An Intro to Punk: 3 Songs to Start With If You’re New to the Genre

While there are exceptions to every rule, generally speaking, punk rock music is fast, fast, fast. Established in the mid-70s as electric guitars were becoming more and more readily available, punk rock music blossomed in New York City and across the ocean in London, England. The era also happened to overlap with the influx of cocaine. Coincidence? Who are we to say…

But no matter the circumstances and contexts around which the genre was born, the fact remains. Punk rock music gets your heart pumping. Your feet flying. Your hands waving. Your head bobbing. It can be better than a cup of coffee in the morning. And here, we wanted to explore three particularly energizing punk rock tracks for those looking to learn more about the genre.

“I Wanna Be Sedated” by Ramones from Road to Ruin (1978)

Before they were a globally known punk rock band, the New York City-born group known as the Ramones were trying to find their sound. And then they just started to play faster and faster and suddenly they were helping to invent and promulgate the new genre they’d become synonymous with. And perhaps no song is more associated with the band than the 1978 track, “I Wanna Be Sedated.”

It’s an ironic twist of fate since the speedy, jamming, buzzing song is all about wanting to slow down. But the juxtaposition of music and lyrics works, and the song will assuredly live forever. It’s a must-hear for any new punk fans.

“Basket Case” by Green Day from Dookie (1994)

A decade-and-a-half after the Ramones released their classic about sedation, the California-born punk rockers known as Green Day released their song about being insane. The human mind is a fragile thing and when you add drugs to it, as both Green Day and the Ramones seem to have, things can get a bit haywire. And you may feel, yes, like something of a basket case.

That’s the subject of this rollicking track from Billie Joe Armstrong and his pop-punk trio. With its relentless rhythms, the song might make you want to run through a wall. What could be better?

“I Fought the Law” by the Clash from The Cost of Living (1979)

A cover of a song from the 1960s, the British-born group known as the Clash released their version at the end of the 1970s on their 1979 LP, Cost of Living. Not only does the music get your toes tapping and your spine shaking but the rebellious subject matter is enough to stir you to action.

It’s funny to hear this song through the lens of the British rockers—like an old country song given a shock to the system—but that’s what makes it so compelling. The tension from blending styles, from reinterpretation, and from rising up against The Man. If you’re a new punk fan, the Clash are your new best friends.