5 Ramones Songs That Will Make You Feel Like a Punk Rocker, Just Like Sheena

As pioneers of the punk rock movement, the Ramones helped establish the genre in the United States and the United Kingdom, reviving rock music from the popular styles and bringing it back to basics.

The Ramones were made up of four original members — Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny and Tommy — all of whom took on the last name Ramone, though none of the members were related. The inspiration came from legendary Beatle, Paul McCartney, who would frequently check into hotels under the name Paul Ramon.

The original group members, along with Marky Ramone, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Vedder’s speech, which went on for 20 minutes, praised the Ramones for their punk rock revolution.

“The Ramones didn’t need Mohawks to be punk,” Vedder said in 2002. “They’re visually aggressive. They were four working-class, construction-worker delinquents from Forest Hills, Queens, who were armed with two-minute songs that they rattled off like machine-gun fire. And it was enough to change the Earth’s revolution.”

In 2011, the Ramones received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Recording Academy for their contributions to the music world over the years and their hit songs, a few of which we’ve detailed below. Keep reading for the inside scoop on the Ramones’ biggest hits.

1. “Blitzkrieg Bop” (1976)

This Ramones hit is easily one of their most recognized and one that is easy to sing along to. Starting out with “Hey! Ho! Let’s go,” the song’s catchy beat and lyrics drew audiences in. Although it didn’t land on the charts, this remains one of their biggest hits.

“Blitzkrieg Bop” was the Ramones’ first song to be released, which was released as a single and later as the opener of the group’s self-titled debut album. Former drummer Tommy Ramone explained how he came up with the catchy tune of the track.

“There was a big hit by the Bay City Rollers at the time called Saturday Night, which was a chant-type song,” said ex-drummer Tommy Ramone. “So, I thought it would be fun to do for the Ramones, too. And somehow, I came up with ‘Hey! Ho! Let’s go’… It was basically about a few kids going to a concert, getting away from it all and having a great time.”

2. “I Wanna Be Sedated” (1978)

The Ramones’ biggest hit, “I Wanna Be Sedated,” wasn’t a chart-topper when it was released, but today it’s one of their most-played songs. The track was created in London around Christmastime while the group was on tour in 1977 and released on their 1978 album, Road to Ruin.

“It’s a road song,” Joey Ramone explained. “I wrote it in 1977, through the 78. Well, Danny Fields was our first manager, and he would work us to death. We would be on the road 360 days a year, and we went over to England, and we were there at Christmas time, and in Christmas time, London shuts down. There’s nothing to do, nowhere to go.”

3.“Pet Sematary” (1989)

The Ramones penned this track for the 1989 horror film of the same name and it was very different from their usual songs. “Pet Sematary” ended up being a huge success for the Ramones, which was a change of pace after a few rough years. Although the song didn’t touch the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it’s a well-remembered Ramones classic.

“Stephen King is a big Ramones fan,” drummer Marky Ramone shared in an interview. “He always mentions us in the books that he writes… He asked us to do a song for the movie and the soundtrack, Pet Sematary. He gave Dee Dee [Ramone] the book to read, and he read the book and wrote the song in 40 minutes.”

4. “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” (1977)

As one of the few Ramones songs to crack the Hot 100 chart, “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” was always meant to be the Ramones’ first smash hit. Although it only hit No. 81, the song is still a memorable Ramones track.

“I played it for Seymour Stein [music executive],” said Joey Ramone. “He flipped out and said, ‘We gotta record this song now.’ It was like back in the Fifties – you’d rush into the studio because you thought you had a hit, then put it right out.”

Joey was confident in the song, too, as he created a punk rock phenomenon. “To me, ‘Sheena’ was the first surf-punk rock-teenage rebellion song,” Joey said. “I combined Sheena, the Queen of the Jungle, with the primalness of punk rock.”

5. “Rockaway Beach” (1977)

“Rockaway Beach” ended up being the Ramones’ highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100, coming in at No. 66. The song was written in a Beach Boys-esque manner and ended up being one of their lightest songs on the album.

The track was written by Dee Dee Ramone, who grew up in Queens, New York, and often spent time in Rockaway Beach as a kid. “Rockaway Beach” ended up being the Ramones’ most successful song in terms of charting and sales.