Music / End of the Century

This is rock 'n' roll radio, let's rock 'n' roll with the Ramones!

End of the Century is the fifth studio album by the Ramones, released in 1980. It was produced by Phil Spector. It's a Lighter and Softer New Sound Album compared to the band's previous output and therefore seen as controversial among fans. Even Joey and Johnny Ramone didn't particularly like most of the songs they recorded on this album. Nevertheless it did manage to become their most commercially successful album worldwide. The record is best known for the hits "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?" and "Rock 'N' Roll High School".

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Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?" (3:50)
2. "I'm Affected" (2:51)
3. "Danny Says" (3:06)
4. "Chinese Rock" (2:28)
5. "The Return Of Jackie And Judy" (3:12)
6. "Let's Go" (2:31)

Side Two

1. "Baby, I Love You" (3:47)
2. "I Can't Make It On Time" (2:32)
3. "This Ain't Havana" (2:18)
4. "Rock 'N' Roll High School" (2:38)
5. "All The Way" (2:29)
6. "High Risk Insurance" (2:08)

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Bonus Tracks (2001 Expanded Edition):

1. "I Want You Around (Soundtrack Version)" (3:05)
2. "Danny Says (Demo)" (2:19)
3. "I'm Affected (Demo)" (2:47)
4. "Please Don't Leave (Demo)" (2:22)
5. "All The Way (Demo)" (2:31)
6. "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio? (Demo)" (3:43)
7. "End Of The Century Radio Promo" (0:59)

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Principal Members:

• Dee Dee Ramone - bass, vocals
• Joey Ramone - lead vocals
• Johnny Ramone - guitar
• Marky Ramone - drums

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Tropes Of The Century:

• Album Title Drop: "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?"
  It's the end, the end of the century.
• Continuity Nod:
  • "Danny Says" references "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" from the album Rocket to Russia.
  • "This Ain't Havana" is a Call-Back to "Havana Affair" from Ramones (1976).
  • "The Return of Jackie and Judy" references and updates the stories of Jackie and Judy from "Judy is a Punk" from their first album.
• Cover Version: "Chinese Rocks", a Richard Hell cover (co-written by Dee Dee Ramone) and "Baby, I Love You", a cover by The Ronettes.
• Design Student's Orgasm: The cover was designed by Mick Rock.
• Face on the Cover: The album cover just shows a picture of the band.
• Fake Radio Show Album: "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?" kicks off the album with a radio announcer voice saying: "This is rock 'n' roll radio. Let's rock 'n' roll with the Ramones" and closing off by saying: "This is rock 'n' roll radio. Stay tuned for more rock 'n' roll."
• Lighter and Softer: Compared to the band's previous output the music sounds not as loud. Some tracks even have different musical arrangements, like the violins in "Baby I Love You".
• Name and Name: "The Return Of Jackie and Judy".
• New Sound Album: Compared to the band's previous output there's more attempt to appeal to a wider audience and trying out different instrumentations.
• Nostalgia Filter: "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?", a nostalgic Homage to radio stations who played rock 'n' roll.
• Ode to Intoxication: "Chinese Rock", about heroin, though more as document than openly praise.
• One-Man Song: "Danny Says".
• Out-of-Genre Experience: As the titles may indicate, "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?" and "Rock 'N' Roll High School" are closer to classic Rock & Roll, as opposed to their usual Punk Rock.
• Pep-Talk Song: "High Risk Insurance".
  You gotta fight to stay independent
  I got my pride and I'm gonna defend it.
• The Power of Love: "Danny Says", "Baby, I Love You".
• Questioning Title?: "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?"
• Real Life Writes the Plot: "Danny Says" is an allusion to the Ramones' manager Danny Fields.
• Record Producer: Phil Spector, who had previously produced the song "Baby, I Love You" when married to singer Ronnie Spector.
• Sequel Song: "The Return Of Jackie And Judy" is a sequel to "Judy is a Punk" from their first album.
• Shout-Out:
  • "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio" references Murray the K, John Lennon, Jerry Lee Lewis, T. Rex, The Barbarians, Alan Freed and shows like "Hullabaloo", "Shindig!", "Upbeat" and "The Ed Sullivan Show".
  • "Danny Says" alludes to Get Smart ("Watching 'Get Smart' on TV") and also references their song "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" from their album Rocket to Russia.
  Listening to Sheena on the radio.
  • Tom Waits covered "The Return Of Jackie And Judy" and "Danny Says" on his Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006) album.
  • The 1979 rock music film/comedy Rock 'n' Roll High School was named after the eponymous song from this album.
  • The 2003 documentary about The Ramones was named "End Of The Century".
• Spoken Word in Music: "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?" starts with the sound of a (pre-digital) radio being tuned between stations, finally settling on a radio DJ introducing the song with, "This IS Rock'n'Roll Radio; come on, let's rock and roll with the Ramones!"; it also ends with the DJ saying, "This is Rock'n'Roll Radio; stay tuned for more rock and roll."
• Stock Sound Effects: "Let's Go" ends with an explosion and artillery.
• Sucky School: "Rock 'N' Roll High School".
  I hate the teachers and the principal
  Don't wanna be taught to be no fool.
• Take That!: "High Risk Insurance":
  Got no love for the enemy nation.

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