No one was better at covers than the Ramones. The first time I tried to get permission to go to a Ramones show my parents, who had been born in 1576, said "hellz no." A few days later I brought my mother a cassette I had made of all the old songs The Ramones had covered, including Let's Dance, California Sun, Do You Wanna Dance, Needles & Pins, Baby I Love You, Little Bit of Soul, Indian Giver and Palisades Park. My mother immediately thought "oh, it's an oldies group, great!" and allowed me to go.I can't believe its taken me this longer with everybody but here we go - your old pal Xmastime will now declare version of every Ramones cover he prefers (except for Acid Eaters, which feels a bit more tiresome since it was a covers album - some good, some great, some terrible, but not in the spirit of putting a cover on a real album.)
RELEASED ON STUDIO ALBUMS
LET’S DANCE
Ramones version: 1976, Ramones | Original: Chris Montez, 1962
I love The Ramones’ version, and it sets what will become their modus operandi for most (okay, all) of their future covers, but there’s just something light/bouncy/fun about the original that’s so damn likable. Also, it’s just about dancing, fellas, I’m not sure we need the full-on Ramones effect here.
Ramones 0, Original 1
CALIFORNIA SUN
Ramones version: 1977, Leave Home | Original: The Rivieras, 1964
This is an example of both the original and the cover being A+ versions; I gotta give the edge to The Ramones here. It just rocks too good; is there another song that rocks so hard and loud but still feels like Summer?
Ramones 1, Original 1
DO YOU WANNA DANCE?
Ramones version: 1977, Rocket to Russia | Original: Bobby Freeman, 1958
This is another one of those songs that seems impossible not to sound great no matter who’s covering it, but The Ramones have owned it for almost 50 years now. Perfect cover of a perfect song.
Ramones 2, Original 1
SURFIN’ BIRD
Ramones version: 1977, Rocket to Russia | Original: The Trashmen, 1963
See DO YOU WANNA DANCE.
Ramones 3, Original 1
NEEDLES AND PINS
Ramones version: 1978, Road to Ruin | Original: Jackie DeShannon, 1963 (a bigger hit for The Searchers, 1964)
Meh. On one hand, by Road to Ruin you’d be a little annoyed at another cover that’s simply “'60s pop hit sped up with Ramones ferocity”, and yet it’s a headscratcher that of all the songs they coulda thought to do this was the one, and then they kinda just did it as close to the original as possible? 🤔🤷♂️
Ramones 3, Original 2
BABY, I LOVE YOU
Ramones version: 1980, End of the Century | Original: The Ronettes, 1963
I love that Phil Spector was obsessed with Joey’s voice. I love they tried it. I even like it. But the original is perfection, and that’s that.
Ramones 3, Original 3
LITTLE BIT O’SOUL
Ramones version: 1983, Subterranean Jungle | Original: The Music Explosion, 1967
Another A+/A+ conundrum; in this case The Ramones’ ferocity makes it a little better, but Joey’s perfect pop singing (was Subterranean Jungle his singing peak?) really takes it over the top.
Ramones 4, Original 3
I NEED YOUR LOVE
Ramones version: 1983, Subterranean Jungle | Original: The Boyfriends, late 1970s
The most confusing of all these entries because it’s the only song nobody had ever heard of when it came out on Subterranean Jungle, I was never able to get my beady little ears on the original until YouTube appeared 25 years later; I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Ramones version, but in this case 1. a tie goes to the runner (the original) 2. it gets slightly dinged because as I said, nobody’d ever heard of The Boyfriends or this song before, and on one hand it’s really cool the Ramones would give another band some much-needed sunshine like this, but it's weird that starting about 8 seconds after Subterranean Jungle was released they never once acknowledged the song or the band ever again, so…🤷♂️
Ramones 4, Original 4
TIME HAS COME TODAY
Ramones version: 1983, Subterranean Jungle | Original: The Chambers Brothers, 1966
An okay cover of an okay song that fits in the “why?” category, it would've been better-served on their later covers album Acid Eaters, which unlike their other covers really made a point of leaning into late-'60s psychedelia. Also – why of all songs did they take the time/money to make a video for this one?
Ramones 4, Original 5
PALISADES PARK
Ramones version: 1989, Brain Drain | Original: Freddy Cannon, 1962
Same as Little Bit O’ Soul, in this case their ferocity makes a great song just a little greater; seems late in their career to be doing this one for some reason, but hey 🤷♂️.
Ramones 5, Original 5
TAKE IT AS IT COMES
Ramones version: 1992, Mondo Bizarro | Original: The Doors, 1967
This is the only Ramones cover they released on a studio album that’s a song I don’t like; tbh I can’t even say Joey’s voice can save this one. Therefore I’m grading it as honestly as I can, with a N/A: I don’t give a shit/let’s just pretend it never happened, much like the album it was released on (except for Poison Heart, obvs.)
I DON’T WANT TO GROW UP
Ramones version: 1995, ¡Adios Amigos! | Original: Tom Waits, 1992
Leading off their final album with a cover is strange, but this is an incredible version of an incredible song; normally I’d say Tom Waits wins since two A+ versions means the tie goes to the original, but in this case the versions are so incredibly different that The Ramones gets the edge for making it so radically different and yet still an A+ version.
Ramones 6, Original 5
I LOVE YOU
Ramones version: 1995, ¡Adios Amigos! | Original: Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, 1977
An okay song seemingly taken from the template of All You Need Is Love for which the lyrical simplicity of the song only really works when you have someone with a voice that sounds like it’s from the angels. Sorry, Johnny.
Ramones 7, Original 5
NOT RELEASED ON STUDIO ALBUMS
COME ON LET’S GO
Ramones version: 1979, Rock ’n’ Roll High School (film) | Original: Ritchie Valens, 1958
Even without Joey singing - he had the flu, although I don’t know why they couldn’t just wait a coupa days & then have him sing it - just as with Palisades Park, in this case their ferocity makes a great song just a little greater.
Ramones 8, Original 5
I GOT YOU BABE (JOEY RAMONE & HOLLY BETH VINCENT)
Ramones version: 1982, non-album single | Original: Sonny & Cher, 1965
A++++ song to start with, and then add Joey’s voice? Yes please! And yes this shouldn’t count since no other Ramone is on the track but this makes up for Joey not being on Come On Let’s Go so if you don’t like it buddy, call the fucking doctor.
Ramones 9, Original 5
INDIAN GIVER
Ramones version: 1987, B-side of “A Real Cool Time” single (later on Ramones Mania, 1988) | Original: 1910 Fruitgum Company, 1969
Another song you think is great as it but suddenly becomes obsolete the second you hear the Ramones version. Joey’s “girl when I was down you said that you would always be there” is in the Ramones Hall of Fame.
Ramones 10, Original 5
STREET FIGHTING MAN
Ramones version: 1985, B-side of “Howling at the Moon” single | Original: The Rolling Stones, 1968
Maybe the charm of Ramones covers was that they always leaned more towards bubblegum than “oh man, we are so young and so angry!”; this feels like a coupla middle-aged dudes sleepwalking through a “we have to do a Stones song” session; I’m sure somewhere there’s a story about Johnny being thrilled they knocked it out in 4 minutes & saved like $1,100.
Ramones 10, Original 6
SPIDER-MAN
Ramones version: 1995, Saturday Morning: Cartoons’ Greatest Hits (tribute album) | Original: 1967 Spider-Man TV theme
N/A. I’m glad they did it, it’s fun but I also couldn’t care less.
R.A.M.O.N.E.S.
Ramones version: 1995, ¡Adios Amigos! (Japanese edition bonus track) | Original: Motörhead, 1991
I didn’t know this song existed until The Ramones played my college in April 1995; after blazing through their hits so fast even I had a hard time hanging on to wtf they were playing, suddenly I hear CJ barking out “R.A.M.O.N.E.S RAMONES!!” (on a side note, his backups throughout the show were incredible) & I’m like “OMG DO THE RAMONES NOW HAVE A SONG CALLED RAMONES???” which, if we’re being honest as Ramones fans, would not necessarily have been a surprise. Of course I quickly learned it was a Motorhead song from 1991. It’s a faithful cover but the band playing a song about themselves & totally pulling it off like only they could mean it’s a “hey sorry Lemmy” from me.
FINAL SCORE: Ramones 11, Original 6
Enjoy this Spotify playlist of all these songs I’ve so very thoughtfully put together for you people and yes, you ARE welcome!!
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