# Most punk song of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021 "2007-12-14T18:49:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/101 "2007-12-16T04:47:23Z")
Buzzcocks, Fast Cars. Sooner or later, you’re going to listen to Ralph Nader. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/102 "2007-12-16T06:06:50Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] But when I think of the ‘Most Punk’ song, I always think of _Fuck Christmas_ by Fear. Starts slow, it’s short, but definitely has the Punk sensibility that can offend a lot of people. [/QUOTE] That was the first one to pop in my head. Followed by: Anarchy in the U.K. **Sex Pistols** Teenage Lobotomy **The Ramones** I Say Fuck **Supersuckers** (about 20 seconds long but a GREAT song!!!) I Don’t Care about You **Fear** Bruce Lee .v The Kiss Army **Guttermouth** ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/103 "2007-12-16T06:32:05Z")
I have a punk-rock 5 year old. His favorite song is Blitzkrieg Bop–has been for years now. And just the other day I was playing him various Sex Pistols songs. He was saying “Mommy! I like this music so much!” He makes me very proud sometimes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/104 "2007-12-16T06:50:46Z")
\*\*ZebraShaSha \*\* - thank you. You are pushing the right agenda, and you seem to know your history. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/105 "2007-12-16T06:53:20Z")
Oh, by the way, are we talking Johnny Thunders Heartbreakers or L.A.M.F. Pirate Love sorta stuff? ---
**Author:** ![fookite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@fookite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fookite)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/106 "2007-12-16T07:09:53Z")
[QUOTE=Big Bad Voodoo Lou] Reaching out to a different punk scene, I’ve always thought that the music and lyrics of “Petroleum Distillation” by Fifteen absolutely epitomize everything punk should be about, and I say this as a huge fan of the Clash, the Ramones, Social Distortion, the Descendents, and Rancid, among others. [/QUOTE] I was born a little too late to see the dream that they called America See I only wanna be a free man but it’s against the the law to sleep on the ground in God’s land. One of my favoritest lyrics ever. “End of the Summer” is another good one. ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/107 "2007-12-16T07:45:06Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] Oh, by the way, are we talking Johnny Thunders Heartbreakers or L.A.M.F. Pirate Love sorta stuff? [/QUOTE] Well since I was the one who put it out there, I have to ask is there a difference? Because Pirate Love is on L.A.M.F. by Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. Of course, it also was originally on the New York Dolls Red Patent Leather album. The clip of “I Wanna Be Loved” I linked to happened to be from the 1984 Heartbreakers reunion, but that was more due to audio quality. L.A.M.F. era Johnny was what I had in mind. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/108 "2007-12-16T07:56:34Z")
[QUOTE=Queen Bruin] No kidding. Jello Biafra is probably the only punk rocker to walk the walk. [/QUOTE] Jello was a dick. He was pretty full of himself after about the first 2 years. Ha, his wife thought so to. She emptied his bank account and IIRC ran off with Frank Discussion. He was a jerk to a lot of little bands on the bill with the DK’s. That said, he was a great frontman. I remember the night at the Elite Club on the bill with Bad Brains and TSOL. The TSOL singer did Code Blue in a poddle sweater and a speedo. Jello did most of the show in just his jeans, and during one of his standard dive into the crowd and keep singing things, a buncha people ripped his pants off. He did a couple more songs buck naked. Funny as well. Wasn’t the first time either. But he was still a dick. There were a lot more hardcore guys that Jello. Just ask Darby Crash. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/109 "2007-12-16T15:21:04Z")
[QUOTE=Risha] I think that I’m going to have to go with “U-Stink-But-I-❤-U”. Or possibly “Let’s Run Over Lionel Ritchie with a Tank”. [/QUOTE] Deaththongue was the most hardcore!!! I had the floppy 45. I’m gonna throw in a vote for the Dead Milkmen and Bitchin’ Camaro. As for jello Biafra walking the walk, Fugazi should take the credits for integrity. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/110 "2007-12-16T16:19:57Z")
No mention of Big Black yet? Anything off _Songs about Fucking_ will do, though arguably they’re beyond punk. ETA: they’re already mentioned by **Struan**. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_Social](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Andy\_Social](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_Social)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/111 "2007-12-16T18:09:59Z")
Dead Boys - [Sonic Reducer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmVCdPe2_Ao) . ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/112 "2007-12-16T18:38:44Z")
[QUOTE=fookite] I was born a little too late to see the dream that they called America See I only wanna be a free man but it’s against the the law to sleep on the ground in God’s land. One of my favoritest lyrics ever. “End of the Summer” is another good one. [/QUOTE] You are awesome. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/113 "2007-12-16T19:24:04Z")
Woody Guthrie - _This Land is Your Land_ - anyone with “This Machine Kills Fascists” on their guitar is automatically PUNK. That or a doubleplay of The Jam - _Going Underground/Down In The Tube Station At Midnight_ **Struan** - I think the most punk thing in this thread is you posting The Cocteaus \*Pearly Dewdrops \*as a punk song - nice one 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/114 "2007-12-16T22:02:32Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] **Struan** - I think the most punk thing in this thread is you posting The Cocteaus \*Pearly Dewdrops \*as a punk song - nice one 🙂 [/QUOTE] Ah, the demon drink… ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/115 "2007-12-17T02:02:31Z")
[QUOTE=WreckingCrew] Well since I was the one who put it out there, I have to ask is there a difference? Because Pirate Love is on L.A.M.F. by Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. Of course, it also was originally on the New York Dolls Red Patent Leather album. The clip of “I Wanna Be Loved” I linked to happened to be from the 1984 Heartbreakers reunion, but that was more due to audio quality. L.A.M.F. era Johnny was what I had in mind. [/QUOTE] I am sure I have my history wrong - for some reason I thought of LAMF as a solo album, different from the punk-supergroup Heartbreakers… And Struan - I am just getting into the Cocteau’s - a friend just sent me a compilation, and all of Victorialand. Pearly Dewdrops Drops (or whatever the heck it is called) is jumping out at me as a great song… ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/116 "2007-12-17T03:14:23Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] I am sure I have my history wrong - for some reason I thought of LAMF as a solo album, different from the punk-supergroup Heartbreakers… And Struan - I am just getting into the Cocteau’s - a friend just sent me a compilation, and all of Victorialand. Pearly Dewdrops Drops (or whatever the heck it is called) is jumping out at me as a great song… [/QUOTE] Yeah, L.A.M.F. is the Heartbreaker’s only proper studio album, though there are a bunch of live albums and various bootleg/out-take things out there. Of course L.A.M.F. itself was re-released in the early 80s after being remastered. The original mix was so bad that drummer Jerry Nolan quit. Oh, but Richard Hell was long gone by the time they recorded it - so they weren’t quite the “punk-supergroup” they once were. “So Alone” is probably the best solo Johnny Thunders album, featuring Steve Jones and Paul Cook from the Pistols and Phil Lynott from Thin Lizzy behind him. The “hit” on it is “You can’t put your arms around a memory”. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/117 "2007-12-17T07:11:25Z")
[QUOTE=ZebraShaSha] Hardcore, again. [/QUOTE] I have heard the phrase “Hardcore Punk” tossed around pretty liberally, to the point that it seemed to me that hardcore was a subset of punk, not a separate beast. Either way\< I would think its close enough to be included in the running. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/118 "2007-12-17T14:50:39Z")
[QUOTE=HoboStew] I have heard the phrase “Hardcore Punk” tossed around pretty liberally, to the point that it seemed to me that hardcore was a subset of punk, not a separate beast. Either way\< I would think its close enough to be included in the running. [/QUOTE] The most harmless and least argument starting explanation is that hardcore is what happened when punk moved on from it’s artier, abstract roots in big cities and suburban kids weaned on Zepplin and Sabbath and the Nuge got into the act. The resulting music was harder than it’s punk roots, so orignial punk influence + metal aggression – artsy fartsy pretension = hardcore punk. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/119 "2007-12-17T15:13:32Z")
There are a ton of great bands already listed here. As I’m on somewhat on the younger side, my punk influences have been Bad Religion, Nofx, Pennywise, etc. Punk in Drublic by NOFX was the first punk album I ever owned and I still hold it as one of the best. Hell, it got me to play guitar! I’m NOT a fan of the Ramones. Punk music by nature isn’t very complicated, but fuck, write a few songs with more than 3 or 4 powerchords! I guess that’s just the guitar player in me. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021/120 "2007-12-17T20:01:41Z")
Aging Boomer that I am, how about something from _Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968_. (Now on CD from the most excellent folks at [Rhino Records](http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDetail.lasso?Number=75466).) As a Texan, the 13th Floor Elevators were my faves. But, as the recent excellent [book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976082268/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) pointed out, they did not teach the San Francisco bands how to be “psychedelic”–they taught the hipper-than-thou folkies how to play **loud rock & roll**! As far as “real” Punk goes, I’m a traditionalist. “London Calling” for me! Or the entire first Cramps album; “TV Set” is the opening number & it just keeps getting weirder. And my folky/country tastes make me fond of Social Distortion. As a woman, I’ve got fond memories of “Stop Your Sobbing”–the Pretenders’ version. “Rip Her to Shreds” by Blondie. “Never Say Never” by Romeo Void. “Why’d Ya Do It” by Marianne Faithfull. For the attitude… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-punk-song-of-all-time/430021.md?page=7)