"Rock 'n' Roll High School" is a song by American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

, from the soundtrack album ''

Rock 'n' Roll High School ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' is a 1979 American musical comedy film directed by Allan Arkush, produced by Michael Finnell, and starring P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard and Dey Young. The film features the punk rock group Ramones ...

''. The single did not chart in the U.S. but peaked at number 67 on the UK Singles Chart. There are three versions of the song. The first was recorded in early 1979 by Ed Stasium and was intended for the ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' soundtrack. This version opens with an extended drum beat first, with Joey eventually singing the opening line, "rock, rock, rock, rock, rock 'n' roll high school". This is also the version they usually performed live. This version was not issued until the 1988 compilation album '' Ramones Mania''. The second version is a slight remix of the Ed Stasium version by producer

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

, who produced The Ramones' next album '' End of the Century''. This version features Spector's

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

mixing technique and was the version featured on the ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' soundtrack album and accompanying 7" single. The third version is a complete re-recording by Phil Spector for the ''End of the Century'' album. This version opens with a long, sustained guitar chord and has a slightly different arrangement. This version was featured in the music video for the song. In the music video, drummer

Marky Ramone Marc Steven Bell (born July 15, 1952), better known as Marky Ramone, is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust (band), Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell ...

, dressed in drag, plays the role of the female teacher. Three of the band members' girlfriends/wives can also be seen; Dee Dee's first wife Vera Boldis, Johnny's then-girlfriend Roxy and Joey's then-girlfriend (who later married bandmate Johnny) Linda Ramone. The only time the Spector-produced version was played was on '' The Sha Na Na Show'', where the band mimed the song. The Ramones performed the song on ''

The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music series broadcast by the BBC. It was devised by producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough, and aired on BBC2 from ...

'' in 1980.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

Film theme songs 1979 singles 1979 songs Ramones songs Songs written by Johnny Ramone Songs written by Dee Dee Ramone Songs written by Joey Ramone Song recordings produced by Ed Stasium Songs about rock music Songs about school Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements {{1970s-single-stub