This song and The KKK Took My Baby Away are my two top favorite Ramones saongs.
This song was released in 1978 on The Ramone’s album Road to Ruin. It has no chart history on Billboard but is one of their best-known songs. The Ramones were to the point, with no solos, no frills… just about the song.
I’ve heard them described as punk, bubblegum, rock, heavy rock and everything in between. I always thought they combined the elements of all of them.
When Joey Ramone wrote the lyrics for “I Wanna Be Sedated,” he was not joking. They were on tour in New Jersey in 1977 when the singer badly burned his face and chest with scalding water from a vaporizer he was using to soothe his throat.
He finished the show, then went to the hospital with second and third-degree burns. They pulled a bunch of shows while he recovered, and when they returned to the road in Europe he was still in constant pain. The song was scribbled down in London around Christmas, and the band cut it in 1978. Needless to say, it didn’t impact the charts, but today it’s one of their most-played songs on the radio. Joey Ramone said at one time it was his favorite Ramone track.
Joey Ramone: It’s a road song. I wrote it in 1977, through the 78. Well, Danny Fields was our first manager and he would work us to death. We would be on the road 360 days a year, and we went over to England, and we were there at Christmas time, and in Christmas time, London shuts down. There’s nothing to do, nowhere to go. Here we were in London for the first time in our lives, and me and Dee Dee Ramone were sharing a room in the hotel, and we were watching The Guns of Navarone. So there was nothing to do, I mean, here we are in London finally, and this is what we are doing, watching American movies in the hotel room.
I Wanna Be Sedated
Twenty twenty twenty four hours to go
I wanna be sedated
Nothing to do, nowhere to go o,
I wanna be sedated
Just get me to the airport, put me on a plane
Hurry hurry hurry, before I go insane
I can’t control my fingers, I can’t control my brain
Oh no oh oh oh oh
Twenty twenty twenty four hours to go
I wanna be sedated
Nothing to do, no where to go o,
I wanna be sedated
Just put me in a wheelchair, get me on a plane
Hurry hurry hurry, before I go insane
I can’t control my fingers, I can’t control my brain
Oh no oh oh oh oh
Twenty twenty twenty four hours to go
I wanna be sedated
Nothing to do, no where to go o,
I wanna be sedated
Just put me in a wheelchair, get me to the show
Hurry hurry hurry, before I go loco
I can’t control my fingers, I can’t control my toes
Oh no oh oh oh oh
Twenty twenty twenty four hours to go
I wanna be sedated
Nothing to do, no where to go o,
I wanna be sedated
Just put me in a wheelchair, get me to the show
Hurry hurry hurry, before I go loco
I can’t control my fingers, I can’t control my toes
Oh no oh oh oh oh
Ba ba baba, baba ba baba, I wanna be sedated
Ba ba baba, baba ba baba, I wanna be sedated
Ba ba baba, baba ba baba, I wanna be sedated
Ba ba baba, baba ba baba, I wanna be sedated
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This is my favorite Ramones song, and I think the studio version is better than the live one. I used to do downers and go out to clubs when I was younger, and this song always made me go wild when it was played.
It’s one of their great ones….I agree. That is different for you to like the studio version but…I do agree with you.
It sounds too fast when played live and you don’t get to hear those terrific bass notes.
This is one of the few songs of theirs I know. What a bummer they got to London when everything was shut down.
Yea that would be my luck Lisa lol.
I go along with the crowd on this, probably their best song. Poor Joey , I never knew that about his face! I think I’ve commented before, this is one for years I heard wrong … I thought it was ‘I Wanna Piece Of It!’
Ah Dave, another case of MLS/ Misheard Lyric Syndrome! I do like a bit of the Ramones at times- a few two minute sons, Blitzkriegs of frenetic pop are good for the ears. 30 minutes- at most- on a CD. No frills, simplistic and basically perfect. They do the job and get gone. A ‘best of’ comes out about every 6 months or so, when I’m in the mood.
Lol I don’t remember that! That is awesome. This and Blitzkrieg Bop are probably their best known
Snap! My favourite Ramones track too. I love the chugging guitar on it … and the image of a cartoon Joey getting wheeled onto a plane. 😀
The Ramona’s rock… I like how they used elements of punk, bubblegum, rock, and pop.
Haven’t heard this in a while.
While there isn’t a lot of variation in their sound, the Ramones have grown on me with their melodic brand of punk and rock. “I Wanna Be Sedated” is definitely a fun tune. I also dig “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School”, which sounds like early Beach Boys on steroids! They also did some fun covers, such as “Do You Wanna Dance”, which the Beach Boys also played, as well as The Searchers’ “Needles And Pins”.
They mixed a lot of styles in with punk…and their songs are always catchy.
Perfect head bobber for the non head bobbing crowd. Pop rock classic!
It really is…they drew from a lot of wells.
Never knew the back story on this Max. Great job and note to self be careful when dealing with a vaporizer!
Really! I would have never thought a vaporizer would do that! Thanks Deke!
BTW…I listened to the Headstones today.
That’s cool your listening to the Headstones dude. Awesome!
My fav Ramones song as well. That vaporizer story is nuts. I remember my parents using one in my room when I was little, and looking back on it I could see where it might go horribly wrong if you didn’t respect it.
I’ve used one a few times years ago. I could only imagine how painful that would be.
I think those are my two favourites as well. I have the 2-disc Anthology and it loses me with too much of a good thing, but should probably go through their first few albums sometime.
Yea it’s not like listening to Bowie or Neil Young…they certainly don’t change much if any except the Phil Spector album….they were just a little more polished with that one.