"Danny Says" is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

written by

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...

. The song was originally released as the third track on the Ramones' 1980 album, ''

End of the Century ''End of the Century'' is the fifth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on February 4, 1980, through Sire Records. The album was the band's first to be produced by Phil Spector, though he had offered the band his assis ...

''. The 2002 Expanded Edition CD of the album includes a demo version of "Danny Says" among the bonus tracks. The song has since been covered and released by the Foo Fighters and

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

Background and content

"Danny Says" is a love song written by singer Joey Ramone at the Tropicana Motel in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

when the Ramones were staying there for the recording of ''End of the Century''. The "Danny" alluded to in the title is the Ramones' manager

Danny Fields Danny Fields (born Daniel Feinberg; November 13, 1939) is an American music manager, publicist, journalist and author. As a music industry executive from the 1960s to the 1980s, he was one of the most influential figures in the history of punk ...

. The romantic inspiration for the song is believed to be Linda Daniele, Joey's girlfriend at the time. Later in Summer 1982 she ended her romantic involvement with Joey to extend her relationship with the band's

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

ist Johnny Ramone who she moved in with in autumn that year."Commando. The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone" Page 97, paragraph 5, Abrams Image books, 2012 Although this virtually stopped dialogue between the two bandmates that was already limited since the time of recording ''End of the Century'', both remained in the Ramones until the band disbanded in 1996.

Lyrical references

At the time Joey was rooming with Arturo Vega in room 100 B of the Tropicana Motel on

Santa Monica Boulevard Santa Monica Boulevard is a major west–east thoroughfare in Los Angeles County. It runs from Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica near the Pacific Ocean to Sunset Boulevard at Sunset Junction in Los Angeles. It passes through Beverly Hills and West Ho ...

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

."The Ramones: ''End of the Century''"
Kurt Loder, ''Rolling Stone'', March 20, 1980. Hence the line in the song, "Hanging out in 100 B". The lyrics include a reference to the late 1960s television series ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...

'' ("Watching Get Smart on TV"). Another reference in the song is to

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

, reflecting the difference at that time of year between where the band were recording in Los Angeles and the Ramones' home town of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

- "It ain't Christmas if there ain't no snow". The lyrics also refer to a character named ''Sheena'' ("Listening to Sheena on the radio"). "

Sheena Is a Punk Rocker "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" is a song by American punk rock band Ramones, released in 1977 through Sire Records. Written by front man and lead vocalist Joey Ramone it appears on the band's third studio album '' Rocket to Russia'' (1977). The song ...

" is a track on the 1977 Ramones album ''

Rocket to Russia ''Rocket to Russia'' is the third studio album by the American punk rock band the Ramones, and was released on November 4, 1977, through Sire Records. Its origins date back to the summer of 1977, when "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" was released as ...

''.

Band member reaction

Johnny later commented on working with

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

on the recording of the album, "It really worked when he got to a slower song like 'Danny Says'—the production really worked tremendously. For the harder stuff, it didn't work as well." When Joey was later asked what were his favorite Ramones songs he was quoted as replying, 'Danny Says' was always a favorite". "Danny Says" has been performed live by each of Joey, C.J. and Richie in post Ramones projects.

Cover versions

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the song with guitarist Chris Shiflett on lead vocals was released by the Foo Fighters as a B-Side of the CD2 version of the " All My Life" single and later a bonus track on the Special Limited Edition of their 2002 '' One by One'' album. "Danny Says" was covered by

and released on disk two of his ''

Orphans An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

'' triple album in 2006. Waits resided in the Tropicana Motel for many years where the Ramones stayed when ''End of the Century'' was recorded.

References

External links

Danny Says chords and lyrics
{{authority control 1980 songs Foo Fighters songs Ramones songs Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Phil Spector Songs written by Joey Ramone Tom Waits songs Songs about business people