We’re rolling right along with the Halloween Countdown! Here we are at day 9, and I don’t know about you, but I am having a blast with this! Next up on the countdown is a song written for a soundtrack that became one of the Ramones biggest hits, despite being despised by many of their hard-core fans.
Number 12: The Ramones – Pet Semetary
The Ramones are probably best known for being the forefathers of punk music and for their legendary live performances. They were regulars at CBGB- playing over 70 dates between August and December of 1974. Most of their sets lasted less than 20 minutes, but they were loud, fast, and wholly different.
While critically acclaimed, they achieved limited commercial success, but developed a deep and loyal fan base. One of those fans is Stephen King. During one of their tours through New England, King invited the band to his home in Bangor, Maine, and gave Dee Dee Ramone a copy of his book, Pet Semetary. The story goes that Dee Dee went off to the basement and came back an hour later with this song. It was given a more “commercial” style during production, to better fit for radio and film release – which drew more fans, but didn’t altogether please the existing ones.
Pet Semetary, to me, is one of Stephen King’s most terrifying books, so I never saw the movie. I came to this song like most everyone else, I heard it on the radio. No, it doesn’t sound quite like other Ramones tunes- it’s still short and loud, but not quite as thrashing or hard-core as their signature songs. But I still love it, and play it every Halloween.
From their 1989 release, Brain Drain, here are the Ramones with “Pet Semetary.” Enjoy!
The Countdown
- 20) Eels – Fresh Blood
- 19) Squirrel Nut Zippers – Hell
- 18) Tom Waits – Whistlin’ Past The Graveyard
- 17) Donovan – Season Of The Witch
- 16) Jeremy Messersmith – Organ Donor
- 15) Neville Brothers – Voodoo
- 14) Siouxsie & The Banshees – Eve White Eve Black
- 13) The Adverts – Gary Gilmore’s Eyes
- 12) The Ramones – Pet Semetary
