Happy 60th Birthday Joey Ramone

Worlds colliding on the backstreets:

Among his many accomplishments, Joey Ramone also played a small but significant role in Bruce Springsteen's musical career, as Bruce himself related in his liner notes for 1995's Greatest Hits: "I met The Ramones in Asbury Park and Joey asked me to write a song for 'em. I went home that night and wrote this. I played it for Jon Landau and, earning his money, he advised me to keep it." The song in question? "Hungry Heart," which in 1980 became the first Top Ten hit both written and recorded by Springsteen

Joey Ramone's own hilarious recollection of asking Bruce for a song, filmed during a 1995 radio interview, appears as part of a bonus video segment on the DVD of End of the Century: The Story of The Ramones, the great no-holds-barred documentary on the triumphs and tragedies of the band's career. In grand punk tradition, Ramone humorously berated "that Landau guy" and remarked that Springsteen "owes us." When the interviewer suggested that perhaps Bruce could sit in with the band sometime, Joey replied that The Ramones didn't want to be onstage with "some Jersey boy screwin' up our song" if he couldn't keep up with their ultra-fast playing. Ramone did, however, conclude the interview on a slightly more serious note by expressing "admiration" for Springsteen.

When discussing the We're a Happy Family Ramones tribute album in the April 2003 issue of UNCUT Magazine, the late Johnny Ramone (who co-led the band with Joey) lamented, "My only regret is not getting Bruce Springsteen, who I wanted to do 'Do You Remember Rock'n'Roll Radio?' It would have been perfect for his style but we didn't know how to get him."