"Pet Sematary" is a single by American punk rock band Ramones, from their 1989 album Brain Drain. The song, originally written for the Stephen King 1989 film adaptation of the same name, became one of the Ramones' biggest radio hits and was a staple of their concerts during the 1990s.[3] The song plays over the film’s credits.[4]

"Pet Sematary"
Single by Ramones
from the album Brain Drain
ReleasedJune, 1989
Genre
Length3:30
LabelSire (US)
Chrysalis (UK)
Songwriter(s)Dee Dee Ramone, Daniel Rey[2]
Producer(s)Jean Beauvoir, Bill Laswell, Daniel Rey
Ramones singles chronology
"I Wanna Live"
(1987)
"Pet Sematary"
(1989)
"I Believe in Miracles"
(1989)

Background

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King, a huge Ramones fan, invited the Ramones to his Bangor, Maine home as they played in New England. During the visit, he handed Dee Dee Ramone a copy of his Pet Sematary novel, and the bassist retreated to the basement. One hour later, Dee Dee returned with the lyrics to "Pet Sematary". Shortly afterwards, drummer Marky Ramone said that Dee Dee's attitude that day showed that he could achieve his plans to leave the band and attempt a career at hip hop music. He likened Dee Dee to King, saying that both wrote things people could relate to because they "penetrated to the curiosity, fears, and insecurities carried around with them and couldn't put into words."[5]

Composition

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Producer Daniel Rey became a co-writer by assisting with the structure of the song, while producer Jean Beauvoir of the Plasmatics helped give the song a more commercial style fit for radio play and film inclusion. As "Pet Sematary" sounded closer to the rock ballads of the period, it was a struggle for Johnny Ramone to play the arpeggios and chords, despite Dee Dee's guidance.[5]

Promotion

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The music video for "Pet Sematary" was filmed at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in the eponymous New York village. Shot on a cold night in January 1989, the video features black and white shots of the Ramones walking through the graveyard, as well as color footage of the band and various others miming to the song alongside an open grave. The video ends with the band playing on a hydraulic platform placed inside the open grave, which is gradually lowered until a group of undertakers covers the grave with a headstone that reads "The Ramones".[5] It was the last video featuring Dee Dee Ramone, who would depart the band and be replaced with C. J. Ramone. The video features cameos by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie, as well as members of the Dead Boys.[6]

An alternate edit of the video features the aforementioned scenes interspersed with scenes from the film, with the opening footage of the band walking through the graveyard now appearing in color.[7] This version was briefly shown during an episode of Beavis and Butt-head, named "Good Credit".

Reception

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"Pet Sematary" became the band's highest-charting hit in the US, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart[8] and number 6 on the Radio & Records New Rock chart.[9] However, reception for the song was not entirely positive, as it was also nominated for the now-defunct Razzie Award for Worst Original Song in 1989.

Cover versions

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Chart performance

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Chart (1989) Peak
position
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[21] 4
US New Rock (Radio & Records)[22] 6
US Post Modern (Hits)[23] 9

References

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  1. ^ a b Casalena, Em (October 28, 2024). "5 Underrated Rock Songs That Are Perfect for a Refined Halloween Playlist". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  2. ^ "Pet Sematary - Ramones | Song Info". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "MattFini's Halloween Top 10 Lists: Most Memorable End Credit Songs". June 2012.
  4. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Pet Sematary". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
  5. ^ a b c Ramone, Marky (2015). Punk Rock Blitzkrieg. John Blake Publishing. pp. 276–8. ISBN 978-1784188306.
  6. ^ "Pet Sematary - The Ramones". 13 March 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14 – via www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ "Ramones - Pet Sematary". 10 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14 – via www.youtube.com.
  8. ^ "Ramones Chart History: Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "New Rock" (PDF). Radio & Records. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "Monster Club - the Groovie Ghoulies | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  11. ^ "Ramonetures - Ramonetures | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  12. ^ "Pet Sematary (song) - RammWiki". rammwiki.net. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  13. ^ "Brand New Drug - Michelle Darkness | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  14. ^ "Hawthorne Heights: Breaking Through Midwestern Ohio's MySpace Scene". 15 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Split Single, by Muncie Girls".
  16. ^ "Videos: Energy - "Pet Sematary" (Ramones)". punknews.org. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  17. ^ @starryguys (April 6, 2019). "If you've already seen the movie this weekend, here is @TheStarcrawler's version of Ramones's "Pet Sematary." We lo…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Blondie's Debbie Harry covered the Ramones' 'Pet Semetary'". 19 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Misfits – Buried in a Pet Cementary [sic] (2004, CDR)". Discogs. January 2004.
  20. ^ @AndyHerrin (19 October 2020). "Robin of @ginblossoms , Paul of @G_A_C_B , and myself got together to cover one of my all time fav songs. It's out…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "The Ramones - Chart history: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  22. ^ "New Rock" (PDF). Radio & Records. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  23. ^ "Post Modern" (PDF). Hits. p. 47. Retrieved June 20, 2023.