Blitzkrieg Bop

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This article is about the song by American punk rock group The Ramones. For the English punk band, see Blitzkrieg Bop (band).
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“Blitzkrieg Bop”
Single by Ramones
from the album Ramones
Released April 1976
Recorded February 1976
Genre Punk rock
Length 2:12
Label Sire
Writer(s) Dee Dee Ramone, Tommy Ramone
Producer Craig Leon
Ramones singles chronology
Blitzkrieg Bop
(1976)		 53rd & 3rd
(1976)
Music sample
""Blitzkrieg Bop""
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"Blitzkrieg Bop" is a song by punk rock band the Ramones. The band's inaugural single, it was released in April 1976 in the United States. It was recorded for and appeared as the lead track on the band's first album, Ramones, also released that month.

The song, whose composition was credited to the band as a whole, was written by bassist Dee Dee Ramone (lyrics) and drummer Tommy Ramone (music).[1] Based on a simple three-chord pattern, "Blitzkrieg Bop" opens with the chant "Hey! Ho! Let's go!". The song is popular at sporting events, especially baseball games, where "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" is sometimes shouted as a rallying cry.

"Blitzkrieg Bop" is number 92 on the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at number 31 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.

Contents

[edit] Origin and meaning

"Blitzkrieg Bop" was named after the German World War II tactic blitzkrieg, which literally means "lightning war". 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"). Dee Dee also changed one 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 precise meaning and subject matter of the song are, unlike many of The Ramones' other early compositions, somewhat vague and obscure. Some fans contend, based on lines such as "Shoot 'em in the back now", that the song tells of gang violence, which would seem to be more in line with the bands' other songs of that era. But it is more likely that the song is simply about having a good time at a concert, perhaps an ode to early punk fans. If the third-verse line had not been changed the song meaning would be the latter.

[edit] Composition

Blitzkrieg Bop keeps a 4/4 timing drum beat, with a 8th note down stroke guitar, and the bass has a three chord riff A D E, until the breakdown of the song occurs with the chant, "Hey! Ho! Let's go!".

[edit] Dedications

[edit] Notable Covers

[edit] Use in media

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The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

This song has been featured in numerous venues across the spectrum of popular culture, including:

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Bessman (1993), p. 48.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Bessman, Jim (1993). Ramones: An American Band (New York: St. Martin's). ISBN 0-312-09369-1
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