Rockaway Beach (song)
| "Rockaway Beach" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Ramones | ||||
| from the album Rocket to Russia | ||||
| B-side | "Locket Love" | |||
| Released | 1977 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 2:06 | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dee Dee Ramone | |||
| Producer(s) | Tony Bongiovi, Tommy Ramone | |||
| Ramones singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Cover versions
"Rockaway Beach" has been covered by:
- American punk rock band The Queers (who covered the entire Rocket to Russia album in 1994 on Rocket to Russia)
- American garage punk band Dead End Kids on the 2001 tribute Ramones Maniacs
- American punk rock band The Huntingtons (who covered a number of other Ramones songs on Rocket to Ramonia)
- Morrissey collaborator and former Polecat, Boz Boorer
- Canadian rock band Deja Voodoo (also in Finnish)
- Swedish rock band Sahara Hotnights
- Tim Timebomb/Tim Armstrong of Rancid as a solo artist Tim Armstrong
- German Rock band Zeltinger Band on its "De Plaat im Roxy & Bunker live album" in 1979; just 2 years after the original the cover called "Müngersdorfer Stadion" about visiting a public swimming pool was sung in Cologne based dialect and a huge success for the band and helped The Ramones become more famous in Germany.
- German punk band Die Toten Hosen on its "Alles wird vorübergehen" single
- Spanish rock band Siniestro Total (in Spanish, under the title "Rock en Samil", a popular beach near the group's hometown Vigo in Galicia)
- Japanese bands Lolita No. 18 and Shonen Knife.
- Superuva Argentinean punk band change the lyrics and recorded with the title "Rock en Tandil" in 1997
- Motörhead included a version of the song in the posthumous album Under Cöver in 2017
- Korean indie rock band Say Sue Me covered Rockaway Beach for their 2018 covers EP It's Just A Short Walk.
In 1994 Joey Ramone, in a duet with R&B artist General Johnson, released a Carolina beach music version of the song as part of the album "Godchildren of Soul."
References
- ^ Boldman, Gina. "Rockaway Beach". allmusic.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ "Ramones - Rockaway Beach". youtube.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ray, Austin L. "The 10 Best Ramones Songs of All Time". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ Smith, Steve. ""Rockaway Beach" by The Ramones (VIDEO)". timeout.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ "Ramones". billboard.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.