| "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Ramones | ||||
| from the album End of the Century | ||||
| Released | May 16, 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:50 | |||
| Label | Sire Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Phil Spector | |||
| Ramones singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" on YouTube | ||||
"Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" is a song by American punk rock band Ramones, released by Sire Records as the second single and opening track from the band's fifth studio album End of the Century (1980). It was released on May 16, 1980. Produced by Phil Spector, the song and album marked a change in the Ramones' sound, in an attempt to achieve commercial success.
Based on many rock and pop songs the band grew up listening to, the song featured more complex instrumentation and production than past songs by the band, employing the use of saxophone and organ, along with the standard guitar, drums and bass. The song criticized the state of mainstream rock music at that time and took a roots rock approach.
The album's title End of the Century came from a couplet found in the lyrics of the song: "It's the end, the end of the seventies/It's the end, the end of the century." This verse also provided the title of the 2003 documentary about the group, End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones.
The opening riff of the song appears in the trailers of DreamWorks Animation's Shrek the Third, which was released in 2007. The song also appears in the film's soundtrack.
Lyrical content
The Ramones sought to return rock music to its most basic roots, abandoning movements such as late 1960s psychedelic rock and early 1970s prog rock music. The song states the Ramones' philosophy in lines such as "We need change, we need it fast/Before rock's just part of the past/'Cause lately it all sounds the same to me".
Many of the band's influences are mentioned in the song, including Murray the K, John Lennon, Jerry Lee Lewis, T. Rex, The Barbarians (whose drummer, Victor "Moulty" Moulton, is mentioned by his nickname) and Alan Freed, as well as musical variety TV and radio shows such as Hullabaloo, Shindig!, Upbeat and The Ed Sullivan Show. Furthermore, a clip of Buddy Holly and the Crickets performing on The Ed Sullivan Show can be seen in the music video.
While the song celebrates the Ramones' teenage rock and roll memories, it also reflects and criticizes the trend of playing nostalgic songs on radio, rather than focusing on new music.
Reception
Record World called it a "thunderous paean to radio as it should be."
Track listing
U.S. 7" Single
- "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" (Ramones) - 3:50
- "Let's Go" (Ramones) - 3:02
References
- True 2005, p. 146.
- Weinstein, Deena (January 2015). Rock'n America: A Social and Cultural History. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442600157.
- "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. June 14, 1980. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- True, Everett (2005). Hey Ho Let's Go: The Story of the Ramones. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84449-413-2.
External links
- Rock ‘N' Roll Radio at Discogs (list of releases)
- The song’s lyrics at Genius
- Songs about rock music
- Songs about nostalgia
- Songs about radio
- 1980 singles
- Ramones songs
- Song recordings produced by Phil Spector
- Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements
- Songs written by Joey Ramone
- Songs written by Johnny Ramone
- Songs written by Dee Dee Ramone
- Kiss (band) songs
- 1980 songs
- Sire Records singles