“Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones

"Blitzkrieg Bop" is where it all starts. The Ramones' first single, titled "The Blitzkrieg Bop!!" on its original release in 1976, also opened their self-titled debut album, and it hits like a brick through a plate-glass window. The whole band got the credit, but Tommy Ramone wrote the music and lyrics, with Dee Dee Ramone adding words.

Joey Ramone sings it, Johnny Ramone slams out the chords with no mercy, Dee Dee bashes away on bass and Tommy keeps a beat as blunt as a two-by-four. Craig Leon produced it, with Tommy as associate producer and Rob Freeman engineering, and they keep it raw: buzzing guitar and a dumb, glorious three-word chant that has since become a rallying cry at sports grounds all over the world. It's bubblegum pop played at the speed of a street fight, and it makes most of what else was on the radio sound bloated and tired.

The lists have caught up. Rolling Stone put it at 92 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004 and at 18 among the greatest guitar songs in 2008, and Q ranked it 31st in its 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks in March 2005.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.