| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Blitzkrieg Bop is a song by Ramones who wrote this as a salute to their fans. It is about having a good time at a show.
Some fans interpret the song differently, however, as "Blitzkrieg" is a German term for 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:
- Hey ho, let's go (meaning 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 auto-bahn)
- 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 auto-bahn and soldiers piling into vehicles)
- They're generating steam heat (the engines were so hot they started to steam)
- Pulsating to the back beat (everyone is 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: "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'."
Tommy Ramone: "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)
Trivia[]
- This was the Ramones' first single. It is also the first song on their first album.
- This is one of the most enduring Punk songs. Punk music was popular in the late '70s, and groups like The Ramones had a very loyal following.
- Johnny Ramones' guitar, which was highly distorted, is on the left channel, the rest of the band is on the right.
- The album cost $6,400.00 to make.
- This was featured 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.
- 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 2003, this was used in commercials 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)