Where the song really began to find success outside of the niche punk following of the Ramones, was through the use of it in films, video games, and television shows. If you go to any YouTube video playing the Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop” you are sure to find comments discussing which film or game led them to find the song. Some are even titled as simple as “hey ho, let’s go song” referring to the memorable and easily recognizable chanting.
Below are a few examples of films that have helped “Blitzkrieg Bop” to become a memorable punk song.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Highschool
The first introduction of “Blitzkrieg Bop” to the film industry was done through the 1979 film Rock ‘n’ Roll Highschool, which also starred the Ramones. The group also did a number of other songs for the soundtrack of the film, but the standout and the first song to be played during their in-film concert was “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Playing along with the punk themes of rebellion, the plot of the movie centers around the Ramones overthrowing a school after an oppressive principal takes away a student’s ticket to see the band.
Klips!. “Ramones | Blitzkrieg Bop & Teenage Lobotomy (From Rock N’ Roll High School Movie).” YouTube video, 04:13. 3/18/2019. URL.
As shown in the video above, the students of the school are all gathered in the gym to see the Ramones put on a show, but before the music starts you can hear them all chanting “hey ho, let’s go.” Along with the chanting, the rowdy students are also pumping their fists and jumping up and down, mostly as a sign of rebellion against their school administration. For context, the film centers around a power-hungry school principal that takes Ramones tickets away from a couple of students. When the Ramones hear about this, they join the school and overthrow the faculty to put their concert on in school. Once a school in peril, they are brought together by the Ramones for this concert prevailing against the school system.
When the performance does begin, the sound is raw and unpolished, even more so than the rough studio version. However, this is all more than fitting for an impromptu gymnasium performance. “Blitzkrieg Bop” in this scene shows the grit of the crowd, almost in the form of an uprising. It’s perfect for an introductory concert song to hype up the audience. In the final act of rebellion, once their performance is wrapped up, they blow up the school.
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Aside from Rock ‘n’ Roll Highschool, the hit film National Lampoon’s Vacation helped “Blitzkrieg Bop” to gain traction, which grossed over $60,000,000 at the box office, with the song being featured on the official soundtrack for the movie.
The soundtrack was released on vinyl in 1983, although we were unable to track down its sales numbers. Today, however, it can be seen sold on eBay for as much as $89.
Why was this song chosen for the film? For some context, the movie involves the Griswold family on a road trip through the country. Being a multi-day trip, and only on the first day, there is lots of driving to do. While today’s children could just play games on their smart devices, that wasn’t an option for the Griswold kids. As Mr. and Mrs. Griswold begin to sing a song from their childhood, their children are quickly bored and put on headphones as the diegetic sounds of guitar and drums from “Blitzkrieg Bop” play.
Their heads bob to the beat as the chanting of “hey ho, let’s go” begins, and the camera zooms out of the car to see panning shots of it across the freeway. Tired of their parents, they use this song to block out their voices and become content with their new song selection. While we don’t hear them say anything, the audience can assume the kids are happily envisioning a world that they can control as their eyes close to the music. This song is also used to develop high contrast, as the high tempo of it eventually fades away into silence as the camera goes back to a close-up scene inside of the car, with no music playing.
While it was mostly artistic choice for the directors to use this song, it did bring attention to it seven years past its initial release date to a new group of fans. The rest of the soundtrack primarily consisted of new wave and pop sounds that coincided with the 80s, so the stripped-down and rough timbre of “Blitzkrieg Bop” made it stand out from the rest.
“National Lampoon’s Best Movies.” Movie TV News and Interviews Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed April 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20150812183034/http://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/national-lampoons-best-movies/.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
One of the most recent uses of “Blitzkrieg Bop” in the film industry was in the 2017 hit film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, which brought in over $880,000,000.
Unlike the previous two films that have been discussed, this time the song was not listed for the official soundtrack, but it still makes for being a memorable part of the film.
Fair warning, if you have not seen the movie this clip may show some spoilers.
As seen here, Peter Parker is putting on his new Spider-man suit, upon which his Aunt May walks in, who was previously unaware of his powers and secret identity. Just as she explains “what the…” the scene cuts to the end credits to the tune of “Blitzkrieg Bop.” It’s the perfect song to merge with the chaos of the last scene, as it begins already underway with its chorus. The rapidly changing animations of the credits strongly reflect the upbeat style of the Ramones. It even shows the “sign of the horns” in an animated Spider-man hand, which is a common symbol for punk rock and was also shown in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Highschool concert scene.
This hand symbol has mixed origins in the world of punk rock and metal, it can also be traced back to 1960s Spider-man comics. Gene Simmons from KISS said that he took this symbol from the comics. While Spider-man is considered to be a hero, he can be destructive in the nature of the villains he attracts and the chaos that envelops his city. Much like the Ramones and their punk nature, they are both highly praised by their fans but have some strong critics.
People unfamiliar with Marvel films may think of ending credits to be irrelevant, and therefore not listen to the song, but they are a bit different from most ending scenes. Marvel places bonus clips at the end of their credits that hint toward future films, which means most fans will still be on the edge of their seat at the theaters still paying full attention to the screen. The rapid energy for the song is a great way to combat the impatience of fans waiting to see what comes next, making it a memorable part of the film.
Other Media Uses
Ever since “Blitzkrieg Bop” was released it has seemingly been kept afloat and rediscovered by new generations through the use of film. Listed below are some of the most recent samples.
Jimmy Neutron
In the animated 2001 movie Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius the song was featured during a montage of wild events that ensued after all the kids of the town realized all adults were gone. This gave them freedom to do whatever they wanted to, all to the music of the Ramones.
Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 included “Blitzkrieg Bop” as part of the free-skate game mode soundtrack choices. “Skate punk” itself is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the 1990s, so including this song was a good way to pay homage to previous punk rock sounds.
Sonic
Likely the most recent use of “Blitzkrieg Bop” for a large mainstream media project is its appearance in the trailer for the 2020 animated film, Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic has been a character since the ’90s, and is famous for his speed. Although this version of the song was slightly remixed with digital sound elements, the original speed and intensity of it still show through in the trailer as Sonic runs around the world leaving blue flames behind him. With “Blitzkrieg Bop” being named for speed and played at a fast tempo, Sonic is almost the animated character version of the song.
Here are some of the most popular comments that were left on this “Blitzkrieg Bop” video that has over 17 million views.
