Rockaway Beach (song)

"Rockaway Beach" is a song by the American punk rock band the Ramones from their 1977 album Rocket to Russia. The song was written by bassist Dee Dee Ramone in the style of the Beach Boys and early surf rock bands. The song is about Rockaway Beach, Queens, where Dee Dee liked to spend time. Guitarist Johnny Ramone claimed that Dee Dee was "the only real beachgoer" in the group. Released in 1977, it was the Ramones' highest-charting single in their career, peaking at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100. In June, 2013, the song was used in a radio ad campaign sponsored by Queens Economic Development Corporation to promote recovery from Hurricane Sandy by drawing New Yorkers back to Rockaway Beach.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Cover versions

"Rockaway Beach" has been covered by:

• American punk rock band The Queers (who covered the entire Rocket to Russia album in 1994 on Rocket to Russia)
• American garage punk band Dead End Kids on the 2001 tribute Ramones Maniacs
• American punk rock band The Huntingtons (who covered a number of other Ramones songs on Rocket to Ramonia)
• Morrissey collaborator and former Polecat, Boz Boorer
• Canadian rock band Deja Voodoo (also in Finnish)
• Swedish rock band Sahara Hotnights
• German punk band Die Toten Hosen on its "Alles wird vorübergehen" single
• Spanish rock band Siniestro Total (in Spanish, under the title "Rock en Samil", a popular beach near the group's hometown Vigo in Galicia)
• Japanese bands Lolita No. 18 and Shonen Knife.

In 1994 Joey Ramone, in a duet with R&B artist General Johnson, released a Carolina beach music version of the song as part of the album "Godchildren of Soul." And also German punk band Zeltinger Band on its Müngersdorfer Stadion single.

References