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Songfacts:  You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

The Ramones wrote this as a salute to their fans. It is about having a good time at a show.

Some fans interpret the song differently, however, as "Blitzkrieg" is a German term for Lighting War. The Blitzkrieg was Hitler's army and in this interpretation, the Bop in the song is the march that the soldiers do. Here's a look:
Hey ho, let's go (meaning the soldiers marching)
They're forming in a straight line (the soldiers are standing in a line)
They're going through a tight wind (cars going down the auto-bahn)
The kids are losing their minds (boys being turned into soldiers by hitler)
The Blitzkrieg Bop (the soldiers march)
They're piling in the back seat (people piling into vehicles to get on the auto-bahn and soldiers piling into vehicles)
They're generating steam heat (the engines were so hot they started to steam)
Pulsating to the back beat (everyone is getting pumped for war)
Shoot'em in the back now (Hitler being shot)
What they want, I don't know (why Hitler was in the war)
They're all revved up and ready to go (the soldiers getting ready to fight)
(thanks, josh - hibbing, MN)

The Ramones' famous chant, "Hey, Ho, Let's Go!" is a big part of this song. They wanted their own chant after hearing "Saturday Night" by The Bay City Rollers, which had the chant "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y, Night."

Joey Ramone: "I hate to blow the mystique, but at the time we really liked bubblegum music, and we really liked The Bay City Rollers. Their song 'Saturday Night' had a great chant in it, so we wanted a song with a chant in it: 'Hey! Ho! Let's Go!'. 'Blitzkrieg Bop' was our 'Saturday Night'."

Tommy Ramone: "I wrote 'Blitzkrieg Bop,' but Dee Dee contributed the title and he changed one line. There was a line that went, 'They're shouting in the back now.' He changed it to 'Shoot 'em in the back now,' which is a non sequitur. But to him it made sense. (thanks, Katie - Gasoline Alley, Australia, for above 2)

This was the Ramones' first single. It is also the first song on their first album.

This is one of the most enduring Punk songs. Punk music was popular in the late '70s, and groups like The Ramones had a very loyal following.

Johnny Ramones' guitar, which was highly distorted, is on the left channel, the rest of the band is on the right.

The album cost $6,400 to make.

This was featured in the 2001 movie Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. It was used in a scene where Jimmy and his friends go on a rampage of fun.

The New York Yankees baseball team often plays this when one of their big hitters is coming to the plate. Johnny Ramone is a huge fan of the Yankees.

Green Day performed this at the 2002 ceremonies when The Ramones were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

In 2003, this was used in commercials for AT&T Wireless.

Rob Zombie covered this song on the album A Tribute To Ramones (We're A Happy Family). (thanks, Brian - Halton, Canada)

Comments:

That the late lead singer Joey Ramone was Jewish is widely known. But Beeber reveals that the mysterious Tommy Ramone, the mastermind behind the leather-clad foursome that bashed out such classics as "Blitzkrieg Bop," "Beat on the Brat" and "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," not only is a Jew but the child of Holocaust survivors. Erdélyi kept his Jewish identity so well concealed that not even Danny Fields, the Ramone's first manager (himself a Jew), knew of Tommy Ramone's religious background until now. That Tommy Ramone would want to keep his Judaism hidden makes sense. He was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1949, and his parents, both professional photographers, barely escaped from the clutches of the Nazis by hiding out with friends during the war. Most of Erdélyi's family perished in the Holocaust. Yes this is true, and yes, Tommy Ramone wrote Blitzkrieg Bop to spit in the face of the two Ramones that weren't Jewish, by masking the song to look like a good ol' punk party bop. Kill all Nazis forever, and Tommy and Joey will live on forever, spit on those German bastards.
- bmn, Hisuan, Argentina

This song is not about nazis. It's just bubble-gum fun- very simple, very catchy. Tah-duh. Oh, and James, from OK- you're not German. You can tell, because you say Blitzkrieg is spelled wrong. I lived in Germany for two years- and it's not. Blitzkrieg is spelled as it is pronounced in German- with a long e sound. If you switched the i and the e, it would be more like Frankenstein. Leave the German spelling to those of us who have lied there.
- Meg, Dallas, GA

LOL. I hear you on the conventional/mainstream intrepreation of this high energy classic. However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to acknowledge that the Wehrmacht and the Schutzstaffel ran their Blitzkrieg(Lightning War) fierce and formidable war machinery under the influence of Crystal Meth, specifically in pillform generated as Pervertin. The 'Blitzkrieg Bop' imho, is a reference to the amphetamine ridden raw strength and energy that fueled the dynamics of the Ramones and other punk rock bands of that era. Speed may kill but it sure made for one hell of a performance generated by the hands of those rebel/punk types that ruled that era. The 'Blitzkrieg Rock', imho, was a masterpiece of simplicity that resonated within the inner depths of the denizens of punk rock fandom in that not so long ago era, just as it does to this day, mirroring the zeitgeist of those chaotic yet fun times. Punk music was alarmingly fast and so were the pseudo musicians who played it's simplistic chords. Ken in Keller
- Ken, Keller, TX

i absolutly love the ramones they rock and i love johnny you are my favorite hands down so sad that he died but his spirite still rocks on
- abigail, not allowed to say, PA

well harrison from Dallas i hate to burst ur bubble here but Johnny picked the people that would cover the songs on the We're A Happy Family album... so he probably wasn't disgusted judging by the fact that he was good friends with Rob Zombie.
- Kit, uniontown, PA

no the cover rob zombie did was horrible and i think the ramones would be discusted if they heard it
- harrison, dallas, TX

punk anthem! the ramones rock!
- CJ, West Haven, CT

I just think this is a great song. And its been in a ton of films, I dont think I could name them all. Even people who dont know/care at all about the Ramones or punk or rock n' roll in general know this song, so I guess its The Ramones anthem in a way!
- Malicious Matt, Squatney

It still makes me feel like driving at 120 mph! GOD BLESS the RAMONES! PURE ROCKnROLL!!
- dave, san antonio, TX

But to him it made sense.......lol..........sorry i thought that was really funny...........i miss the ramones so much and i love their music..... this is defintly a classic song......they truly are legends.....and there not all angry like those other bands there all about having fun even if some of them were a little bit messed up in the head i guess but every song by the ramones is catchy and well worth listening to........they should have been up their with the beatles but they weren't........oh well.......it's still alright to stay underground........i don't know what else to say about the ramones there one of the best bands ever made and they are defintly the best band of the 70s and 80s when alot of the music was disco and pop.......i love you ramones and i always will........ if you have not heard the ramones yet or any other songs by them besides this one download some or something and listen to some real music.
- joe, chicago, AR

Dee Dee was raised in Germany, that might have some importance to the song(though I think it was ust a fun song). Blitzkrieg is an odd/funny word, they might have just liked it. cool song great band
- Lizz, Tampa, FL

not all the ramones were jewish....only joey.and I really do hope you know that they are not all related and none of thier names are actually ramone (jeffry hymen "joey" and john cummings "johnny") are 2 examples
- Spencer, McBride, Canada

it doesnt have to do with nazis..but the ramones were all jewish so its pretty ironic that they sing about Blitzkrieg which means "lightening war"..they chose the name cause the song was fast..i mean really...jews singing about nazis?
- Jeff, Sothington, CT

Well, actually (sorry for saying this late) all the people that were confused about "Shoot them in the back now, it was originally "They're shouting in the back now" which made no sense. In sports to intimidate opposing teams, people would "shoot them in the back".
- Bob, Rio Vista, CA

This song was covered by Rob Zombie on his Past, Present, & Future CD. And it was done well by both the Ramones and Zombie! Great tune overall!
- Robbi, Small Town, IN

The Ramones are great. One of the original punk bands. (as well as one of the last punk bands)
- Jon, Oakridge, OR

If you played the music to Blitzkrieg Bop backwards, it would end up sounding like "Welcome to Paradise" by Green Day.
- Bob, Rio Vista, CA

The Ramones are so cool!
- Dylan, perth, Australia

It has nothing to do with the Nazi party or hitler, It's about having a good time going wild.. It is called blitzkreig bop because it is a fast song.
- Tom, Auckland, New Zealand

These guys are pretty much my favorite band and this is one of their best loved songs. What more is there to say? Besides, all you other people have said just about everything else.
- Christina, Arnold, MD

I think this is a song to get you energized for the event you are about to do. Bomb the sh*t out of Poland, play Tony Hawk 3, Go to a Kiss concert or any concert for that matter, gang fighting, playing sports, or whatever. And Zach from Charlotte: lay off the Clash
- Johnny, Los Angeles, CA

In refereance to the lyrics of Blitzkreig Bop in Pet semetary, Stephen King is a huge Ramones fan. He wrote the forward in the Ramones tribute album, and was friends with the Ramones. Also, the very title (Pet semetary) is a Ramones song.
- Stephen, Chateauguay, Canada

the ramones actually were kinda politically active, "bonzo goes to bitburg" is about what a screwed up president reagan was. but no matter what "blitzkreig" means, can we all just agree thats its an awesome song and quit arguing?
- rose, pittsboro, NC

Many punk bands used Nazi references, such as the Sex Pistols song Belsen Was a Gas. But it used clearly for shock value and that's it. The Ramones always were the most mainstream of the big punk bands because of their ablity to make bubblegum-ish punk that was palatible for most music fans.
- Nathan, Defiance, OH

You guys are retarded. Its about having fun at a punk rock concert. Thats all it ever has or ever will be it has nothing to do with anything about Germany or Hitler or WW2 at all. If you think it does you have no idea what it is you are talking about, the Ramones were never that politically influential they left that up to bands like The Clash who faded away way earlier even though they came way after the Ramones, being a political punk band can only last so long because accepting society as it is is all a part of growing up so the way the Ramones did what they could to stay away from becoming a political punk band was quite frankly genius
- Zachary, Charlotte, NC

Blitzkrieg is the famous German "Lightning War" tactic (not really a tactic, more like a massive overwhelming bum rush) Lines and lines of bombers would fly over and scare the crap out of everyone, hopefully destroying fortifications, AA guns, blah blah blah. Squad of tanks drive down the streets to intimitade the enemy , major positions taken, Soldats flood the streets, harrass the people break into houses and kill inocent but important people. Then they set up camp and search all of the houses, stock up n stuff
- Kendall, thomasville, GA

I honestly could care less if its about Nazis, "lightnigng battles" or whatever, I love this song, and in my Dictionary the definiton of "Blitzgrieg" is Hey Ho Lets Go!
- Marvin, Trenton, NJ

no. this song is about nazis ("forming up a strait line,""shoot them in the back now,""blitzkrieg"). the picture painted by the lyrics is the modernist version of fascist Germany painted in history books and contemporary art. it isnt about some rock show. check the lyrics and your definition (and spelling) of Blitzkrieg.
- James, Enid, OK

I might as well tell you all the definition of blitzkreig, since you all seem to misunderstand. I learned this while studying about WWII in school. Yes, blitzkreig translated is lightning (or lightning war) but the definition is basicly, to win a battle in a very short time, and move on to the next battle. Anyway, I believe what this song is about, is about the band itself. Like it said before, the Ramones wanted their chant in the song, so they had it. It also is about how quickly they travel from one consert to another. Hence the name "blitzkeeig bop." Blitzkrieg for the speed of their travel from one city to another, and Bop, for music. As for the line "Shoot 'em in the back now," I can't realy say. Like it says in the fact list, it only made sence to Dee Dee. I'll leave it at that.
- Michael Jones, Berlin, MD

My guess is that the Ramones probably didn't really know what "blitzkrieg" really meant! But knew it was German circa WW2,it fitted and could be offensive. To me its about dancing about in a fast car,loud music...
- Craig, Dunedin, New Zealand

it's "hey-ho, let's go!" not hi-ho.
- Laura, White Plains, NY

this is possibly one of the most awesome songs, ever
- spalding, belle mead, NJ

I could sing the whole song before i knew it was ramones who had made it.. haha, its because it was in the playstation 2 game "Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3" and i heard it like 10 times a day for 3 weeks
- Sebastian, Copenhagen, Denmark

"lightning attacks" wasnt where hitler bombed a nation non-stop, lightning attacks meant that he would line up thousand of squadrons and tank divisions and infantry and just overwhelm the enemy,he would just attack very fast and focus on one place, in this case poland
- eddy, sf, CA

Joey didn't die from drugs. He had lymphatic cancer.
- Katie, New South Wales, Australia

I was reading a book that had explanations of songs and it explained that this was about gangs, and gang fights, not any other reasons. lines like "shoot him in the back now.." support that.
- peter, fort worth, TX

Marky Ramone is still alive and in pretty good health. He's been touring alot lately with his band the SPEEDKINGS, and he's been doing alot of spoken word shows about his life with the RAMONES. Also, Tommy, their original drummer is still alive and doing well. LONG LIVE THE RAMONES!
- Phillip, Louisville, KY

Is Marky still alive? Oh, all the Ramones are dead now, this is so terrible, it makes me want to donate a bunch of money to a Prostate Cancer charity. At least Johnny didn't die from drugs...
- Mariah, Miami, FL

ROCK ON JOHNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We Miss You
- Daniel, Cape Breton, Canada

Actually, "Blitzkrieg" means "lightning war," not "lightning." And it wasn't continuous bombing, it was more of a hit & run strategy, strike an area then leave before anyone can respond. And it's not even what the song's really about anyway. It's about going to a punk show and having fun.
- Brian, Portland, OR

Lyrics from the song, most prominently the "Hi-ho, let's go!", are in the thoughts of protagonist Louis Creed in Stephen King's 1983 novel Pet Sematary. The song and its lyrics are absent from the movie.
- Michael, Oceanport, NJ

Also features in the movie "Detroit Rock City"
- Katie, Goulburn, Australia

no its not they just use that word symbollicly---
- josh, bel air, MD

This song is included in part of the soundtrack for the playstation 2 game, tony hawk's pro skater 3.
- gimpy, cloquet, MN

This is about the German "blitzkreig" or "lightning" attacks in WWII where Hitler just bombed a nation nonstop, such as in Poland.
- ?, NYC, NY