Tag: #TheRamones

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History…Song #83: Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones (KEXP)

This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song #500 and going until I reach Song #1. When you see the song title listed as something like: Song #XXX (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song #xxx (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.

KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #83: Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones.

If it is true that every music genre has its anthem then, many would say that “Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones would be a good choice for those who love Punk Rock. It was a song that was their first single from their debut album and, as such, it introduced us to a band that came to be the face of Punk music in America in the late 1970s and into the 80s. If you recall from an earlier countdown profile, The Ramones coined the term, “Punk Rock” with their song, “Sheena is a Punk Rocker”. But, for those who came to love The Ramones and/or to be influenced by how they played, (such as Green Day and The Foo Fighters, for just two quick examples) much of their charm and identity can all be derived from that first song, “Blitzkrieg Bop”.

First of all, the word, “Blitzkrieg” is a German word and gained popularity during the Second World War. When Germany declared war on neighbouring Poland, they launched an offensive attack known as a blitzkrieg or “lightning war”. In a blitzkrieg style of attack, everything happened quickly, without any let up at all. Speed is of the essence. So, applying that to The Ramones, their style of play is fast, too. They are known for their lightning-quick guitar work. Most of their songs are two minutes long or less. The speed with which The Ramones played gave their music a frantic quality; a form of energy that was felt by their audiences in a way that no one else in America was playing at that time. And, like the German offensive, at a Ramones concert, there is no let up between songs. It was one song, right into the next and then, the next one after that, until their set was finished and their audience drained.

The second thing that we can learn from their song, “Blitzkrieg Bop” is the “Bop” part. As much as many Punk bands came off as being angry and wanting to destroy societal structures as they believed them to be, The Ramones were not like that at all. In fact, they were as influenced as much by the harmonies of The Beach Boys and the pure Pop of groups like The Bay City Rollers, as anything else. At the beginning of the song, the band chants, “Hey Ho, let’s go!”…..that was inspired by the opening of “Saturday Night” by The Bay City Rollers.

There is really nothing Shakespearean about “Blitzkrieg Bop”. But, it remains as one of our most important songs because it opened the musical doors in America to Punk music and, at the same time, showed how Punk and Pop and Alternative music could all be integrated together to create a brand of music that didn’t exist previously. The Ramones were innovators for their time, every bit as much as The Beatles were twenty years earlier.

So, without further delay, let’s get to listening to the iconic debut single by The Ramones called “Blitzkrieg Bop”. Enjoy.

The link to the video for the song, “Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones, can be found here.

The link to the official website for The Ramones, can be found here.

*Both the Green Day and Foo Fighter covers are great. What energy! What fun!

The link to the video for the song, “Blitzkrieg Bop” as covered by Green Day, can be found here.

The link to the video for the song, “Blitzkrieg Bop” as covered by The Foo Fighters, can be found here.

Thanks, as always, to KEXP for supporting all manner of artists and bands, regardless of genre. The link to their wonderful website can be found here.

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History: Song #432…Sheena is a Punk Rocker by The Ramones (KEXP)

This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song #500 and going until I reach Song #1. When you see the song title listed as something like: Song #XXX (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song #xxx (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.

KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #432: Sheena is a Punk Rocker by The Ramones.

Many fans and music critics state that The Ramones were the first, real punk rock band anywhere in the world. They were formed in the early 1970s in New York. Although all of the members of the band went by the last name Ramone, none of them were actually named Ramone nor were any of them even related. They were a group of friends who came together to play a style of music that was, in their opinion, as minimalist and pure a form of rock n’ roll as was possible to play at the time. The early 70s was a time known as the height of “Prog. Rock”. Bands like Yes, early Genesis and, even Canada’s own, Rush, were all producing rock-opera style epic works based upon mythology and philosophy. The Ramones were four guys, all wearing long Beatles-esque mop top cuts, leather jackets, jeans, sneakers and white t-shirts, who played complete sets of music in less than thirty minutes. Most songs were two minutes or less in duration and all were played at lightning speed, after a quick “1-2-3-4!” to get them all started.

The Ramones were Joey (lead singer), DeeDee (bass), Johnny (guitarist) and Tommy (on drums). They had several songs that were not chart hits at the time of their release but which, with the passing of time, have become respected classics such as, “Blitzkreig Bop”, “I Wanna Be Sedated”, “Rock n’ Roll Highschool”, “Rockaway Beach” and “Sheena is a Punk Rocker”. At the time that The Ramones first started playing for live audience at clubs such as CBGBs, there was no term nor genre dedicated to the style of music they played. “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” is noteworthy because it was the very first time that a Ramones song cracked the Top 100 Singles Chart and, as well, it was the very first time the term Punk Rocker was used in a song or song title. Punk Rock became a recognized genre of music because of The Ramones. Their early concerts inspired peers such as The Sex Pistols and The Clash. In Canada, their first concerts inspired groups like Teenage Head to form and begin carving out a Punk Rock identity there. In the US, The Ramones helped spawn noted Punk Rockers such as Black Flag and The Dead Kennedys. A line of influence can be drawn from The Ramones, to Grunge-era bands like Nirvana, to more recent groups like Green day and The Dropkick Murphys out of Boston.

The Ramones were named for the assumed name Paul McCartney initially used when checking into hotels in the early days of The Beatles and The Silver Beatles, which was “Paul Ramon”. Although The Ramones played a hard, fast punk style, songs like “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” are clearly influenced by Rock legends like The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Many of their songs contain Pop-influences and are not as angry or political as what was to come from the punk bands that emerged in their wake.

“Sheena is a Punk Rocker” is based upon the comic book Sheena: Queen of the Jungle and is a very short, fast story about Sheena, “a primitive girl” being brought into modern times and enjoying punk music. The song symbolizes what The Ramones were trying to do with their music which was to bring American music (and the world) into modern times. They are the poster child for a band whose legacy is not based upon record sales but, upon influence. They were inducted into The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 in their first year of eligibility. They were one of the originators of a completely new musical genre and have impacted the musical landscape for over a half-century since. Enjoy, “Sheena is a Punk Rocker”. It is musical history in the making in two minutes or less! 1-2-3-4, Go!

The link to the music video for Sheena is a Punk Rocker by The Ramones can be found here. ***The lyrics version can be found here.

The Ramones have a website that can be accessed by clicking on the link here.

Thanks for KEXP for supporting Punk music and all other genres of great music, too. A link to their website can be found here.

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