Joey Ramone on how the Ramones crafted the first “teenage rebellion” song
Rock and roll music was built upon the foundations of teenage angst and rebellion. You only need to look at the newspaper headlines after Elvis Presley’s first television appearance to realise that the genre has always been divisive among the generations. Inevitably, though, as the genre developed, so did its rebellious ethos, with each new generation eager to be more shocking and revolutionary than the last. The peak of rock’s rebellious streak came in the mid-1970s, as the advent of punk completely redefined the genre.
If rock and roll had been a rebellion, then punk rock would have been an all-out revolution, with countless young bands rising from the sticky floors of grassroots music venues eager to tear down the musical establishment. The exact origins of punk are endlessly disputed, but the influence of New York City on the development of the genre cannot be overstated. Early artists like The Velvet Underground and Patti Smith, alongside legendary venues such as CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City, laid the foundations for what would eventually become known as punk.
One of the most notable groups to come from the dark underbelly of New York during this time was the Ramones. Forged in the borough of Queens, the Ramones took the pop sensibilities of the 1960s and imbued those sounds with their own abrasive style and blitzkrieg delivery. They might not have been the most profound group to establish themselves within the punk movement, but the image and distinctive sound of the Ramones was utterly essential in establishing the genre.
Often credited with the release of the ‘first’ punk album, with their eponymous debut in 1976, the Ramones wasted no time in establishing their buzzsaw sound and startlingly fast delivery. In opposition to many of their CBGB contemporaries, the Ramones stuck rigorously to their original sound and ethos, for the most part. Nevertheless, as the band developed, they began to lean into their broad range of influences, particularly 1960s pop and surf rock.
According to Ramones frontman Joey Ramone, the band really hit their stride with pop-inspired punk anthems as they geared up for their incredible sophomore record Rocket To Russia. Arguably their finest work, the album was preceded by an impressive run of singles, including ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’. Penned by Joey himself, the track soon became an anthemic track for the punk scene in New York, firmly establishing the rebellious ethos of punk and pushing it ever further towards the musical mainstream.
Reflecting on the construction of the song, Joey once recalled, “To me, ‘Sheena’ was the first surf/punk rock/teenage rebellion song,” which was a pretty bold claim to make, especially given that the Ramones already had an entire album under their belts by the time ‘Sheena’ hit the record stores. Explaining the songwriting process, he shared, “I combined Sheena, Queen of the Jungle with the primalness of punk rock. Then Sheena is brought into the modern day,” adding, “It was funny because all the girls in New York seemed to change their name to Sheena after that. Everybody was a Sheena”.
It might be needlessly self-aggrandising to classify your own track as the first teenage rebellion song, given the long history of rock and roll that preceded the release of Rocket To Russia, ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’ was undoubtedly an important track in the development of punk rock. Even now, the music of the Ramones manages to convey that feeling of rock and roll rebellion.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Punk Newsletter
All the latest Punk content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.