"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 self-titled debut album.
| "Blitzkrieg Bop" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Ramones | ||||
| from the album Ramones | ||||
| B-side | "Havana Affair" | |||
| Released | February 1976 | |||
| Recorded | January 1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:12 | |||
| Label | Sire/ABC | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Craig Leon | |||
| Ramones singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Blitzkrieg Bop" on YouTube | ||||
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
editThe 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
editCash 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
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[14] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[15] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[16] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[18] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Bibliography
edit- Bessman, Jim (1993). Ramones: An American Band (New York: St. Martin's). ISBN 0-312-09369-1
References
edit- ^ Ritland, Erik (January 11, 2023). "The 25 Best Punk Songs to Help You Stick it to the Man". Music in Minnesota. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ Bradley, Michael (March 15, 2016). "The 10 best punk rock singles, by The Undertones' Michael Bradley". TeamRock. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ Robinson, Joe (January 23, 2013). "10 Best Pop-Punk Songs". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ^ Smith, Troy (March 7, 2022). "The 100 greatest pop punk songs of all time". cleveland.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ "ASCAP ACE - Search Results". ASCAP. May 30, 2012. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012.
- ^ Bessman (1993), p. 48.
- ^ Hann, Michael. "Blitzkrieg Bop — how the Ramones' big, dumb chant went global". Financial Times. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Ramones, 'Blitzkrieg Bop'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ^ a b Hughes, Rob (July 14, 2014). "The Story Behind The Song: Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones". Louder.
- ^ Laitio-Ramone, Jari-Pekka (May 19, 2009). "Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives". Blitzkrieg Bop's chant. Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 22, 1976. p. 22. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. May 29, 1976. p. 26. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop". Radioscope. Retrieved December 16, 2024. Type Blitzkrieg Bop in the "Search:" field.
- ^ "Spanish single certifications – Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop (2016 Remastered Version)". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- ^ "British single certifications – Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "American single certifications – Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 16, 2024.