10 songs that influenced punk music
If you listen to the early punk bands, though they all had a lot of attitude, a tendency to snarl, a DIY spirit, and a fondness for a few simple chords played quickly in the style of the Ramones, they all sounded quite different from one another. It wasn’t until the start of the 1980s with the emergence of hardcore punk soon followed by other sub genres that “punk” came to embody certain very specific musical styles and scores of copycat bands emerged. If one was to compile a complete list of the musical influences of the early punk pioneers, it would be musically very diverse, and would vary hugely from artist to artist. The ten tracks I’ve chosen all contribute something unique to punk’s ethos and musical development – and they’re all well worth listening to in their own right. So enjoy !
The Kinks – You really got me (1964) / David Watts (1967)
Two songs for the price of one ! According to Wikipedia, “You Really Got Me was built around parallel 5ths and octaves (power chords), and was heavily influential on later rock and roll musicians, particularly in the heavy metal genre. It is considered to be the prototypical heavy metal and proto-punk song.” David Watts was of course covered by the Jam.
The Seeds – Can’t Seem To Make You Mine (1965)
The rawness of garage rock bands in the US in the mid 60s prefigured the rise of punk a decade later.
Velvet Underground – I’m Waiting For The Man (1967)
“Nothing could have prepared the kids and parents assembled in the auditorium for what they were about to experience that night. Our only clue was the small crowd of strange-looking people hanging around in front of the stage. When the curtain went up, nobody could believe their eyes! There stood the Velvet Underground – all tall and dressed mostly in black; two of them were wearing sunglasses. One of the guys with the shades had VERY long hair and was wearing silver jewelry. He was holding a large violin. The drummer had a Beatle haircut and was standing at a small oddly arranger drumkit. was it a boy or a girl? Before we could take it all in, everyone was hit by a screeching surge of sound, with a pounding beat louder than anything we had ever heard. About a minute into the second song, which the singer introduced as “Heroin”, the music began to get even more intense. It swelled and accelerated like a giant tidal wave which was threatening to engulf us all. At this point, most of the audience retreated in horror for the safety of their homes, thoroughly convinced of the dangers of rock & roll music.”
The Stooges – No Fun (1969)
When Detroit group the Stooges were formed by Iggy Pop they could barely play their instruments. They soon became notorious for their wild primitive live performances. This song was later covered by the Sex Pistols.
MC5 – Motor city is burning (1969)
Also from Detroit, and also vocalising urban alienation, but there the similarities end. MC5 were highly politicised. Here they take a John Lee Hooker song about the 1943 Detroit riots and change it to make it about the Detroit riots of 1967.
Modern Lovers – She cracked (1976)
Actually recorded in 1972, but only released in 1976 after the band had been reformed. Jonathan Richman was heavily inspired by the Velvet Underground, and the Velvets John Cale produced the album, but in this song of teenage angst he finds his own voice.
New York Dolls – Looking for a kiss (1973)
“People who saw the Dolls said, ‘Hell, anybody can do this.’” says the Dolls David Johansen. “I think what the Dolls did as far as being an influence on punk was that we showed that anybody could do it.”
Big Youth – Wolf in sheep’s clothing (1975)
Joe Strummer : “I was actually turned onto playing reggae by Mole, who was the bass player for the 101′ers, who finally made me really listen to Big Youth and feel it … once it was under your skin it became almost a passion.” Big Youth was a Jamaican singer who made a brief impact on the British scene in the mid 70s.
Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation (1977)
Richard Hell had started playing this song earlier during his stint in Television, and Malcolm Maclaren said of it “Richard Hell was a definite, 100 percent inspiration, and, in fact, I remember telling the Sex Pistols, ‘Write a song like Blank Generation, but write your own bloody version,’ and their own version was Pretty Vacant.”
Suicide – Ghost Rider (1977)
Perhaps more of an influence on post punk bands – Joy Division, Jesus and Mary Chain, Soft Cell and Nick Cave are among the many who acknowledge their influence – but this is such viscerally exciting stuff that it just had to be included.
