Animal Boy
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''Animal Boy'' is the ninth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American punk band
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
, released through
Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer ...
on May 19, 1986. Due to conflicts within the group, the album features less of lead singer
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 ...
, both in performing and writing, and less performing from guitarist
Johnny Ramone John William Cummings (October 8, 1948 – September 15, 2004), better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American musician who was the guitarist and a founding member of the Ramones, a band that helped pioneer the punk movement. ...
. Bassist
Dee Dee Ramone Douglas Glenn Colvin (September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002), better known by his stage name Dee Dee Ramone, was an American musician. He was the bassist and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. Throughout the band's existence, he w ...
wrote and sang more on this album than on previous albums, and
Richie Ramone Richard Reinhardt (born August 11, 1957) is an American drummer best known by his stage name Richie Ramone, and for being the drummer for the punk band the Ramones from February 1983 until August 1987. As of 2022, he is one of the four survivi ...
became the first drummer to write songs for the band since
Tommy Ramone Thomas Erdelyi (born Tamás Erdélyi; January 29, 1949 – July 11, 2014), known professionally as Tommy Ramone, was a Hungarian American record producer and musician. He was the drummer for the influential punk rock band the Ramones for ...
, the band's original drummer, Richie also wrote for Too Tough To Die (1984). The album spawned four singles, all of which charted on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, as well as other charts. In addition to singles, the band promoted their album using a
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for "Something to Believe In", which parodied the contemporary
benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...
s
Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...
and
Hands Across America Hands Across America was a public fundraising event on Sunday, May 25, 1986, when 5 to 6.5 million people held hands for 15 minutes in an attempt to form a continuous human chain across the contiguous United States. The attempt to have a co ...
. Lyrical themes of the album range from band members' frustrations with one another, themselves, and loved ones, to more politically themed songs—a rarity in Ramones music. "
My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg) "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" is a song by American punk rock band the Ramones. It was issued as a single in the UK by Beggars Banquet Records in mid-1985. The song is an emotionally charged commentary on the Bitburg controversy from earlier that year, ...
" saw the Ramones criticizing U.S. President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
for his controversial visit to a military cemetery in
Bitburg Bitburg (; french: Bitbourg; lb, Béibreg) is a city in Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate approximately 25 km (16 mi.) northwest of Trier and 50 km (31 mi.) northeast of Luxembourg city. The American Spangdahlem ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, despite Johnny Ramone disagreeing with the song's message. Critically, ''Animal Boy'' was not as acclaimed as its predecessor, ''
Too Tough to Die ''Too Tough to Die'' is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released on October 1, 1984, and is the first Ramones record to feature Richie Ramone on drums. With ex-member Tommy Ramone producing (credited ...
'', with some critics quick to point out that the band had strayed far from their original style and were experimenting with several genres by this point. However, the album charted in four different countries, including the United States and United Kingdom.


Background

By 1985, there was a considerable amount of conflict between band members. Lead singer Joey Ramone went so far as to withdraw from the writing process, after having been a vital part of it on previous records. Joey recalled: "I'd had it with the Ramones. 'Mental Hell' is about that. Part of it came from breaking up with hen girlfriendAngela. The other part of it was that I had really had it with the band." In later interviews, however, Joey stated that it was not the conflict that made him stop writing, but rather that he'd had "ideas on the backburner." Bassist Dee Dee Ramone claimed guitarist Johnny Ramone was the reason for much of the stress, alleging that Johnny did not want to do songs Joey wrote for multiple reasons: "Joey will present a great tune and Johnny won't do it because it's this or it's that. 'I'm not going to play minor chords. I'm not going to play lead. I'm not going to come to England.' For God's sake! That's why Joey gotta do his solo album." Consequently, the somewhat recently added drummer Richie Ramone stepped up to the writing process, resulting in the hit song "
Somebody Put Something in My Drink "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" is a song by the Ramones from their 1986 album ''Animal Boy''. The song also appears on the Ramones compilation album ''Ramones Mania''. Written by Ramones drummer Richie Ramone, who had joined the band in 1983, ...
," released as a single and later appearing on the band's first compilation album, ''
Ramones Mania ''Ramones Mania'' is the first greatest hits album by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released on May 31, 1988 through Sire Records and consists of 30 Ramones songs, including some single versions ("Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," " Ne ...
'' (1988). "Joey was always encouraging me to write songs," explained Richie, "but I didn't really need the encouragement."Leigh 2009, p. 261. This would be the first time the band featured the drummer as a songwriter since original drummer Tommy Ramone, with Joey reasoning that he wanted to make Richie feel like a part of the band. Joey had felt past drummers had not been so much a part of the band, nor any good at writing, and called Richie a "regular
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...
." In his 2012 autobiography, ''
Commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
'', Johnny Ramone awarded the album a "B−" grade, lamenting the album's production quality and commenting that the guitar parts did not even sound like him. "The producer on 'Animal Boy''
Jean Beauvoir Jean Beauvoir is an American singer, bassist, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and entertainment executive. He came to prominence in the early 1980s with the punk group the Plasmatics and went on to work with Little Steven ...
," Johnny related, "was selected by the label, not us." The band recorded most of the album with Beauvoir at Intergalactic Studios in New York City in December 1985. "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)" had been recorded earlier in the year and released as a UK-only single in June 1985. In the winter of 1986, Beauvoir and Joey Ramone flew to
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, Sweden to record the lead vocals at
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
's
Polar Studios Polar Studios was a recording studio in Stockholm, Sweden, which operated from 1978 through 2004. The studio was formed by ABBA musicians Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and the band's manager Stig Anderson, owner of the Polar Music recording ...
, where the album was also mixed.


Lyrics and composition

''Animal Boy'' featured a range of genres and musical elements that were completely new to the band and had not been featured on previous albums. Frequent use of
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s, as well as minimalistic "gimmicky" lyrics, caused critics and fans to feel as though the Ramones had strayed far away from their early, raw punk sound, despite ''Animal Boy''s predecessor ''Too Tough Too Die'' being acclaimed for the band returning to their roots. "The main problem with ''Animal Boy''," explained author
Everett True Everett True (born Jeremy Andrew Thackray on 21 April 1961) is an English music journalist and musician. He became interested in rock music after hearing The Residents, and formed a band with school friends. He has written and recorded as The ...
, "was that there was no longer one discernible Ramones sound: it sounds as disjointed as the band members probably felt. The guitar parts could've been played by anyone, and Richie's drumming was slipping away from Tommy's original template. The Ramones were turning into a 9-5 job, night not day."True 2005, ch. 23 p. 3. The album begins with Joey singing "Somebody Put Something in My Drink", written by Richie, who stated that he came up with the lyrics while he was dating
Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice. ...
's daughter and mistakenly drank after someone else in a nightclub. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' editor
David Fricke David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...
described Joey's vocal performance in the song as an "exaggerated wino growl while Johnny crushes the chord changes with his trash-compactor guitar." "Animal Boy" and "Apeman Hop" were compositionally similar to "Cretin Hop" from 1977's ''
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 ...
,'' but were described by True to be "a thousandth as good."True 2005, ch. 23 p. 4. "Love Kills" was inspired by the
Alex Cox Alexander B. H. Cox (born 15 December 1954) is an English film director, screenwriter, actor, non-fiction author and broadcaster. Cox experienced success early in his career with ''Repo Man (film), Repo Man'' and ''Sid and Nancy'', but since th ...
biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
''
Sid and Nancy ''Sid and Nancy'' (also known as ''Sid and Nancy: Love Kills'') is a 1986 British biographical film directed by Alex Cox, co-written with Abbe Wool, and starring Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb. The film portrays the life of Sid Vicious, bassist of t ...
'' (also known as ''Sid and Nancy: Love Kills''). The lyrics relate that the couple will never be able to win with drugs, despite the fact that the song's writer himself, Dee Dee, would later succumb to a
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
overdose. ''Animal Boy''s fifth track, "She Belongs to Me", 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 Dee Dee and Beauvoir regarding unrequited love, and features heavy use of synthesizers, while earlier albums would have used a soft acoustic guitar or occasionally strings for ballad-type songs. Side A of the album concludes with "Crummy Stuff", played in a
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
style, with repetitive lyrics based on the band's past of being chaotic and never meeting expectations. Side B begins with one of the Ramones' few explicitly political songs, "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)", which deals with the
Bitburg controversy The Bitburg controversy concerned a ceremonial visit by Ronald Reagan, the incumbent President of the United States, to a German military cemetery in Bitburg, West Germany in May 1985. The visit was intended to commemorate the 40th anniversary ...
. The lyrics encapsulated the feelings of Joey, Dee Dee and Beauviour while watching US President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
to a German military cemetery in
Bitburg Bitburg (; french: Bitbourg; lb, Béibreg) is a city in Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate approximately 25 km (16 mi.) northwest of Trier and 50 km (31 mi.) northeast of Luxembourg city. The American Spangdahlem ...
,
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
on May 5, 1985. In an interview with '' East Coast Rocker'', Joey explained: "What Reagan did was fucked up. Everybody told him not to go, all his people told him not to go, and he went anyway. How can you fuckin' forgive the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
? How can you say, 'Oh well, it's OK now?' That's crazy!"True 2005, ch. 21, p. 30. Dee Dee also asserted that Johnny had made the band seem right winged. "It was the first time we could make a statement to show we weren't prejudiced," he explained. "We'd just had these
skinheads A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...
at our gigs, punks walking around wearing
swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...
s." Johnny disliked the song and resisted playing it live, saying that Reagan was his favorite president of his lifetime. It was Johnny who insisted that the song's title be changed to "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down"; "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg", the original title, was relegated to parenthesis. "Bonzo", a pejorative nickname for Reagan, refers to a chimpanzee from ''
Bedtime for Bonzo ''Bedtime for Bonzo'' is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Fred de Cordova and starring Ronald Reagan, Diana Lynn, and a chimpanzee named Tamba as Bonzo. Its central character, psychology professor Peter Boyd (Reagan), tries to teach human m ...
'', a 1951 comedy film which Reagan starred in. "Mental Hell", the next track and the second written by Joey, dealt with his recent stress with the band and his relationship with his girlfriend, Angela, ending. Author Dave Thompson described "Eat That Rat" as "reaching back to their pure punk past."Thompson 2000, p. 582. While "Eat That Rat" is one minute and thirty-seven seconds long, the shortest track on the album is the next song, "Freak of Nature", which clocks in at one minute and thirty-two seconds. Johnny explained that it was written by him and Dee Dee while changing
reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the en ...
s in an open-reel audio tape recording at the studio. "Hair of the Dog", a song about the guilt of
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
, is the third and final song written by Joey. The album's last track, "Something to Believe In", was influenced heavily by British pop, and was described by Susan Cummings of ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' as a "pseudo- AOR attempted teen anthem" and by author Scott Schnider as a "surging, yearning anthem."


Marketing and promotion

For the album's front cover, the band wanted to take a photo with a monkey from the
Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
. George DuBose originally took the picture in the zoo's monkey house, but this photo was rejected by the zoo director. The zoo would not allow the band to borrow a chimp for photographing, so DuBose decided to try hiring Zippy the Chimp, a baby chimpanzee who had appeared on ''
Late Night With David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...
'' and was successful. The resulting idea was to take the picture of the band standing in front of a gorilla cage with ''
Punk Magazine ''Punk'' was a music magazine and fanzine created by cartoonist John Holmstrom, publisher Ged Dunn, and "resident punk" Legs McNeil in 1975. Its use of the term " punk rock", coined by writers for ''Creem'' magazine a few years earlier to desc ...
'' founder
Legs McNeil Roderick Edward "Legs" McNeil (born January 27, 1956, in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States) is an American music journalist. He is one of the three original founders of the seminal ''Punk'' magazine that gave the movement its name; as well as b ...
in a gorilla costume. Richie is holding Zippy, and DuBose had to refrain from flashing light so as not to frighten it. However, according to DuBose, the chimp was already out of control. "Zippy was getting wild," Dubose recalled. "He wasn't looking at the camera and was fucking around with the guys. I wasn't getting the picture because the chimp was out of control, so finally the trainer goes up to Zippy and whacks him across the face." The lack of flash resulted in a lowlighted, warmer colored photograph, which would be used as the album's cover.Melnick & Melnick 2010, p. 212. ''Animal Boy'' was released on May 19, 1986. While touring for its promotion, the band only used four to five songs from the album while the rest of the setlist was derived from songs off earlier releases. Johnny described this type of concert setlist to promote releases to be common for "a lot of later amonesalbums," saying it was "because the material just didn't measure up to our other stuff." In addition to touring, Sire Records and
Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. History In 1977, spurred by the prevailing DI ...
in the UK released four singles to help promote the album in hopes of receiving more radio airplay. The first single from ''Animal Boy'' was "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)", issued by Beggars Banquet in June 1985. "Go Home Anne" was the B-side, produced by
Ed Stasium Ed Stasium is an American record producer and audio engineer, who has worked on albums by the Ramones, Talking Heads, Motörhead, the Smithereens and Living Colour. History Stasium began his recording career in 1970 fronting the band Brandywine. ...
and mixed by
Lemmy Kilmister Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he wa ...
, lead singer of
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
. There were multiple explanations given for why the single was not released in the United States: the product manager at
Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer ...
explained that it was both a "financial and political" decision, while the parent company, Warner Bros. Records, claimed that "It just wasn't considered a good enough record." The single's jacket cover depicted President Reagan giving a speech at
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concent ...
before going to Bitburg, but the image was removed from later pressings. British newspaper ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' claimed it was removed because the band received pressure from "
Moral Majority Moral Majority was an American political organization associated with the Christian right and Republican Party. It was founded in 1979 by Baptist minister Jerry Falwell Sr. and associates, and dissolved in the late 1980s. It played a key role in ...
, the Patriotic League of the Alamo, and the SS." The music video for "Something to Believe In" was a
parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
of both the Live Aid benefit concert and Hands Across America. The video was described by author Everett True to be "reassuringly foolish" and "a welcome return to he Ramones'old sense of humor."True 2005, ch. 23. p. 6. Several guests are featured in the video, including X,
the B52s The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, pe ...
,
Weird Al Yankovic Weird derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Wyrd, meaning fate or destiny. In modern English it has acquired the meaning of “strange or uncanny”. It may also refer to: Places * Weird Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. People *"Weird Al" Yankovic (b ...
, Spinal Tap,
Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...
,
the Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...
,
Toni Basil Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit th ...
,
Rodney Bingenheimer Rodney Bingenheimer (born December 15, 1946) is an American radio disc jockey who is best known as the host of ''Rodney on the ROQ'', a radio program that ran on the Los Angeles rock station KROQ from 1976 to 2017. In the early 1970s, he also ma ...
,
Holly Beth Vincent Holly Beth Vincent (born Holly Beth Cernuto in 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. In her youth Vincent sang and played drums and guitar in several bands and took part in the Los Angeles punk scen ...
,
Penn and Teller Penn may refer to: Places England * Penn, Buckinghamshire * Penn, West Midlands United States * Penn, North Dakota * Penn, Oregon * Pennsylvania ** Penn, Pennsylvania * Penn Lake Park, Pennsylvania * Penn Township (disambiguation), several muni ...
, and
Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born on April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is an American DJ, rapper, and producer from the South Bronx, New York. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenc ...
. Because the music video was praised by Warner Bros., they released "Something to Believe In" as a double A-side with "Somebody Put Something in My Drink." "Something to Believe In" was also released with "Animal Boy" in the United States and "Crummy Stuff" in the UK through Beggars Banquet.


Reception


Critical

The album received mixed reviews from critics. ''
Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...
'' music critic
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
gave the album a "B+" and considered both "She Belongs to Me" and "Crummy Stuff" to be "defensive-sounding", but called "Something to Believe In" an
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
and praised "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' critic David Fricke deemed the album a "reductionist masterpiece" that "proves they still have a lot more to give", claiming that it rivaled previous albums ''
Leave Home ''Leave Home'' is the second studio album by American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released on January 10, 1977, through Sire Records, with the expanded CD being released through Rhino Entertainment on June 19, 2001. Songs on the album w ...
'' and ''
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 ...
''. In a retrospective review, Eduardo Rivadavia, editor for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, criticized the album for using more modern commercial conventions and for its heavy use of synthesizers and keyboards in an attempt to reinvent the band's style. Rivadavia specifically pointed to "Somebody Put Something in My Drink", which he claimed "wastes an aggressive vocal performance from Joey Ramone by supporting it with a shamelessly polished synthesizer backing track", and referred to "Something to Believe In" as "unbearably soft". He concluded that the album had been a "career low" for the Ramones, but still rated it three out of five stars.


Commercial

In the United States, the album entered the ''Billboard'' 200 on June 21, 1986 at No. 146, and rose to No. 143 the following week. Despite staying on the chart for six weeks, the album's peak position did not rise above No. 143. It entered the
UK Album Charts The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
on May 31, 1986, where it stayed for two weeks and reached a peak position of No. 38. The album entered the Canadian charts on June 7, 1986 at No. 96, moving up to No. 94 a week later. The album returned to position No. 96 on June 21, leaving the chart on July 12. On June 11, it entered the Swedish
Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish R ...
charts, where it remained on the chart for one week at No. 37.


Track listing

Track listing adapted from the ''Animal Boy''
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...
.


Personnel

Ramones *
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 ...
– lead vocals (tracks 1–2, 4–8, 10–12) *
Johnny Ramone John William Cummings (October 8, 1948 – September 15, 2004), better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American musician who was the guitarist and a founding member of the Ramones, a band that helped pioneer the punk movement. ...
– guitar *
Dee Dee Ramone Douglas Glenn Colvin (September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002), better known by his stage name Dee Dee Ramone, was an American musician. He was the bassist and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. Throughout the band's existence, he w ...
– bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (tracks 3, 9) *
Richie Ramone Richard Reinhardt (born August 11, 1957) is an American drummer best known by his stage name Richie Ramone, and for being the drummer for the punk band the Ramones from February 1983 until August 1987. As of 2022, he is one of the four survivi ...
– drums, backing vocals Additional musicians *
Walter Lure Walter Lure (born Walter C. Luhr Jr., April 22, 1949 – August 21, 2020) was an American rock guitarist and singer. He was a member of the rock group The Heartbreakers. Biography Lure was born in Queens and raised in Floral Park, Long Island. He ...
– additional guitar *
Jean Beauvoir Jean Beauvoir is an American singer, bassist, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and entertainment executive. He came to prominence in the early 1980s with the punk group the Plasmatics and went on to work with Little Steven ...
– additional guitar, keyboards and background vocals Technical * Jean Beauvoir – producer, mixing * Jorge Esteban – engineer (Intergalactic) * Grant Gillett – assistant engineer (Intergalactic) * Anders Oredson – engineer (Polar), mixing * Bobby Cohen – engineer (track 7) * Ian Cooper – mastering * George DuBose – cover design, front photography * Paul O. Colliton – back photography


Charts


References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * *


External links

* {{Authority control 1986 albums Albums recorded at Polar Studios Albums produced by Jean Beauvoir Ramones albums