10 Cover Songs That Shouldn't Have Worked (But Did)

From day one, the punk rock explosion always seemed to be sticking out against the more corporate side of rock. At a time when most bands were stretching out into more advanced playing styles and trying to outsolo one another, the Ramones' debut was a ferocious return to the three chord rock that made people fall in love with the genre. It was loud, it was nonconformist....and it apparently worked well with '50s doo wop music?

For their sophomore effort Leave Home, the Ramones decided to dig back a little deeper into rock history and pull out a version of California Sun, which seems like it would sound better playing out of a transistor radio on a beach rather than the rough and tumble clubs of CBGB's. There's a lot of bizarro world charm in this too, so why doesn't it feel more cynical as a result?

Well, when you boil everything down, it's not like punk and doo wop are that dissimilar of genres, which each relying on simple melodies and a tight groove to keep things together. As much as Joey Ramone doesn't strike you as the sunbather type, this still has the same energy that could kick off a summer beach party. But hey, even the hot fun in the summertime jams need to find their way to Redondo Beach eventually, right?