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| venue =
| venue =
| genre = {{flatlist|
| genre = {{flatlist|
⚫
*[[Punk rock]]<ref name="The Ramones"/>
*[[Punk rock]]<ref name=Boppin>{{cite web|last=Carafelli|first=Carl|work=Boppin’ (Like the Hip Folks Do)|date=October 17, 2017|url=https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-ramones-power-pop-hall-of-fame.html?m=1|accessdate=November 22, 2018|title=The Ramones: Power Pop Hall of Fame}}</ref>
*[[Surf_music#Surf_punk|surf punk]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rathbone|first=Oregano|title=Ramones – Rocket To Russia: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/rocket-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|work=[[Record Collector]]|issue=474|date=December 2017|accessdate=2018-11-21}}</ref>
⚫
*[[power pop]]<ref name=Boppin/>
}}
}}
| length = 2:06
| length = 2:06
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| next_title = [[Do You Wanna Dance?]]
| next_title = [[Do You Wanna Dance?]]
| next_year = 1978
| next_year = 1978
| misc =
{{Audio sample
| type = single
| file = Rockaway Beach.ogg
}}
}}
}}


"'''Rockaway Beach'''" is a song by the American [[punk rock]] band the [[Ramones]] from their 1977 album ''[[Rocket to Russia]]''. The song was written by bassist [[Dee Dee Ramone]] in the style of [[the Beach Boys]] and early [[surf rock]] bands. The song is about [[Rockaway Beach, Queens]], where Dee Dee liked to spend time. Guitarist [[Johnny Ramone]] claimed that Dee Dee was "the only real beachgoer" in the group.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} Released in 1977, it was the Ramones' highest-charting single in their career, peaking at number 66 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. In June 2013, the song was used in a radio ad campaign sponsored by Queens Economic Development Corporation to promote recovery from Hurricane Sandy by drawing New Yorkers back to Rockaway Beach.<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web|last=Boldman|first=Gina|title=Rockaway Beach|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/rockaway-beach-mt0045364694|publisher=allmusic.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=youtube>{{cite web|title=Ramones - Rockaway Beach|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79S5k1pgWZU|publisher=youtube.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=nydaily>{{cite web|last=Warren|first=James|title=Radio ad campaign to use Ramones hit 'Rockaway Beach' to lure visitors back to the shorefront devastated by Hurricane Sandy|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/ramones-rockaway-beach-ad-campaign-woo-visitors-sandy-article-1.1362192|publisher=nydailynews.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=pastemagazine>{{cite web|last=Ray|first=Austin L|title=The 10 Best Ramones Songs of All Time|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2010/06/the-10-best-ramones-songs-of-all-time.html|publisher=pastemagazine.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=timeout>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Steve|title="Rockaway Beach" by The Ramones (VIDEO)|url=http://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/rockaway-beach-by-the-ramones-video-punk-hardcore|publisher=timeout.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=billboard>{{cite web|title=Ramones|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/359662/ramones/chart|publisher=billboard.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref>
"'''Rockaway Beach'''" is a song by the American [[punk rock]] band the [[Ramones]] from their 1977 album ''[[Rocket to Russia]]''. The song was written by bassist [[Dee Dee Ramone]] in the style of [[the Beach Boys]] and early [[surf rock]] bands. The song is about [[Rockaway Beach, Queens]], where Dee Dee liked to spend time. Guitarist [[Johnny Ramone]] claimed that Dee Dee was "the only real beachgoer" in the group.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} Released in 1977, it was the Ramones' highest-charting single in their career, peaking at number 66 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. In June 2013, the song was used in a radio ad campaign sponsored by Queens Economic Development Corporation to promote recovery from Hurricane Sandy by drawing New Yorkers back to Rockaway Beach.<ref name=nydaily>{{cite web|last=Warren|first=James|title=Radio ad campaign to use Ramones hit 'Rockaway Beach' to lure visitors back to the shorefront devastated by Hurricane Sandy|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/ramones-rockaway-beach-ad-campaign-woo-visitors-sandy-article-1.1362192|publisher=nydailynews.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref>

==Background==
"Rockaway Beach" was inspired by the actual [[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Rockaway Beach]] located in New York, where lead singer [[Joey Ramone]] was raised.<ref name="Boldman">{{cite web |author=Boldman, Gina|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/rockaway-beach-mt0010556421|title=Rockaway Beach - Ramones  |website=[[AllMusic]] |accessdate=July 4, 2010}}</ref> The song was written by bassist [[Dee Dee Ramone]] who frequently visited the beach.<ref name=pastemagazine>{{cite web|last=Ray|first=Austin L|title=The 10 Best Ramones Songs of All Time|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2010/06/the-10-best-ramones-songs-of-all-time.html|publisher=pastemagazine.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref>

==Composition==
"Rockaway Beach" is an [[punk rock]] song that runs for a duration of two minutes and six seconds.<ref name="The Ramones">{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0058719#ProductDetails|title=The Ramones 'Rockaway Beach' Sheet Music (Leadsheet) in A Major - Download & Print|author=The Ramones|work=Musicnotes.com|publisher=[[Alfred Music|Alfred Publishing Co., Inc]]|access-date=March 9, 2019}}</ref> According to the [[sheet music]] published at Musicnotes.com by [[Alfred Music]], it is written in the [[time signature]] of [[Time signature#Most frequent time signatures|common time]], with a driving punk rock [[tempo]] of 185 [[Tempo#Beats per minute|beats per minute]].<ref name="The Ramones"/> "Rockaway Beach" is composed in the [[Key (music)|key]] of [[A major]], while Joey Ramone's [[vocal range]] spans from the low-note of [[E (musical note)|E<sub>4</sub>]] to the high-note of [[A (musical note)|A<sub>5</sub>]].<ref name="The Ramones"/> The song has a basic sequence of C{{music|sharp}}–D–C{{music|sharp}}–D during the [[Introduction (music)|introduction]], follows A–D–E in the verses and chorus, and changes to G–D<sub>type2</sub>–D–E–F–C at the [[Bridge (music)|bridge]] as its [[chord progression]].<ref name="The Ramones"/> 

The musical arrangement opens with an instrumental [[Introduction (music)|introduction]], where a [[rhythm guitar]] part is played at high-speed using [[Downpicking|downstrokes]] with grinding [[Distortion (music)|distortion]].<ref name="Erlewine"/><ref name="The Ramones"/> "Rockaway Beach" is a breezy number laden with catchy [[Hook (music)|hook]]s.<ref name="Boldman"/><ref name="Erlewine"/> It express carefree lyrics that hearken back to simpler, brighter days of the band's youth.<ref name="Boldman"/> The song's verses illustrate an idiosyncratic worldview, one flanked by [[surfboards]] and [[discotheques]].<ref name=timeout/><ref>{{cite journal|last=Rathbone|first=Oregano|title=Ramones – Rocket To Russia: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/rocket-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|work=[[Record Collector]]|issue=474|date=December 2017|accessdate=2018-11-21}}</ref> They celebrate a scene set in the middle of a hot summer in New York.<ref name=timeout>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Steve|title="Rockaway Beach" by The Ramones (VIDEO)|url=http://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/rockaway-beach-by-the-ramones-video-punk-hardcore|publisher=timeout.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=billboard>{{cite web|title=Ramones|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/359662/ramones/chart|publisher=billboard.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="Boldman"/>

==Critical reception==
Greg Beets of ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]'' called the song "backhanded genius."<ref>{{cite web|last=Beets|first=Greg|title=Ramones: Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, Road to Ruin|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2001-07-13/82342/|work=[[The Austin Chronicle]]|date=2001-07-13|accessdate=2016-09-06}}</ref> [[AllMusic]]'s [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] cites "Rockaway Beach" as being among the "finest set of songs" Ramones had written for ''[[Rocket to Russia]]''.<ref name="Erlewine"/> He characterized its musical composition as "teeming with irresistibly catchy hooks."<ref name="Erlewine">{{cite web|title=Rocket to Russia – Ramones|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/rocket-to-russia-mw0000005209|website=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=2014-02-08|author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas|authorlink=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref> Gina Boldman, from the same publication, praised the song's "mindless, bopping opening" and summarized, "One of the group's most carefree and breezy songs ... The imagery puts you right in the middle of a hot New York summer in the mid-to-late '70s, and it's easy to feel as jubilant as the song (and Ramone) does.<ref name="Boldman"/> ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'''s Steve Smith hailed the song as a "[[Bubblegum pop|bubblegum]] masterpiece."<ref name=timeout/> Music critic [[Robert Christgau]] regarded "Rockaway Beach" as an "actual potential hit."<ref name="christgau">{{cite book|chapter-url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=3796|chapter=Ramones: Rocket to Russia|accessdate=2013-05-27|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the '70s|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|publisher=[[Ticknor and Fields]]|year=1981|isbn=0-89919-026-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/christgausrecord00robe_1}}</ref> In his review of the anniversary edition, Zachary Hopskins from ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' ranks the song one of the group's "stone-cold classics: as likely to put a smile on one’s face and a bounce in one’s Chucks in 2017 as they were 40 years ago."<ref>{{cite web|last=Hoskins|first=Zachary|title=Ramones: Rocket to Russia (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/ramones-rocket-to-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=2017-11-23|accessdate=2017-11-23}}</ref>

==Chart performance==
"Rockaway Beach" has since become the the Ramones' highest charting single, peaking at number sixty-six on ''[[Billboard]]'' [[Hot 100]].<ref name=timeout>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Steve|title="Rockaway Beach" by The Ramones (VIDEO)|url=http://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/rockaway-beach-by-the-ramones-video-punk-hardcore|publisher=timeout.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=billboard>{{cite web|title=Ramones|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/359662/ramones/chart|publisher=billboard.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist|30}}

==External links==
*{{MetroLyrics song|the-ramones|rockaway-beach}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider -->


{{Ramones}}
{{Ramones}}

Revision as of 04:37, 26 March 2020

"Rockaway Beach"
Single by Ramones
from the album Rocket to Russia
B-side"Locket Love"
Released1977
Genre
Length2:06
LabelSire
Songwriter(s)Dee Dee Ramone
Producer(s)Tony Bongiovi, Tommy Ramone
Ramones singles chronology
"Swallow My Pride"
(1977) 		"Rockaway Beach"
(1977) 		"Do You Wanna Dance?"
(1978)
Audio sample

"Rockaway Beach" is a song by the American punk rock band the Ramones from their 1977 album Rocket to Russia. The song was written by bassist Dee Dee Ramone in the style of the Beach Boys and early surf rock bands. The song is about Rockaway Beach, Queens, where Dee Dee liked to spend time. Guitarist Johnny Ramone claimed that Dee Dee was "the only real beachgoer" in the group.[citation needed] Released in 1977, it was the Ramones' highest-charting single in their career, peaking at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100. In June 2013, the song was used in a radio ad campaign sponsored by Queens Economic Development Corporation to promote recovery from Hurricane Sandy by drawing New Yorkers back to Rockaway Beach.[3]

Background

"Rockaway Beach" was inspired by the actual Rockaway Beach located in New York, where lead singer Joey Ramone was raised.[4] The song was written by bassist Dee Dee Ramone who frequently visited the beach.[5]

Composition

"Rockaway Beach" is an punk rock song that runs for a duration of two minutes and six seconds.[1] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music, it is written in the time signature of common time, with a driving punk rock tempo of 185 beats per minute.[1] "Rockaway Beach" is composed in the key of A major, while Joey Ramone's vocal range spans from the low-note of E4 to the high-note of A5.[1] The song has a basic sequence of C♯–D–C♯–D during the introduction, follows A–D–E in the verses and chorus, and changes to G–Dtype2–D–E–F–C at the bridge as its chord progression.[1] 

The musical arrangement opens with an instrumental introduction, where a rhythm guitar part is played at high-speed using downstrokes with grinding distortion.[6][1] "Rockaway Beach" is a breezy number laden with catchy hooks.[4][6] It express carefree lyrics that hearken back to simpler, brighter days of the band's youth.[4] The song's verses illustrate an idiosyncratic worldview, one flanked by surfboards and discotheques.[7][8] They celebrate a scene set in the middle of a hot summer in New York.[7][9][4]

Critical reception

Greg Beets of The Austin Chronicle called the song "backhanded genius."[10] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine cites "Rockaway Beach" as being among the "finest set of songs" Ramones had written for Rocket to Russia.[6] He characterized its musical composition as "teeming with irresistibly catchy hooks."[6] Gina Boldman, from the same publication, praised the song's "mindless, bopping opening" and summarized, "One of the group's most carefree and breezy songs ... The imagery puts you right in the middle of a hot New York summer in the mid-to-late '70s, and it's easy to feel as jubilant as the song (and Ramone) does.[4] Time Out's Steve Smith hailed the song as a "bubblegum masterpiece."[7] Music critic Robert Christgau regarded "Rockaway Beach" as an "actual potential hit."[11] In his review of the anniversary edition, Zachary Hopskins from Slant Magazine ranks the song one of the group's "stone-cold classics: as likely to put a smile on one’s face and a bounce in one’s Chucks in 2017 as they were 40 years ago."[12]

Chart performance

"Rockaway Beach" has since become the the Ramones' highest charting single, peaking at number sixty-six on Billboard Hot 100.[7][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f The Ramones. "The Ramones 'Rockaway Beach' Sheet Music (Leadsheet) in A Major - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  2. ^ Rathbone, Oregano (December 2017). "Ramones – Rocket To Russia: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition". Record Collector (474). Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  3. ^ Warren, James. "Radio ad campaign to use Ramones hit 'Rockaway Beach' to lure visitors back to the shorefront devastated by Hurricane Sandy". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e Boldman, Gina. "Rockaway Beach - Ramones". AllMusic. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  5. ^ Ray, Austin L. "The 10 Best Ramones Songs of All Time". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Rocket to Russia – Ramones". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  7. ^ a b c d Smith, Steve. ""Rockaway Beach" by The Ramones (VIDEO)". timeout.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  8. ^ Rathbone, Oregano (December 2017). "Ramones – Rocket To Russia: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition". Record Collector (474). Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  9. ^ a b "Ramones". billboard.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  10. ^ Beets, Greg (2001-07-13). "Ramones: Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, Road to Ruin". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Ramones: Rocket to Russia". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the '70s. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
  12. ^ Hoskins, Zachary (2017-11-23). "Ramones: Rocket to Russia (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2017-11-23.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rockaway_Beach_(song)&oldid=947416506"