Blitzkrieg Bop - 2001 Remastered Version

The Ramones wrote this as a salute to their fans - it's about having a good time at a show. Some fans interpret the song differently, however, as "Blitzkrieg" is a German term meaning "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 at this interpretation: "Hey ho, let's go" - 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 autobahn. "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 autobahn and soldiers piling into vehicles. "They're generating steam heat" - The engines were so hot they started to steam. "Pulsating to the back beat" - Germans 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.

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 explained: "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'."

The songwriting credits on this one go to drummer Tommy Ramone and bass player Dee Dee Ramone. Tommy explained: "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."