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Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop

Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Ramones
Released: 1976

Blitzkrieg Bop Lyrics

Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go!
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 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
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!

Writer/s: ERDELYI, THOMAS/CUMMINGS, JOHN (RAMONE)/COLVIN, DOUGLAS/HYMAN, JEFFREY
Publisher: Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Blitzkrieg Bop Song Chart

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. Here's a look at this interpretation:

"Hey ho, let's go" - The soldiers marching.

"They're forming in a straight line" - The soldiers are standing in a line.

"They're going through a tight wind" - Cars going down the autobahn.

"The kids are losing their minds" - Boys being turned into soldiers by Hitler.

"The Blitzkrieg Bop" - The soldiers march.

"They're piling in the back seat" - People piling into vehicles to get on the autobahn and soldiers piling into vehicles.

"They're generating steam heat" - The engines were so hot they started to steam.

"Pulsating to the back beat" - Germans getting pumped for war.

"Shoot'em in the back now" - Hitler being shot.

"What they want, I don't know" - Why Hitler was in the war.

"They're all revved up and ready to go" - The soldiers getting ready to fight. (thanks, Josh - Hibbing, MN)

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'."

The songwriting credits on this one go to drummer Tommy Ramone and bass player Dee Dee Ramone. Tommy explained: "I wrote 'Blitzkrieg Bop,' but Dee Dee contributed the title and he changed one line. There was a line that went, 'They're shouting in the back now.' He changed it to 'Shoot 'em in the back now,' which is a non sequitur. But to him it made sense." (thanks, Katie - Gasoline Alley, Australia, for above 2)

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)

The New York Yankees baseball team often plays this when one of their big hitters is coming to the plate. Johnny Ramone is 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.

Rob Zombie covered this song on the album A Tribute To Ramones (We're A Happy Family). (thanks, Brian - Halton, Canada)

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."