Top Ten Songs by the Ramones

The Ramones came together in 1974 when four friends from Forest Hills, NY decided they could crank out short, blazing rock singles. After 22 years and over 2200 concerts, the Ramones changed the course of music and left us with some of the most energetic hits in history. Picking their 10 best was no easy task, but here for your consideration is the list.

10. Rock 'N' Roll High School
Written as the soundtrack for the 1979 movie of the same name, this classic has an almost 50's feel. A perennial favorite to this day in schools around the world, every generation gets introduced to this tune at least by their sophomore year. This song could have had a very different history if, as originally planed, Cheap Trick would have been in the movie. Even Devo was considered before the producer settled on the Ramones. That the Ramones made Rock 'N' Roll High School and not Devo is proof that God loves rock and roll.

9. Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?
But they're big in England. This great tune never made the US charts, but reached #54 in the UK. Radio is another song that has a very 50's feel probably due in part because Phil Spector produced the 1980 End of the Century album. Notable for the radio-style intro and DJ ending, Radio is just pure fun.

8. Pinhead
Everyone knows how to start this song, "Gabba Gabba we accept you; one of us." Not a lot know that the Ramones wrote this after seeing the 1932 cult classic movie, Freaks. A scene in the movie has the company of circus freaks chanting "We accept you, one of us. Gobble, gabble." Change it around and you have the punk classic, "Gabba Gabba Hey!"

7. I Believe in Miracles
One of the few to make this list from their later years, Miracles was released on the 1989 album Brain Drain. It is an up tempo song and has a positive message of, "Believe in miracles cause I'm one." Though the Ramones are no longer a band and the members have all passed on, as Miracles says their music is "blessed with the power to survive."

6. Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)
This upbeat tune will have you, the kids and grandma singing along to "Sha-la-la-la" before you realize that it is about legalizing marijuana. From the hypnotic intro to the final "sha-la-la-la" it is a masterful layering of a hard backbeat, basic 3-cord guitar, and brilliant vocals. Regardless of the topic, this could stand on its own as an instrumental.

5. I Wanna Be Sedated
Written after Joey's trip to the hospital for burns from boiling water, this is one of the most easily recognized Ramones songs. It has made its way into countless movies and is number 144 on Rolling Stones 500 greatest songs of all time.

4. Beat on the Brat
3 chords of genius directed at spoiled kids. Besides being a fun song, Brat became an ironic icon when U2 covered the song for the tribute album, We're a Happy Family. Nothing is funnier than hearing peace-loving, human-rights advocate, Bono singing, "Beat on the brat with a baseball bat" in a smooth Irish lilt.

3. Blitzkrieg Bop
If nothing else, this is memorable as the Ramones' first single. It is pure bubblegum rock written around "Hey, Ho, Let's go!" The Ramones wanted a song with a chant and this turned into their signature song. If you can stop yourself from singing along to this you may possibly be in a coma.

2. Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
Notable as the first punk song to make the US charts. Sheena is reminiscent of a good-old 50's rock-a-billy, but with a harder edge. At 2:45, this is an epic by comparison to other Ramones' tunes. Every female fan has probably referred to herself as Sheena at one time.

1. Bonzo Goes to Bitburg
You may know this by its other title My Brain is Hanging Upside Down. This was written when Joey was outraged by Ronald Reagan's visit to Germany in 1986. Johnny, a stanch Reagan supporter, insisted the title be changed. For those who don't know, Bonzo was the name of the chimpanzee that Reagan made a series of movies with in the 1950's. This song is full of gems. "If there's one thing that makes me sick, it's when someone tries to hide behind politics," is as fresh today as it was in 1986. The repetition of "pick up the pieces," and the refrain, "my brain is hanging upside down," are accented by the less-than-standard rock instrument, the glockenspiel. Punk rock and orchestral instruments beautifully blended.