Marky Ramone: My 5 Favorite Punk Songs

Drummer explains how tracks by Kinks, Love prefigured the movement

Published by

Marky Ramone. Photo: Aroni Alessandro/Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons

Many consider the Ramones’ self-titled debut, recently named the greatest punk album of all time by Rolling Stone, to be punk’s Big Bang moment. But according to Marky Ramone, the famed Queens group’s later-period drummer, the genre’s roots stretch back quite a bit further. Here, Ramone, who will spend his summer playing classic Ramones tunes on tour in Europe with his band Blitzkrieg, names his five favorite punk songs.

 

The Kinks, “All Day and All”¨ of the Night”

The raunchiness of the production and Dave Davies’ guitar sound were the beginnings of punk. When I first heard it I was like, “Holy shit!”

 

The Trashmen, “Surfin’ Bird”


This is an off-the-wall song that’s crazy and insane beyond description. It was different than anything on the radio.

 

Love, “7 and 7 Is”


This came out 10 years before the genre was really consolidated at CBGB, but it’s still punk. It should have gone Number One.

 

Richard Hell and the Voidoids, “Blank Generation”


I was in this band. This song spoke for the populace at the time CBGB was going. It reflects a moment in time.

 

The Music Machine, “Talk Talk”


The fuzz bass, production and singing on this had all the elements of punk. It’s filthy, sludgy and different from anything else that came out in 1966.

Recent Posts

Shakira To Perform in India This April

The Colombian superstar will return to India with a two-city tour in Mumbai and Delhi…

February 20, 2026

Foo Fighters Announce New Album, Rock Hard on Title Track ‘Your Favorite Toy’

It’s the band’s first recording since new drummer Ilan Rubin joined the lineup

February 20, 2026

Hilary Duff Is Ready for Her Pop Return

The 2000s star, relatable as ever, tells us how she balances music, parenthood, and her…

February 20, 2026

North West Signs to Gamma — The Same Company Ye Partnered With for ‘Bully’

The 12-year-old artist recently dropped “Piercing on My Hand,” a track co-produced by her father,…

February 20, 2026

Queen Plan Lavish ‘Queen II’ Box Set With Outtakes, Rare Live Recordings

Release, due in the spring, also features a remix of the original album that adds…

February 20, 2026

Eric Dane, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star, Dead at 53 Following ALS Battle

The news arrives 10 months after the Euphoria actor revealed he had been diagnosed with…

February 20, 2026