THE SOUND OF HARDCORE – Part One: Ramones “Loudmouth” (Colvin-Cummings) (1976)

A Historical and Theoretical Analysis of Fifteen Songs Representative of American Hardcore’s Musical Style

I’m going a little academic on this one, but it’s a funny story:

Due to a miscommunication in my class on American hardcore punk (yes, there is an actual course on hardcore punk led by Kimon Keramidas at NYU’s Experimental Humanities department – it’s not a history course so much as a course on archiving, and how to accurately and respectfully document this unique, DYI, analog era), I thought I had to choose 15 songs and write 600 words about each of them. That’s 9,000 words all in all, but no one said grad school was easy, so I didn’t question the assignment. After completing six of these essays, I found out I only needed to write 600 words describing all 15 of my song choices – an insulting 40 words each. 

Obviously, I love writing about songs, so why let this mishap go to waste?

I stand by a belief that hardcore punk songs can be analyzed like any other style of “art” music. Despite its reputation for simplicity, there are aspects and layers of musicality in hardcore that deserve a close listen. Likewise, the artists who created these songs deserve to be respected as musicians and songwriters — they may not have had much in the way of formal music education or had the language of music theory at their fingertips, but that doesn’t lessen their impact.

I stopped short of conducting a full musical analysis of each song, but I encourage anyone with an interest in music theory to listen carefully to how each song was crafted as there is much to be found and appreciated.

1. Ramones: “Loudmouth” (Colvin-Cummings) (1976)

American hardcore punk didn’t appear out of thin air – like all new musical genres, there are threads that can be traced back to other songs that came before it. Artists listen to songs that inspire them and then change and develop them until they’ve made the sound their own. Steven Blush wrote in his oral history collection “American Hardcore: A Tribal History” that most hardcore scene participants cite the Ramones as a primary influence. Blush also credits them with initiating the genres’ loud volume, lightning-fast speed, and casual image.

The Ramones — Joey, Johnny, Dee-Dee, and Tommy Ramone — formed in Queens, New York, in the mid-1970s and are widely accepted as the originators of punk rock. They recorded their first album in 1976 and it was this collection of fast, rough, often rude songs that inspired a new sound in youth-driven rock and roll. Dez Cadena, front man of California hardcore band Black Flag later said: “I was in awe when I heard The Ramones’ first album, I couldn’t believe there was a Rock album like that.” In comparison to the faster, louder, and far more violent sound of hardcore punk that arrived just four years later, much of the Ramones debut album sounds closer to classic 1950s danceable rock and roll like Buddy Holly or Elvis Presley. So, how did the Ramones – a self-professed “cross between bubblegum groups and the Stooges” — come to define the origins of hardcore?   

The eighth song on their debut album – “Loudmouth” – stands out as the record most indicative of the spark that may have led to the sonic development of hardcore punk. Lasting 2 minutes and 15 seconds, it’s one of the longer tracks on the album, however, its simple lyric repeats with no need for a distinct verse, chorus, or bridge to convey a larger story than its one aggressive message:

“Well, you’re a loudmouth baby
You better shut up
I’m going to beat you up
Well, you’re a loudmouth babe”

The chords underneath Joey’s vocal line are minimal and simple enough for any novice musician to learn. Three simple patterns are created using four power chords  – A B E G – which can be analyzed as A Dorian (simply described: G major masquerading as the key of A). Dee-Dee’s bass line supports each chord with a root note matching the rhythm of Johnny’s guitar. Tommy’s sporty drum line moves the song forward with nicely spaced cymbal crashes. The one complexity in the composition of “Loudmouth” is in its rhythmic structure which switches from a common-time 4/4 beat to an extended 6/4 and back again in between each chorus. However, the riff is so consistent and catchy that the change in rhythm hardly indicates an elevation in artistic sensibility.

While other tracks on the album could inspire couples to make their move on a social dance floor, “Loudmouth” calls for a different type of interaction from its audience. Headbanging comes naturally following the song’s clear meter but dancing simply doesn’t fit. Unless of course, it’s the crazed slam dancing of the hardcore era that would soon dominate the mosh pit in front of every punk-rock stage. 

“Loudmouth” not only inspired a new sound and necessitated a new form of dance – its lyrics gave young fans permission to be crass and to channel their aggression into song. As Johnny Ramone said, “We [wrote] about teenage problems, songs about growing up, being nobody, having a hard time finding a girlfriend, teenage boredom, not knowing what to do with yourself.” For the Ramones, anything they needed to say was fair game and so with four chords and a couple of drumsticks they built a bridge between what was and what was to come.