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The Ramones Wrote Three Steel Reserve Jingles In 1995
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 14, 2011
Modified Apr 14, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 14, 2011
Modified Apr 14, 2011
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Usually, when we find that a band has been whoring themselves out for Bacardi Mojitos or little shiny rocks that kill and suppress millions of people, we tend to take them out of rotation on the iPod. After all, if we're being bombarded with their music on TV and in our Hulu ads, we don't need to hear it on the way to work.
But WFMU DJ Dave the Spazz revives an old ad campaign on the station's blog that we can totally get behind: the Ramones wrote three (three!) jingles for frosty gullet peroxide Steel Reserve back in 1995, and they're pretty damn good considering that by then, the boys from Queens had stayed long past their prime.
"High Gravity Lager" and "Gimme My Steel Reserve" have all of the band's trademark bounce and harmony, while "Fill My Cup" is more contemplative; belting lyrics like, I want to fill my cup / i want to drink it up / and then i fill it up again, it's hard to not believe DJ Dave when he says "the way Joey leans into these lyrics is incredible—he's selling this beer like it was the most important thing on earth and maybe it was." These jingles certainly give The Who's Great Shakes ads and Ween's doomed Pizza Hut ditty a run for their money.
Tagged
beer
jingles
malt liquor
queens
selling out
the ramones
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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