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Cover of Road to Ruin by The Ramones
Cover: Road to Ruin

Song · The Ramones

“I Wanna Be Sedated” by The Ramones

From the album Road to Ruin (1978)

“I Wanna Be Sedated” by The Ramones appears on 158 radio countdowns from 48 stations between 1978 and 2026. It was first released in 1978 on the album Road to Ruin. Its best result is #1 on the WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001), and it was voted number one on two countdowns in total. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #196 alternative song of 1988 and #18 alternative song of all time.

158countdowns
48stations
#1best position
2#1 finishes
15top 10 finishes
1978–2026years charted

Watch

Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (Ramones). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"I Wanna Be Sedated" comes from Road to Ruin, the Ramones' fourth album, released in September 1978, and it's a buzzsaw of a pop song that barely gives you time to breathe. In the UK it first surfaced as the B-side of "She's the One" on September 21, 1978; it came out as a single in the Netherlands the following year, and in the US in 1980 on RSO, pulled from the Times Square soundtrack.

Joey Ramone sings lead in that gangly, lovable croon, sounding bored out of his skull and thrilled about it at the same time. Johnny Ramone's guitar is one long buzzing blur, Dee Dee Ramone's bass rides right on top of it, and Marky Ramone keeps the beat relentless and tight. Thomas Erdelyi and Ed Stasium produced and engineered it with Ray Janos assisting, and they keep the sound clean enough for radio without dulling the edges.

The formula is pure Ramones: bubblegum melody, punk velocity, a chorus you know by heart before it ends. It has lasted as one of the band's best-known songs, the sort of thing modern rock stations kept reaching for decade after decade.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1978 19 KISW Seattle-Tacoma, WA KISW Top 25 Rock Songs from 1978 25
1988 67 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1988 107

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1988 23 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 229 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1988 48 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 192 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 18 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1990 140 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) 299
1991 30 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 7 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 70 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1991 435 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1992 19 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 37 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1994 46 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 80 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 4 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 5 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 34 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1996 60 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 7 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 2 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1996 224 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 216 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 12 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 54 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 37 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 6 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 22 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 16 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 11 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 30 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 51 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 35 The Buzz The Buzz Top 99 Songs of All-Time (1999) 99
2000 5 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 30 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 52 103.3 The Edge 103.3 The Edge Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 103
2001 1 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 27 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 130 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 11 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 6 K-Rock K-Rock Top 92 Party Songs of All-Time (2002) 92
2002 5 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 27 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 9 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 67 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 91
2003 5 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 27 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 31 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 21 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 4 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 23 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 35 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 297 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2005 34 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 21 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 1 The Edge KEDJ Top 103 on Independent Radio 103
2005 35 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2005 18 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 70s & 80s 96
2006 62 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 21 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 6 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 13 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Resurrection Songs (December 2006) 107
2007 64 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 154 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 26 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 50 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 23 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 55 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 316 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2010 63 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 151 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 72 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 82 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2012 392 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 41 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 75 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 425 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 186 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 434 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 389 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 77 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 244 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 252 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2014 85 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 374 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 389 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 260 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 443 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 237 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2016 292 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 191 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 427 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 637 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2016 147 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2017 200 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 192 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 432 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2018 201 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 340 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2019 246 KEXP KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time 627
2019 374 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 232 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 223 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 364 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 337 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 32 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 232 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2020 342 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 638 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 372 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 326 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 15 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2020 446 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2021 15 KISW KISW 25 Greatest Rock Songs from the 1970s 25
2021 91 107.7 The End The End Obligatory Top 100 Alternative Songs of All Time (2021) 100
2021 492 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 237 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 142 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 349 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 17 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 299 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2022 288 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 242 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 1345 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 603
2022 439 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 87 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 78 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2022 261 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2022 279 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 213 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 318 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time 1055
2022 449 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2023 363 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 435 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 419 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 312 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 302 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 331 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 259 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 350 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2024 376 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 282 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 433 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 489 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 396 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 176 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 20 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 22 107.7 The End The End Sweet Summer Vibes Countdown (2024) 100
2025 544 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 408 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 435 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 489 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 242 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2026 1100 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 361 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 297 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 228 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: I Wanna Be Sedated '88; I Wanna to be Sedated; I Wanna be Sedated.

Charting alongside it in 1988

Best songs of 1988 →
  1. 1SuedeheadMorrissey
  2. 2DesireU2
  3. 3Beds are BurningMidnight Oil
  4. 4Route 66Depeche Mode
  5. 5Peek-A-BooSiouxsie and the Banshees
  6. 6Chains of LoveErasure

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