Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
"Blitzkrieg Bop" was the opening track on the Ramones' self-titled debut album, released on April 23, 1976, and it quickly became one of the defining statements of early American punk rock. The song's famous "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" chant grew out of drummer Tommy Ramone's idea to write a rallying, chant-like tune inspired in part by the Bay City Rollers' pop hit "Saturday Night," while Tommy later explained that the song was really about the excitement of kids going to a concert and losing themselves in the experience rather than anything political or militaristic. According to Tommy, the song originally had the working title "Animal Hop," before Dee Dee Ramone helped reshape it into "Blitzkrieg Bop," giving it the tougher, more confrontational edge that matched the band's image. The debut LP itself was recorded quickly and cheaply—producer Craig Leon recalled that it cost roughly $6,400—yet its stripped-down speed, brevity, and raw sound made it feel radically different from much of the mainstream rock released in 1976, helping establish the template for punk's fast, direct, no-frills attack.
Ramones Blitzkrieg Bop Lyrics
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
They're forming in a straight line
They're going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The Blitzkrieg Bop
They're piling in the back seat
They generate steam heat
Pulsating to the backbeat
The Blitzkrieg Bop
Hey ho, let's go
Shoot them in the back now
What they want, I don't know
They're all revved up and ready to go
They're forming in a straight line
They're going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The Blitzkrieg Bop
They're piling in the back seat
They generate steam heat
Pulsating to the backbeat
The Blitzkrieg Bop
Hey ho, let's go
Shoot them in the back now
What they want, I don't know
They're all revved up and ready to go
They're forming in a straight line
They're going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The Blitzkrieg Bop
They're piling in the back seat
They generate steam heat
Pulsating to the backbeat
The Blitzkrieg Bop
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go