The song, whose composition was credited to the band as a whole, was written by drummer Tommy Ramone (music and lyrics) and bassist Dee Dee Ramone (lyrics). The song is based on a simple three-chord pattern. The song is popular at sporting events where the iconic chant "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" is sometimes shouted as a rallying cry.
"Blitzkrieg Bop" was number 92 on the 2004 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 of the top 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. In 2009 it was named the 25th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.
The Ramones wrote this as a salute to their fans - it's about having a good time at a show.
Some fans interpret the song differently, however, as "Blitzkrieg" is a German term meaning "Lighting War." The Blitzkrieg was Hitler's army and in this interpretation, the Bop in the song is the march that the soldiers do.The Ramones' famous chant, "Hey, Ho, Let's Go!" is a big part of this song. They wanted their own chant after hearing "Saturday Night" by the Bay City Rollers, which had the chant "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y, Night."
Joey Ramone explained: "I hate to blow the mystique, but at the time we really liked bubblegum music, and we really liked the Bay City Rollers. Their song 'Saturday Night' had a great chant in it, so we wanted a song with a chant in it: 'Hey! Ho! Let's Go!'. 'Blitzkrieg Bop' was our 'Saturday Night'."
This was the Ramones' first single, and also the first song on their first album. It was never a hit, but it became a punk anthem and a defining song of the genre, which was just about to enter its late '70s heyday.
Johnny Ramone's guitar, which was highly distorted, is on the left channel, while the rest of the band is on the right.
The Ramones had a very sparse budget at the time: The entire album cost just $6,400 to make.
This song has been used in a number of movies and TV series, including The Simpsons (the 2007 "Treehouse of Horror" episode), and the 2006 Entourage episode "I Wanna Be Sedated," revolving around a Ramones documentary.
In the 2001 movie Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, it was used in a scene where Jimmy and his friends go on a rampage of fun. Some other uses:
Fear No Evil (1981)
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Sugar & Spice (2001)
Shattered Glass (2003)
The King of Queens (2004)
Date Night (2010)
The Crazy Ones (2013)
Parenthood (2014)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
The New York Yankees baseball team often plays this when one of their big hitters is coming to the plate. Johnny Ramone was a huge fan of the Yankees.
Green Day performed this at the 2002 ceremonies when The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1991, this song piqued the interest of Budweiser, which used it in a commercial for their beer (without the "Shoot 'em in the back" line). There was no debate in the Ramones camp over whether to authorize it: they were all happy to get the money and exposure. In 2003, the song found its way into another commercial, this time for AT&T Wireless. It was later used in commercials for Diet Pepsi, Coppertone and Taco Bell.
Rob Zombie covered this song on the album "A Tribute To Ramones (We're A Happy Family)".
Fellow first-wave punk band The Clash covered this song live on tour in 1978, often as a medley with their own song "Police and Thieves."
Blitzkrieg Bop
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go!
They're forming in straight line
They're going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The blitzkrieg bop
They're generating steam heat
Pulsating 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 forming in straight line
They're going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The blitzkrieg bop
They're piling in the back seat
They're generating steam heat
Pulsating 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 forming in straight line
They're going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The blitzkrieg bop
They're piling in the back seat
They're generating steam heat
Pulsating 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!
The lyrics of The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop" are a classic example of the punk rock sound that encapsulates the era of the late '70s. The song serves as an anthem to the punk movement in general, with its simple, catchy chorus of "Hey ho, let's go," inspiring fans to come together and rebel against the status quo. The first verse sets the scene for the chaos to come, with the band describing a group of youths preparing to let loose their "blitzkrieg bop" and lose their minds. The second verse intensifies this image with increasingly aggressive lyrics, culminating in the powerful "they're all revved up and ready to go" line.
As is typical of the punk rock sound, the lyrics of "Blitzkrieg Bop" are straightforward and repetitive. The song is infused with energy, bringing together powerful drumming and fast guitar riffs as the chorus repeats throughout. It's clear that The Ramones were not trying to make a political statement with this song; they just wanted to give their fans a rallying cry. The message is simple: come together, let loose, and have a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go!
An enthusiastic chant to rally everyone to join the song and dance
They're forming in straight line
A crowd is organizing themselves into two straight lines
They're going through a tight wind
They push forward against resistance with a strong purpose
The kids are losing their minds
The youth are getting excited and wild
The blitzkrieg bop
They are going into battle with a fast and intense musical attack
They're piling in the back seat
Everyone is getting into a cramped transportation mode
They're generating steam heat
The energy and passion is building up amongst the group
Pulsating to the back beat
The intense rhythm drives the excitement and frenzy of the crowd
Hey ho, let's go
The rallying cry of the group to keep the energy high and continue moving forward
Shoot 'em in the back now
An encouragement to be aggressive and attack, taking no prisoners
What they want, I don't know
The mission or goal of the group is unclear, but they continue with full force
They're all revved up and ready to go
They are all fueled up with excitement and ready to take action
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Douglas Colvin, Jeff Hyman, John Cummings, Thomas Erdelyi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Racheal Plymale
on I Wanna Be Sedated (Live)
My Alltime favorite band!!!!!!!!! Joey Ramone was yummmy!!!!!