Blitzkrieg Bop

Last updated

"Blitzkrieg Bop"
Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop cover.jpg
Single by Ramones
from the album Ramones
B-side "Havana Affair"
ReleasedFebruary 1976
RecordedJanuary 1976
Genre
Length2:12
Label Sire/ABC
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Craig Leon
Ramones singles chronology
"Blitzkrieg Bop"
(1976)
"I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"
(1976)
Music video
"Blitzkrieg Bop" on YouTube

"Blitzkrieg Bop", titled "The Blitzkrieg Bop!!" on its single release, is a song by American punk rock band Ramones, released in February 1976 as their debut single in the United States. It was the opening track on the band's debut album, Ramones .

Contents

Although its composition was credited to the band as a whole, the song was written by drummer Tommy Ramone (music and lyrics) and bassist Dee Dee Ramone (lyrics). [6] The song's "big dumb chant" ("Hey! Ho! Let's go!") became a global rallying cry at sporting events. [7]

"Blitzkrieg Bop" was number 92 on the 2004 Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [8] In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at number 31 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks, and in 2008 Rolling Stone placed it number 18 of the top 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. [9]

Origin and meaning

The song was mainly written by drummer Tommy Ramone, while bassist Dee Dee Ramone came up with the title (the song was originally called "Animal Hop"). The precise meaning and subject matter of the song is, unlike many of The Ramones' other early compositions, somewhat vague and obscure. Tommy Ramone said it was the story of the young audience attending a rock concert ("they're forming in a straight line", "are losing their minds", "are shouting in the back now"). [10] Blitzkrieg is a reference to the German World War II tactic blitzkrieg , which means "lightning war" (fast attack). Dee Dee also changed one other line: the original third verse had the line "shouting in the back now", but Dee Dee changed it to "shoot 'em in the back now". The idea for a chant at the beginning of the song came from the 1975 Bay City Rollers hit song "Saturday Night", which begins with the chant "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night"; Tommy Ramone wanted the Ramones to have a similarly catchy chant. The lyrics "Hey ho, let's go" were inspired by the line "High, low, tipsy toe" from the 1963 song "Walking the Dog" by Rufus Thomas, and specifically the Rolling Stones' cover of the song; the band had enjoyed mocking Mick Jagger's pronunciation of the line, which they thought sounded more like "hey ho". [10] Tommy stated later that he "came up with the chant walking home from the grocery store carrying a bag of groceries." [11]

Reception

Cash Box said the song had "a hard rock style, crudely fashioned, yet infectious in its energy" and said that "the tune is powerful, and the band's street punk stance is all part of the music." [12] Record World said it has "a wall of sound effect and [spouts] punk lyrics." [13]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [14] Silver200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Bibliography

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References

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  2. Bradley, Michael (March 15, 2016). "The 10 best punk rock singles, by The Undertones' Michael Bradley". TeamRock. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
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  6. Bessman (1993), p. 48.
  7. Hann, Michael. "Blitzkrieg Bop — how the Ramones' big, dumb chant went global". Financial Times. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  8. "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Ramones, 'Blitzkrieg Bop'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  9. "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Hughes, Rob (July 14, 2014). "The Story Behind The Song: Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones". Louder.
  11. Laitio-Ramone, Jari-Pekka (May 19, 2009). "Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives". Blitzkrieg Bop's chant. Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  12. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 22, 1976. p. 22. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  13. "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. May 29, 1976. p. 26. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  14. "British single certifications – Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved September 1, 2023.