“Do You Wanna Dance?” by Ramones

With the school year coming to an end and the excited anticipation of summer around the corner, I couldn’t help but think of the 1979 musical comedy Rock 'n' Roll High School and The Ramones. They were the first group I ever paid to see and, like my first kiss and summer love, they too are thought upon fondly.

Most bands come together with a mutual love of music, and then slowly develop their style. Not the Ramones. When they formed, they could barely play their instruments, then cleverly marketed the gritty imagery of New York City’s working class. It wasn’t just their limited musicianship, but their love of early Rock & Roll that helped create an entirely new take on the genre, and the reason most musical historians consider them the founders of Punk Rock.
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I adore their version of Bobby Freeman’s classic, and although it wasn’t featured on their brilliant first album, it should have been. I especially like the vocals. It’s well documented that Joey wasn’t much of a singer, but his performance is memorable and when the rest of the group joins in, you can hear their love for Freeman’s work and maybe days gone by.