BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1989
Originally posted October 29, 2012
“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.
King is a huge Ramones fan and invited the band 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.”
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.
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.” 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. 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.
Reception for the song was not entirely positive, as it was nominated for the now-defunct Razzie Award for Worst Original Song in 1989.
SIDE A:
Pet Sematary (Single Version) 3:30
Producer – Daniel Rey, Jean Beauvoir
Written-By – Daniel Rey, Dee Dee Ramone
SIDE B:
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (LP Version) 2:43
Producer – Tom Erdelyi, Tony Bongiovi
Life Goes On 3:30
Producer – Daniel Rey, Ramones
Written-By – Joey Ramone
VINYL GRADE:
Sleeve: Near Mint
Vinyl: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Pet Sematary | U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | #4 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – 0-21182, Sire – 9-21182, Red Eye (2) – 0-21182, Red Eye (2) – 9-21182
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Rock
Style: Rock & Roll, Punk
NOTES:
Based on the best selling thriller.
Track A, original version from the forthcoming Ramones album “BRAIN DRAIN” on Sire Records.
B1 from the Sire album Ramones Mania.
B2 is not contained in the Paramount motion picture Pet Sematary.
Made in U.S.A.
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
DAC/Phono Pre-amp: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Username: btg
Password: burningtheground
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