"Pet Sematary" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Ramones | ||||
from the album Brain Drain | ||||
Released | June, 1989 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:30 | |||
Label | Sire (US) Chrysalis (UK) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dee Dee Ramone, Daniel Rey [2] | |||
Producer(s) | Jean Beauvoir, Bill Laswell, Daniel Rey | |||
Ramones singles chronology | ||||
|
"Pet Sematary" is a single by American punk rock band Ramones, from their 1989 album Brain Drain . The song, originally written for the Stephen King 1989 film adaptation of the same name, became one of the Ramones' biggest radio hits and was a staple of their concerts during the 1990s. [3] The song plays over the film’s credits. [4]
King, a huge Ramones fan, invited the Ramones to his Bangor, Maine home as they played in New England. During the visit, he handed Dee Dee Ramone a copy of his Pet Sematary novel, and the bassist retreated to the basement. One hour later, Dee Dee returned with the lyrics to "Pet Sematary". Shortly afterwards, drummer Marky Ramone said that Dee Dee's attitude that day showed that he could achieve his plans to leave the band and attempt a career at hip hop music. He likened Dee Dee to King, saying that both wrote things people could relate to because they "penetrated to the curiosity, fears, and insecurities carried around with them and couldn't put into words." [5]
Producer Daniel Rey became a co-writer by assisting with the structure of the song, while producer Jean Beauvoir of the Plasmatics helped give the song a more commercial style fit for radio play and film inclusion. As "Pet Sematary" sounded closer to the rock ballads of the period, it was a struggle for Johnny Ramone to play the arpeggios and chords, despite Dee Dee's guidance. [5]
The music video for "Pet Sematary" was filmed at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in the eponymous New York village. Shot on a cold night in January 1989, the video features black and white shots of the Ramones walking through the graveyard, as well as color footage of the band and various others miming to the song alongside an open grave. The video ends with the band playing on a hydraulic platform placed inside the open grave, which is gradually lowered until a group of undertakers covers the grave with a headstone that reads "The Ramones". [5] It was the last video featuring Dee Dee Ramone, who would depart the band and be replaced with C. J. Ramone. The video features cameos by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie, as well as members of the Dead Boys. [6]
An alternate edit of the video features the aforementioned scenes interspersed with scenes from the film, with the opening footage of the band walking through the graveyard now appearing in color. [7] This version was briefly shown during an episode of Beavis and Butt-head , named "Good Credit".
"Pet Sematary" became the band's highest-charting hit in the US, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart [8] and number 6 on the Radio & Records New Rock chart. [9] However, reception for the song was not entirely positive, as it was also nominated for the now-defunct Razzie Award for Worst Original Song in 1989.
Chart (1989) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Alternative Songs (Billboard) [21] | 4 |
US New Rock ( Radio & Records ) [22] | 6 |
US Post Modern ( Hits ) [23] | 9 |
End of the Century is the fifth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on February 4, 1980, through Sire Records. The album was the band's first to be produced by Phil Spector, though he had offered the band his assistance earlier in their career. With Spector fully producing the album, it was the first release that excluded original member Tommy Ramone, who had left the band in 1978 but had produced their previous album Road to Ruin. Spector used more advanced standards of engineering, such as high-quality overdubbing and echo chambers. These painstaking methods caused conflict between the band and Spector since the Ramones were accustomed to a quicker recording process. Spector emphasized the production value as well, working with a budget of around $200,000, far exceeding their earlier album sessions.
Marc Steven Bell is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He replaced drummer Tommy Ramone in the Ramones in 1978, and went by the stage name Marky Ramone from then on. He has also played drums for other punk rock and heavy metal bands, including his own band Marky Ramone and the Intruders. He continues to keep the Ramones legacy alive around the world with his band Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg.
The Groovie Ghoulies were an American pop punk band from Sacramento, California, United States, whose music took inspiration from horror movies. They released numerous albums, EPs, and singles, and toured internationally. The band's name was taken from the 1970s animated television series Groovie Goolies, a spinoff of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
Pleasant Dreams is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on July 20, 1981, through Sire Records. While the band members wanted Steve Lillywhite to produce, Sire chose Graham Gouldman in an attempt to gain popularity through a well-known producer. The recording process brought about many conflicts between band members, most notably the strife between Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone, due to Johnny starting a relationship with Joey's girlfriend. There were also disputes about the overall direction of the album, with Johnny leaning towards hard rock and Joey towards pop punk. Ultimately, the album incorporated high production values and varying musical styles, straying from traditional punk rock on songs such as "We Want the Airwaves", "She's a Sensation" and "Come On Now". It is the first Ramones album not to feature any cover songs.
Halfway to Sanity is the 10th studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, and their last album to feature drummer Richie Ramone. It was produced by Daniel Rey and released on September 15, 1987, by Sire Records. Recording sessions began that April at Intergalactic Studios in New York City, with the band recording instruments before vocals in order to learn songs more quickly. It fared well on charts outside the United States, but peaked at No. 172 on the Billboard 200.
"Ich will" is a song by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein from their third studio album Mutter. It was originally released in Germany in 2001. The German single contains a live cover of the Ramones song "Pet Sematary" sung by Rammstein keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz.
Subterranean Jungle is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released by Sire Records on February 23, 1983. Overall, the album featured a return to a somewhat more hard punk rock style compared to the band's previous two albums End of the Century in 1980, and Pleasant Dreams in 1981, which were the most pop-focused of the band's career. This direction was encouraged by guitarist Johnny Ramone. The recording sessions saw disputes between band members, mainly due to struggles with alcohol addiction by Joey Ramone and Marky Ramone, and the drug addiction of Dee Dee Ramone.
Brain Drain is the eleventh studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on May 23, 1989. It is the last Ramones release to feature bassist/songwriter/vocalist Dee Dee Ramone, the first to feature Marky Ramone since his initial firing from the band after 1983's Subterranean Jungle and the band's last studio album on Sire Records. This was also the last Ramones album to be produced by Daniel Rey, until 1995's ¡Adios Amigos!. The album ends with their unlikely seasonal song "Merry Christmas ".
Weird Tales of the Ramones is a box set compilation by American punk band the Ramones, released on August 16, 2005 by Rhino Records. The set was compiled by Johnny Ramone and contains 85 songs on 3 CDs, plus a DVD containing the 1990 documentary Lifestyles of the Ramones. The latter features the Ramones' music videos up to 1990, interspersed with interview clips with the band members and other pop culture figures, and the DVD adds the band's post-1990 videos, including the MTV-banned version of "Substitute". The box set also contains a special oversize comic book, focusing on the legend of the band, written and illustrated by multiple contributors, a 3D pair of glasses and a postcard to dedicated to Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee.
Ramones Mania is the first greatest hits album by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released on May 31, 1988 through Sire Records and consists of 30 Ramones songs, including some single versions, a single B-side and one previously unreleased take.
Gabba is a London-based British tribute band performing ABBA songs in the stripped down punk style of the Ramones, a style of pop punk they dubbed discopunk and claim to have invented. They formed in 1996 and took their name in 1999. They have released one album as of 2006.
The Ramones were an American punk rock band from New York City. Their discography consists of fourteen studio albums, ten live albums, sixteen compilation albums, seventy-one singles, thirty-two music videos and ten films. The band formed in early 1974, and upon signing with Seymour Stein of Sire Records, the Ramones released their self-titled debut album on April 23, 1976. Despite the recording process only taking a week and being on a budget of $6,400, the album has since become their most accoladed and iconic release. 1977's Leave Home was the band's follow up album, released less than a year later, also through Sire. While it was the first album to chart in the United Kingdom, it did not chart as well in the United States as Ramones, nor their third record, Rocket to Russia, which was released in late 1977. Road to Ruin was the band's fourth studio album and their first to feature a change in the band member line-up, with drummer Marky Ramone replacing Tommy Ramone.
Daniel Rey is an American musician, record producer and songwriter from New York City, best known for his work with the punk rock band Ramones.
"R.A.M.O.N.E.S." is a song first recorded by the British rock band Motörhead on their 1991 album 1916 as a tribute to their friends and contemporaries, the Ramones.
"Rock 'n' Roll High School" is a song by American punk rock band Ramones, from the soundtrack album Rock 'n' Roll High School. The single did not chart in the U.S. but peaked at number 67 on the UK Singles Chart.
Jean Beauvoir is an American singer, bassist, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and entertainment executive. He came to prominence in the early 1980s with the punk group the Plasmatics and went on to work with Little Steven, Kiss, the Ramones and as a solo artist.
"Poison Heart" is a song by the punk rock band Ramones. Written by their former bassist Dee Dee Ramone and given in exchange for bail money, it was included on the 1992 album Mondo Bizarro and also released as a single. It has a slower tempo than most Ramones songs.
The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often cited as the first true punk rock band. Although they never achieved significant commercial success, the band is seen today as highly influential in punk culture.
Starcrawler is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2015. The band consists of lead singer Arrow de Wilde, guitarist Henri Cash, bassist Tim Franco, drummer Seth Carolina, and pedal steel/guitar player Bill Cash. They have released three studio albums: Starcrawler (2018), Devour You (2019) and She Said (2022).
Devour You is the second studio album by American rock band Starcrawler. The album was released on October 11, 2019 by Rough Trade Records. The record was produced by Nick Launay, who previously worked for bands as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.