Blitzkrieg Bop
{{for|the English punk rock band|Blitzkrieg Bop (band)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Blitzkrieg Bop
| cover = Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop cover.jpg
| alt =
| border = no
| type = Single
| artist = Ramones
| album = Ramones
| B-side = "Havana Affair"
| released = February 1976
| recorded = January 1976
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
- Punk rock{{cite web |last1=Ritland |first1=Erik |title=The 25 Best Punk Songs to Help You Stick it to the Man |url=https://www.musicinminnesota.com/best-punk-songs/ |website=Music in Minnesota |date=January 11, 2023 |access-date=May 13, 2023}}{{cite web |url= http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-03-15/the-10-best-punk-rock-singles-by-the-undertones-michael-bradley|title= The 10 best punk rock singles, by The Undertones' Michael Bradley|last= Bradley|first= Michael|date= March 15, 2016|website= TeamRock|access-date= February 12, 2017}}
- pop punk{{cite web |url=http://diffuser.fm/best-pop-punk-songs/ |title=10 Best Pop-Punk Songs |work=Diffuser.fm |last=Robinson |first=Joe |date=January 23, 2013 |access-date=January 11, 2019}}{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Troy|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/03/the-100-greatest-pop-punk-songs-of-all-time.html|title=The 100 greatest pop punk songs of all time|work=cleveland.com|date=March 7, 2022|access-date=March 9, 2022}}
| length = 2:12
| writer =
- Tommy Ramone
- Dee Dee Ramone{{cite web |title= ASCAP ACE - Search Results |url= http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?requesttimeout=300&mode=results&searchstr=320229212&search_in=i&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=30&start=1 |website= ASCAP |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120530084601/http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?requesttimeout=300&mode=results&searchstr=320229212&search_in=i&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=30&start=1 |archive-date= May 30, 2012 |date= May 30, 2012 |url-status= dead }}
| producer = Craig Leon
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
| next_year = 1976
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|268C3N2dDYk|"Blitzkrieg Bop"}}}}
}}
"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.
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).Bessman (1993), p. 48. The song's "big dumb chant" ("Hey! Ho! Let's go!") became a global rallying cry at sporting events.{{Cite web|last=Hann|first=Michael|title=Blitzkrieg Bop — how the Ramones’ big, dumb chant went global|url=https://www.ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/blitzkrieg-bop.html|access-date=2023-12-12 |website=Financial Times |language=en-gb}}
"Blitzkrieg Bop" was number 92 on the 2004 Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/ramones-blitzkrieg-bop-20110526 |title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Ramones, 'Blitzkrieg Bop' |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=September 28, 2016}} 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.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.stereogum.com/10114/rolling_stones_100_greatest_guitar_songs_of_all_ti/franchises/list/ |title=Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=October 25, 2016}}
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").{{cite web |title=The Story Behind The Song: Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/story-behind-the-song-blitzkrieg-bop-by-the-ramones |date=July 14, 2014 |first=Rob |last=Hughes |work=Louder}} 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". Tommy stated later that he "came up with the chant walking home from the grocery store carrying a bag of groceries."{{cite news |first=Jari-Pekka |last=Laitio-Ramone |title=Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives |url=http://www.ramonesheaven.com/kolmoskirja.html |work=Blitzkrieg Bop's chant |publisher=Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone |date=May 19, 2009|access-date=January 1, 2016}}
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."{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=May 22, 1976|page=22|accessdate=December 11, 2021|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1976/Cash-Box-1976-05-22.pdf|newspaper=Cash Box}} Record World said it has "a wall of sound effect and [spouts] punk lyrics."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=May 29, 1976|page=26|accessdate=March 6, 2023|title=Single Picks|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/76/Record-World-1976-05-29.pdf}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Blitzkrieg Bop"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=Ramones|title=Blitzkrieg Bop|award=Gold|relyear=1976|certyear=2024|id=12300|access-date=December 16, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Ramones|title=Blitzkrieg Bop|award=Gold|relyear=1976|access-date=December 16, 2024|certyear=2023|source=radioscope}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=single|artist=Ramones|title=Blitzkrieg Bop (2016 Remastered Version)|award=Gold|relyear=2016|certyear=2024|access-date=December 16, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Ramones|title=Blitzkrieg Bop|award=Silver|relyear=2004|certyear=2023|id=19272-2131-1|access-date=September 1, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Ramones|title=Blitzkrieg Bop|award=Gold|relyear=1976|certyear=2018|access-date=December 16, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
- Bessman, Jim (1993). Ramones: An American Band (New York: St. Martin's). {{ISBN|0-312-09369-1}}
{{Refend}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Ramones}}
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Category:Song recordings produced by Craig Leon
Category:Songs about World War II