Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones (1976) 9/21/21

n 1976, The Ramones blasted onto the scene like a Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war.") In fact, they called their debut single "Blitzkrieg Bop." and in less than two minutes, they accomplished 3 things:

#1: They created a catchy punk rock song--something that hadn't happened up to that point. And they did it at a "lightning fast" 175-200 beats per minute. (In comparison, the fastest disco songs clocked in at about 144 BPM.)

#2: They were able to mock the Bay City Rollers AND The Rolling Stones with a chant (ala "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night") and an exaggerated hyperactive Mick Jagger-style vocal.

#3: They created a chant that has become a fixture at sporting events. (Hey-Ho-Let's Go!")

"Blitzkrieg Bop" never charted--but, with punk music, charts never mattered anyway. The Ramones were in a class by themselves, and a whole lot of new punk fans bought the record (more than 500,000 in the US alone)!

In the recent revamp of Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the "Top 500 Songs of All Time," the song went from #92 to #64. In addition, Rolling Stone has it at #18 on their list of the "Best Guitar Songs of All Time," and VH-1 ranks it as the 25th "Greatest Hard Rock Song of All Time!"

It all adds up to a "Great Song of 1976. And here's one more thing: It'll take you longer to read this than it will to listen to the song!

"Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones: