbignore}}
The rock band Blues Traveler often performs this song in concert, with John Popper playing the fiddle parts on harmonica.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l83dArJkQzs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/l83dArJkQzs |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Blues Traveler - Devil Went Down To Georgia |publisher=YouTube |date=2007-02-24 |access-date=2016-10-14}}{{cbignore}} They featured a live version of the song on their 2006 EP ¡Bastardos en Vivo!{{cite web |title=Blues Traveler - ¡Bastardos en Vivo! Live |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/10000745-Blues-Traveler-Bastardos-en-Vivo-Live |website=Discogs |access-date=11 July 2022 |language=en}}
Robot Chicken featured a composite parody of the song along with the animated series Spawn in episode 49 of season 3, where Malebolgia, an infernal lord, is challenged by Spawn to a fiddle duel set to a similar tune.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3KY46nXfH4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201035425/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3KY46nXfH4 |archive-date=2013-02-01 |url-status=dead|title=Spawn Went Down to Georgia|website=Youtube.com|date =20 December 2011}}
In the Futurama episode "Hell is Other Robots", Leela must challenge the robot devil in a fiddle-playing contest to win back Bender's soul. Also included as a prize for the winner of the contest is a solid gold fiddle.
In the Supernatural episode "Swan Song", Lucifer quotes a line from the song "a fiddle of gold against your soul that says I'm better than you".
The funk metal band Primus covered the song and featured it, in the form of a stop motion animated music video, on a CD-ROM that was included with the 1998 release of their EP Rhinoplasty.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9uk9IcoQ0w |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/X9uk9IcoQ0w |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Primus - The Devil Went Down To Georgia|website=Youtube.com|date =16 June 2009}}{{cbignore}}
British Punk band The Toy Dolls recorded a version called "The Devil Went Down to Scunthorpe", which used a guitar duel instead of a fiddle duel between Johnny and the Devil.
The Christian parody band ApologetiX recorded a parody called "The Devil Went Down to Jordan" which records the Devil's attempt to tempt Jesus in the wilderness.
British comedy folk band The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican recorded a version called "The Devil Went Down to Barnsley", in which the devil has a fiddle duel with Bjorn Doonicansson.
The American metal band Nature of Rebel Minds{{Cite web|url=https://www.reverbnation.com/normrocks|title = Nature of Rebel Minds | Rock from Winston Salem, NC|website=Reverbnation.com}} released a cover of the song in 2019 and released an official music video to YouTube as well.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NR9iGi1Jwo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/-NR9iGi1Jwo |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Nature Of Rebel Minds-The Devil Went Down To Georgia(OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}
The American nu metal band Korn recorded a cover of the song in 2020 which featured the band playing the devil and rapper Yelawolf as Johnny.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9426225/korn-the-charlie-daniels-band-the-devil-went-down-to-georgia|title=Korn Unveils Cover of The Charlie Daniels Band's 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia'|website=Billboard.com|date =28 June 2020}}
The Canadian rock band Nickelback recorded a cover in 2020 with Dave Martone. This version uses electric guitars instead of fiddles, tuned down a whole step, and contains the original lyrics with slight changes.
A metal version of the song was recorded by Leo Moracchioli for his YouTube channel, Frog Leap Studios. The video was publicly released{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTdeQIY0jjs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/LTdeQIY0jjs |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Frog Leap Studios - The Devil Went Down To Georgia (metal cover by Leo Moracchioli)|publisher=YouTube|date=2020-07-17|access-date=2020-10-23}}{{cbignore}} on July 17, 2020.
A sequel to the song titled "Devil Comes Back to Georgia" was done by Mark O'Connor in 1993. Johnny Cash was the lead singer and narrator, Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt sang as Johnny and the Devil, respectively, Charlie Daniels played the Devil's solo on the fiddle, and O'Connor played Johnny's solo on the violin.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0XUTD7QYcs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/L0XUTD7QYcs |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title="Devil Comes Back to Georgia" feat. Mark O'Connor with Daniels, Cash, Tritt and Marty Stuart|access-date=October 26, 2021|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Citation |title=Mark O'Connor - The Devil Comes Back To Georgia |date=August 19, 1993 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/8338722-Mark-OConnor-The-Devil-Comes-Back-To-Georgia |language=en |access-date=2022-07-11}}
In 1996, the indie rock band Mono Puff released their studio album Unsupervised, which spawned a single "The Devil Went Down to Newport".{{cite web|url=https://tmbw.net/wiki/Unsupervised |title=Unsupervised - TMBW: The They Might Be Giants Knowledge Base |website=tmbw.net |date=2020-09-05 |access-date=2022-06-07}}
The Zac Brown Band perform the song regularly in concert, and included a version on their 2009 EP Live from Bonnaroo.{{cite web |title=Zac Brown Band - Live From Bonnaroo 2009 EP |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/7928611-Zac-Brown-Band-Live-From-Bonnaroo-2009-EP |website=Discogs |access-date=11 July 2022 |language=en}}
Adrenaline Mob released a heavy metal cover in their 2015 album Dearly Departed.
In the fifth Hazbin Hotel episode, "Dad Beat Dad", during the song "Hell's Greatest Dad", Lucifer pulls a golden fiddle when challenged by Alastor.
In 2002, Tenacious D released "Tribute". The song chronicles the band members' encounter with a demon who demands the duo play "the best song in the world" or have their souls eaten.
In The Walking Dead episode "Home", Merle Dixon says to his brother Daryl "I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold, that (...)".

Chart performance

The original version of the song spent fourteen weeks on the Hot Country Singles charts in 1979, peaking at number 1 and holding the position for one week. It spent two weeks at a peak of number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2008|page=114|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}} The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA on December 20, 1989, for sales of over one million copies in the United States.{{Certification Cite Ref |region=United States |artist=Charlie Daniel Band |title=The Devil Went Down to Georgia |type=single}} In 2003, the song was ranked at #69 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music, and #5 on CMT's 20 Greatest Southern Rock Songs in 2006. Since it became available as a download in the digital era, it has also sold 2.49 million digital copies in the US as of November 2019.{{cite web |title=Top 30 Digital Country Downloads Chart |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2019/11/44041-top-30-digital-country-downloads-chart |last=Bjorke |first=Matt |work=Roughstock |date=November 6, 2019 |access-date=November 7, 2019}} In June 1998, Epic Records re-released the song to country radio, but accidentally sent out the version in which the line "son of a bitch" was uncensored. This error was quickly corrected, and the song re-entered the country charts at number 62 for the chart dated June 20, 1998.{{cite magazine|last=Jessen|first=Wade|date=20 June 1998|title=Country Corner|magazine=Billboard|volume=110|issue=25|page=34}} It spent seven weeks on the chart and peaked at number 60.

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable"
Chart (1979) ! Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book\|last=Kent\|first=David\|author-link=David Kent (historian)\|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992\|edition=illustrated\|publisher=Australian Chart Book\|location=St Ives, N.S.W.\|year=1993\|isbn=0-646-11917-6\|page=82}} \| style="text-align:center;"\| 14
Canada Country Tracks (RPM) \| style="text-align:center;"\| 1
Canada Top Singles (RPM) \| style="text-align:center;"\| 5
Ireland (IRMA){{cite web\|url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement \|title=Irish Singles Chart – Search for song \|access-date=July 6, 2011 \|publisher=Irish Recorded Music Association \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602061251/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement \|archive-date=June 2, 2009}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|14
{{single chart\|Dutch40\|25\|title=The Charlie Daniels Band\|song=The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}
{{single chart\|New Zealand\|13\|title=The Charlie Daniels Band\|song=The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) \|style="text-align:center;"\|14
{{single chart\|Billboardhot100\|3\|artist=Charlie Daniels}}
{{single chart\|Billboardcountrysongs\|1\|artist=Charlie Daniels}}
{{single chart\|Billboardadultcontemporary\|30\|artist=Charlie Daniels}}
US Cash Box Top 100{{cite web\|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19790908.html\|title=Cash Box Top 100 9/08/79\|website=tropicalglen.com\|access-date=1 April 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214184825/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19790908.html\|archive-date=14 February 2015\|url-status=dead}} \|align="center"\|4

class="wikitable sortable"

Chart (1979)

! Peak
position

Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=82}}

| style="text-align:center;"| 14

Canada Country Tracks (RPM)

| style="text-align:center;"| 1

Canada Top Singles (RPM)

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

Ireland (IRMA){{cite web|url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |title=Irish Singles Chart – Search for song |access-date=July 6, 2011 |publisher=Irish Recorded Music Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602061251/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |archive-date=June 2, 2009}}

| style="text-align:center;"|14

{{single chart|Dutch40|25|title=The Charlie Daniels Band|song=The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}

{{single chart|New Zealand|13|title=The Charlie Daniels Band|song=The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}

UK Singles (Official Charts Company)

|style="text-align:center;"|14

{{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|30|artist=Charlie Daniels}}

US Cash Box Top 100{{cite web|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19790908.html|title=Cash Box Top 100 9/08/79|website=tropicalglen.com|access-date=1 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214184825/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19790908.html|archive-date=14 February 2015|url-status=dead}}

|align="center"|4

class="wikitable"
Chart (1998) !Peak position
{{single chart\|Billboardcountrysongs\|60\|artist=Charlie Daniels}}

class="wikitable"

Chart (1998)

!Peak
position

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable"
Chart (1979) ! style="text-align:center;"\|Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite web\|url=https://i.imgur.com/VVyraDN.jpg\|title=Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979\|publisher=Kent Music Report, via Imgur.com\|access-date=December 9, 2019}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|100
Canada {{cite web\|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6855a&URLjpg=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.6855a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6855a\|title=Image : RPM Weekly\|first=Library and Archives\|last=Canada\|date=July 17, 2013\|website=bac-lac.gc.ca\|access-date=April 1, 2018}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|56
US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web\|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1979.htm\|title=Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979\|website=Musicoutfitters.com\|access-date=April 1, 2018}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|50
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1979/hot-country-songs\|title=Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1979\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=July 17, 2021}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|41
US Cash Box{{cite web\|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1979YESP.html\|title=Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1979\|website=tropicalglen.com\|access-date=1 April 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713094315/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1979YESP.html\|archive-date=13 July 2014\|url-status=dead}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|49

class="wikitable sortable"

Chart (1979)

! style="text-align:center;"|Rank

Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/VVyraDN.jpg|title=Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979|publisher=Kent Music Report, via Imgur.com|access-date=December 9, 2019}}

| style="text-align:center;"|100

Canada {{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6855a&URLjpg=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.6855a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6855a|title=Image : RPM Weekly|first=Library and Archives|last=Canada|date=July 17, 2013|website=bac-lac.gc.ca|access-date=April 1, 2018}}

| style="text-align:center;"|56

US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1979.htm|title=Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979|website=Musicoutfitters.com|access-date=April 1, 2018}}

| style="text-align:center;"|50

US Hot Country Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1979/hot-country-songs|title=Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1979|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 17, 2021}}

| style="text-align:center;"|41

US Cash Box{{cite web|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1979YESP.html|title=Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1979|website=tropicalglen.com|access-date=1 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713094315/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1979YESP.html|archive-date=13 July 2014|url-status=dead}}

| style="text-align:center;"|49

Certifications

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Charlie Daniels Band|title=The Devil Went Down to Georgia|award=Silver|relyear=2004|certyear=2020|id=16766-5412-1|access-date=October 16, 2020}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Charlie Daniels Band|title=The Devil Went Down to Georgia|award=Platinum|relyear=1979|certyear=1989|access-date=October 16, 2020}}

Sequel {{anchor|[[The Devil Comes Back to Georgia]]}}

{{Infobox song

| name = The Devil Comes Back to Georgia

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Mark O'Connor featuring Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt

| album = Heroes

| B-side = This Can't Be Love

| released = September 14, 1993

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Bluegrass, country, country rock

| length = 4:13

| label = Epic

| writer = {{hlist|Charlie Daniels|Tom Crain|"Taz" DiGregorio|Fred Edwards|Charles Hayward|James W Marshall}}

| producer = Mark O'Connor and Jim Ed Norman

}}

In 1993, a sequel to the song, "The Devil Comes Back to Georgia", was released by master violinist Mark O'Connor on his album Heroes. The song featured Daniels on fiddle, with Johnny Cash as the narrator, Marty Stuart as Johnny, and Travis Tritt as the devil. The song peaked at #54 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in 1994.

In the sequel, the devil, still furious ten years after being beaten, decides to take up Johnny's challenge to "c'mon back if y'ever wanna try again". Johnny is now grown with a wife and infant son, and the devil believes that Johnny's sinful pride will be his undoing, so he takes back the golden fiddle, forcing Johnny to practice with his old fiddle before their rematch – the same one he played when he defeated the devil.

Though the song reiterates Johnny's bold claim that he is "the best that's ever been", the lyrics do not reveal who won the rematch. But in the video, the devil is shown defeated by Johnny again.