"Danny Says" is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

written by

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, with Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His ...

. The song was originally released as the third track on the

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 ...

' 1980 album, '' End of the Century''. The 2002 Expanded Edition CD of the album includes a demo version of "Danny Says" among the bonus tracks. The song has since been covered and released by the

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

and

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

Background and content

"Danny Says" is a love song written by singer Joey Ramone at the Tropicana Motel in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

when the Ramones were staying there for the recording of ''End of the Century''. The "Danny" alluded to in the title is the Ramones' manager Danny Fields. The romantic inspiration for the song is believed to be Linda Daniele, Joey's girlfriend at the time. Later in Summer 1982 she ended her romantic involvement with Joey to extend her relationship with the band's

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

ist

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. ...

who she moved in with in autumn that year."Commando. The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone" Page 97, paragraph 5, Abrams Image books, 2012 Although this virtually stopped dialogue between the two bandmates that was already limited since the time of recording ''End of the Century'', both remained in the Ramones until the band disbanded in 1996.

Lyrical references

At the time Joey was rooming with Arturo Vega in room 100 B of the Tropicana Motel on

Santa Monica Boulevard Santa Monica Boulevard is a major west–east thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It runs from Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica near the Pacific Ocean to Sunset Boulevard at Sunset Junction in Los Angeles. It passes t ...

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

."The Ramones: ''End of the Century''"
Kurt Loder, ''Rolling Stone'', March 20, 1980. Hence the line in the song, "Hanging out in 100 B". The lyrics include a reference to the late 1960s television series ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

'' ("Watching Get Smart on TV"). Another reference in the song is to

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, reflecting the difference at that time of year between where the band were recording in Los Angeles and the Ramones' home town of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

- "It ain't Christmas if there ain't no snow". The lyrics also refer to a character named ''Sheena'' ("Listening to Sheena on the radio"). " Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" is a track on the 1977 Ramones album ''

Rocket to Russia ''Rocket to Russia'' is the third studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, and was released on November 4, 1977, through Sire Records. It is the band's last album to feature original drummer Tommy Ramone, who left the band in 1978 ...

''.

Band member reaction

Johnny later commented on working with

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 ...

on the recording of the album, "It really worked when he got to a slower song like 'Danny Says'—the production really worked tremendously. For the harder stuff, it didn't work as well." When Joey was later asked what were his favorite Ramones songs he was quoted as replying, 'Danny Says' was always a favorite". "Danny Says" has been performed live by each of Joey, C.J. and Richie in post Ramones projects.

Cover versions

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the song with guitarist Chris Shiflett on lead vocals was released by the

as a B-Side of the CD2 version of the " All My Life" single and later a bonus track on the Special Limited Edition of their 2002 '' One by One'' album. "Danny Says" was covered by

and released on disk two of his ''

Orphans An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages, such as Swedis ...

'' triple album in 2006. Waits resided in the Tropicana Motel for many years where the Ramones stayed when ''End of the Century'' was recorded.

References

External links

Danny Says chords and lyrics
{{authority control 1980 songs Foo Fighters songs Ramones songs Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Phil Spector Songs written by Joey Ramone Tom Waits songs Songs about business people