"I Wanna Be a NY Ranger" is the eighth

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by American

horror punk Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered b ...

band

Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...

. It was written by

John Cafiero John Cafiero is an American punk rock musician and filmmaker. He is best known as the frontman for the punk supergroup Osaka Popstar, whose debut album was released the summer 2006. The full album lineup toured the UK in September 2006, followe ...

and originally intended to be performed by the Ramones for a promotional campaign for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

and Madison Square Garden. However, the Ramones retired in 1996 and Cafiero instead presented the song to the Misfits, who recorded it with Cafiero singing lead vocals. A condensed 30-second version with then-Misfits singer

Michale Graves Michael Emanuel (born March 21, 1975), better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist for the 1990s re-incarnation of the horror punk band Misfits from 1995 to 2000, leaving briefly ...

on vocals appeared later that year on the ''

Short Music for Short People ''Short Music for Short People'' is a 1999 compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Somet ...

'' compilation.

Background

John Cafiero had originally written "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger" with the intention for it to be recorded by the Ramones as an anthem for the New York Rangers

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team. The song is a punk rock interpolation of the

military cadence In the United States armed services, a military cadence or cadence call is a traditional call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching. In the United States, these cadences are sometimes called jody calls or jo ...

"Airborne Ranger", inspired by the simplicity of older Ramones songs such as "Beat on the Brat". However, the Ramones retired in 1996 before the project came to fruition. Cafiero had by then made an association with the Misfits, directing the music videos for their songs "American Psycho" and "

Dig Up Her Bones "Dig Up Her Bones" is the seventh single by the punk rock band the Misfits. It was the first single released by the re-formed lineup of the band, after the original incarnation broke up in 1983. It was the only single released from their 1997 a ...

" from their 1997 album '' American Psycho''. He presented "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger" to them, and the song was recorded in May 1998 at Proedge, the band's machine shop and rehearsal studio in

Vernon Township, New Jersey Vernon Township is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located about one hour's drive from New York City and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population wa ...

. It was tracked live to tape with Cafiero providing the vocals in place of regular singer

, and was mixed by drummer

Dr. Chud David Calabrese (born April 4, 1964), known professionally as Dr. Chud, is an American horror punk drummer best known for his work with the Misfits. Life and career Born in Lodi, New Jersey, Dr. Chud attended Lodi High School. His career beg ...

at Creepy Attic Studios in

Lodi, New Jersey Lodi (; ) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 24,136, Approximately 100 promotional CD copies of the single were produced in connection with a campaign for the Rangers and Madison Square Garden. ''Beckett Hockey Monthly'' wrote a review of the song, calling it "classic 'Fits, a minute and a half of hook-laden power punk perfect for revving up a crowd." The song was also the subject of a two-page article in the April 2002 issue of ''

Hit Parader ''Hit Parader'' was an American music magazine that operated between 1942 and 2008. A monthly publication, it focused on rock and pop music in general until the 1970s, when its focus began turning to hard rock and heavy metal. By the early 1980s ...

'', for which

Jerry Only Gerald Caiafa Jr. (born April 21, 1959), better known by his stage name Jerry Only, is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the Misfits and later the vocalist as well. He is the only member to appear in every Misfits lineup. Biog ...

and Cafiero were invited to the Rangers locker room at Madison Square garden for a photo shoot and interview along with members of the team. However, the Rangers' marketing department objected to the use of the word "danger" in the lyrics: ''"I wanna be a New York Ranger / I wanna live a life of danger"''. Cafiero and the Misfits refused to alter the lyrics, and as a result ownership of the song was never signed over. "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger" was released at a time when Michale Graves was rumored to have quit the Misfits to attend hockey camp, having been a longtime fan of the sport and an amateur league player. Although the song had been written several years earlier, Graves' absence from the recording, along with the ironic subject matter of the song, further fueled these rumors. Graves soon dispelled the rumors and returned to the band, who recorded a condensed 30-second version of the song with Graves on vocals, titled "NY Ranger", for the ''

'' compilation album. The full-length version with Cafiero was released two years later on the Misfits compilation album ''

Cuts from the Crypt ''Cuts From the Crypt'' is a collection of demos, formerly unreleased tracks and cover songs by the American horror punk band Misfits. All the album's tracks were recorded by the band in the years following their reformation without original sin ...

'' at the request of the band's label Roadrunner Records.

Track listing

Personnel

Band

* Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein – guitar *

– bass guitar *

– drums

Additional musicians

– vocals

References

{{authority control Songs about hockey players New York Rangers Songs about New York City 1998 songs Misfits (band) songs Horror punk songs Songs written by John Cafiero