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 and lyrics). 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, and in 2008 Rolling Stone Placed it number 18 on top 100 of Best Guitar Songs of All Time. In 2009 it was named the 25th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.
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. It may be a reference to attacking the exposed flank of tanks during a blitzkrieg operation, while 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
Composition
"Blitzkrieg Bop" keeps a 4/4 timing drum beat, with a 8th note down stroke guitar and bass, that has a three chord riff A D E, until the breakdown of the song occurs with the chant, "Hey! Ho! Let's go!". The chorus contains a slight variation on the chord pattern with a B three bars before the end of the chorus (D,A,D,A,D,B,D,E).
Dedications
* The punk rock band Blitzkrieg Bop took their name after the song title.
* A monthly club night at the Arches in Glasgow is named after the song.
* Pennywise has done a cover version dedicated to Joey Ramone. At Warped Tour July 26, 2008 @ Nassau Colosseum, C. J. Ramone came on stage during Pennywise's set and played Blitzkrieg Bop with the band.
* This song is arguably one of the most popular punk rock songs, and is considered by many to be the "punk rock anthem."
Notable covers
* The song has been covered by various artists including studio versions by Rob Zombie, The Beautiful South, Screeching Weasel, The Hanson Brothers, The Offspring.
* Die Toten Hosen covered the song for the 1991 cover album Learning English, Lesson One. It features Joey Ramone as a guest musician.
* Green Day covered this song along with "Teenage Lobotomy" at the 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the remaining member of the Ramones, and regularly play the song live, sometimes getting kids out of the audience to play the song on their instruments, though more usually the song "Knowledge". Furthermore, their track "St. Jimmy" from the album American Idiot uses the same chord progression, but in a different tempo. In addition, their song "Welcome to Paradise" features this chord progression backwards in the same tempo, but with the guitar half a step down. It is easy to notice this by listening to "Welcome to Paradise" backwards.
* Skid Row covered the song on their 1990 video Oh Say Can You Scream.
* The Mescaleros put the song into their live set during 2001 as Joe Strummer wanted to pay tribute to Joey Ramone who died in that year.
* The punk band The Casualties covers the song when on tour.
* Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks covered the song in almost every gig in the middle 80's.
* Christian punk band The Huntingtons covered this song on their album Rocket to Ramonia.
* This song has been covered by The Misfits in 2004 at a live performance. Only bootleg recordings of this performance exist under the name Buried in a Pet Semetary: A Live Tribute to the Ramones. This recording features Marky Ramone on drums, as per the band's line-up at the time.
* Kaori Shimizu covered this song in 2009[3].
* Short Stack covered the song in their 2009 Princess Ball tour.
Use in media
This song has been featured in numerous venues across the spectrum of popular culture, including:
* As playable tracks in music video games Rock Band, Rock Revolution and Battle of the Bands.
* As background music in the video games Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 , MLB 08: The Show and NHL 2K9.
* In television ads for the "Cingular"/AT&T Go-Phone.
* In the films Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Detroit Rock City (1999), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), Shattered Glass (2003), Accepted (2006) and New World Disorder (Freeride Mountain Biking Movie Series) (2007).
* In The TV Series "Space: Above and Beyond" ("Space: 2063" Outside the US) [1995].
* In The King of Queens episode "Icky Shuffle".
* In The Bronx is Burning episode "Team in Turmoil" and several episodes after that.
* In the 100th Episode of Family Guy.
* In The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVIII.
* In the Entourage episode " I Wanna Be Sedated?".
* In Stephen king's novel Pet Sematary the phrase "hey, ho, let's go" is quoted several times.
* In 90210 episode Hollywood Forever.
Blitzkreig Bop
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
They're formin' in a straight line
They're goin' through a tight wind
The kids are losin' their minds
They're pilin' in the back seat
They generate steam heat
Pulsatin' to the back beat
The Blitzkrieg Bop
Hey ho, let's go
Shoot 'em in the back now
What they want, I don't know
They're all revved up and ready to go
They're formin' in a straight line
They're goin' through a tight wind
The kids are losin' their minds
The Blitzkrieg Bop
They're pilin' in the back seat
They generate steam heat
Pulsatin' to the back beat
The Blitzkrieg Bop
Hey ho, let's go
Shoot 'em in the back now
What they want, I don't know
They're all revved up and ready to go
They're formin' in straight line
They're goin' through a tight wind
The kids are losin' their minds
The Blitzkrieg Bop
They're pilin' in the back seat
They generate steam heat
Pulsatin' to the back beat
The Blitzkrieg Bop
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
"Blitzkrieg Bop" by Ramones is an iconic punk rock song that has become synonymous with the genre. The upbeat and repetitive chanting of "Hey ho, let's go" sets the tone for the energetic and frenzied lyrics. The song describes a group of kids who are losing their minds and revved up, ready to go through anything with steam heat and backbeats.
The title "Blitzkrieg Bop" is a reference to the German tactical warfare technique "Blitzkrieg", which means "lightning war." The song's lyrics evoke the idea of a group of soldiers about to go into battle, but in this case, the soldiers are a group of rebellious youth ready to take on the world.
The song has an infectious energy that speaks to the rebellious spirit of punk rock culture. The lyrics are simple but effective in their message of youth rebellion and the anthem-like nature of the chorus invites the listener to join in with the chant.
The song has been covered by numerous artists including Green Day, Foo Fighters, and Metallica, and has been used in various films, TV shows, and commercials.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey ho, let's go
Come on, let's get moving and start doing something exciting
They're formin' in a straight line
A group of people are lining up in a straight formation
They're goin' through a tight wind
They are pushing through a difficult challenge
The kids are losin' their minds
The young people are letting loose, enjoying themselves to the fullest
Blitzkrieg Bop
This is a fast-paced, energetic performance that matches the excitement of war's suddenness
They're pilin' in the back seat
A bunch of people are squeezing into the back of a vehicle
They generate steam heat
The energy of their movement and passion is heating up the atmosphere around them
Pulsatin' to the back beat
They are swaying to the rhythm of the music
Shoot 'em in the back now
Follow up with an unexpected, aggressive attack
What they want, I don't know
I am not sure what the opposition is after
They're all revved up and ready to go
They are super hyped and ready to take action
Contributed by Keira M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Racheal Plymale
on I Wanna Be Sedated (Live)
My Alltime favorite band!!!!!!!!! Joey Ramone was yummmy!!!!!