| "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by the Ramones | |
| from the album Animal Boy | |
| B-side |
|
| Released | June 1985[1] |
| Studio | Intergalactic Studios, New York City[2] |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:57 |
| Label |
|
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Jean Beauvoir |
"Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" is a protest song by American punk rock band the Ramones. It was issued as a single in the UK by Beggars Banquet Records in mid-1985. The song is an emotionally charged commentary on the Bitburg controversy from earlier that year, in which U.S. president Ronald Reagan had paid a state visit to a German World War II cemetery and gave a speech where numerous Waffen-SS soldiers were buried. Lyrically, the song was a departure from the usual Ramones topics. While not commercially successful, it was critically well received.
The 1985 single did not receive an American release. As an import, however, the record became a hit on U.S. college radio. It was eventually retitled "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)", and appeared on the band's album Animal Boy, released in 1986. This second version of the title is the one used on subsequent live and compilation albums.
- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (2003). The Great Indie Discography (rev. ed.). Canongate. n.p. ISBN 978-1-84195-335-9.
- ^ Weird Tales of the Ramones CD booklet (2005). Rhino/WEA. p. 50.
- ^ Eddy, Chuck (22 March 1997). "We Can't Complain But Sometimes We Still Do". The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 178. ISBN 0-306-80741-6.