I don’t care what anyone says, Joey Ramone is a stud.

His lanky legs, long hair, dramatic shades, tight pants, and staggering vocal cords were enough to get me hooked. Ramones was the Ramones album I was introduced to, and “Blitzkrieg Bop” was the first track that tickled my eardrums. I listened to that track so many times I could sing it word for word in perfect harmony with Joey’s deep, destructive voice.

At the time, I was too young to understand what any of the words really meant, but I could dance around my room and jump on my bed for hours to the monstrously magnificent melody. I screamed from the top of my lungs, “Hey! Ho! Let’s go,” while imagining that I was present at one of their performances at New York’s legendary CBGB bar. The album led me to release a sort of energy I never knew I had.

The songs were fast and short, but after the tracks ended, the musical masterpieces lingered in my memory. The Ramones’ use of repetition in lyrics allowed me to pick them up quickly, which made the album even more enjoyable. I became so engulfed in the band’s music through this self-titled album that I was just in need of more Ramones.

Eventually, I popped most of the Ramones’ musical library into my CD player, and my ears would explode with the thrashing, heart jolting, dance-driven anthems.

Why sit around? “Let’s Dance.”

— by Alissa Rosen