"The KKK Took My Baby Away" is a song by American punk rock band Ramones, released in 1981 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 Gottehre ...

. It was written by front man and lead vocalist

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 ...

and appears on the band's sixth studio album ''

Pleasant Dreams ''Pleasant Dreams'' is the sixth studio album by American punk rock band the Ramones, released on July 20, 1981, through Sire Records. While the band members wanted Steve Lillywhite to produce, Sire chose Graham Gouldman in an attempt to gain ...

'' (1981). The protagonist sings that his girlfriend has been kidnapped by the Ku Klux Klan on her way to Los Angeles for the holidays and pleads with the listener to call federal authorities to find out where she is and whether she is still alive. In '' End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones'', a documentary film about the Ramones, Ramones tour manager Monte Melenick stated that it seemed clear to him that Joey must have been obliquely referring to Johnny Ramone (who used to tease Joey for being Jewish) "stealing" away his girlfriend,

Linda Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...

.Spitz, Marc (November 2004)
"The Last Testament of Johnny Ramone"
''

Spin (magazine) ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. History ...

'' Joey's brother

Mickey Leigh Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men * Mickey Andrews (bor ...

has disagreed, saying that the song had been written before Joey learned of their affair. Leigh explains that the song was in response to Joey's relationship with a black woman, whose parents disapproved of the interracial relationship. Leigh asked Joey what happened to the girl and Joey responded by saying "the KKK took my baby away."Leigh, Mickey
''I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir''
p. 216 (2009) Former Drummer

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

claimed in an interview for website Loudwire that the song was inspired by Joey's experience at a mental institution. Reportedly, the lead singer befriended Wilna, an African-American woman who was also in the same institution. Wilna and Joey began to date in the early 1970s until her parents’ objections to Wilna dating a Jewish man tore them apart. According to Marky Ramone, the song was written about this episode.

Music

Like almost all Ramones songs, the time signature is 4/4. The song is in the key of G Major. It alternates two verses with a chorus; the second chorus is followed by a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, after which the first verse and the chorus are repeated with a change of key to A Major. In the documentary ''End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones'', Johnny Ramone states that the guitar riff of "The KKK Took My Baby Away" was inspired by the riff of

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen ...

's "

He's a Whore "He's a Whore" is a song written by Rick Nielsen that was first released on Cheap Trick's 1977 debut album ''Cheap Trick''. It has also appeared on a number of Cheap Trick compilation albums, including ''The Essential Cheap Trick''. It has also ...

References

Ramones songs 1981 songs Songs written by Joey Ramone {{punk-song-stub