PUNK, THE HOLOCAUST, AND THE RAMONES

Abstract

This paper examines the intersection of the Holocaust and the Ramones as the first U.S. punk rock band. Firstly, the paper elaborates on punk as a genre of music that emerged virtually at the same time in England and the United States as a reaction to the post-war socio-political climate. The paper then focuses on a group of young men who all grew up in New York City and whose music spoke directly to the disillusioned American post-war youth culture – the Ramones. The Ramones were all either Jews or had parents who had survived the Holocaust. Thus, the paper examines the extent to which the Ramones were affected by the trauma of the Holocaust and how they tried to work through it. ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ and ‘Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World’, both tracks on their self-titled album released in 1976, are thoroughly discussed.