53rd & 3rd

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"53rd & 3rd"

Single by The Ramones
Released	February 1976
Recorded	1975
Genre	Punk
Length	2:21
Label	Sire
Producer(s)	Craig Leon
The Ramones singles chronology
Blitzkrieg Bop (1975)	53rd & 3rd (1976)	I Remember You (1977)

"53rd & 3rd" was the second single by punk rock band The Ramones. It was released February 1976.

The song, written by Dee Dee Ramone, refers to a famous spot for male prostitution in New York where it is speculated that he himself had been a "hustler"; and used the money earned there to pay for his heroin habit which he immortalized in "Chinese Rock", and which ultimately killed him (he died from an overdose in 2002). In the movie End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones, Dee Dee is ambiguous on whether he actually hustled on that corner, although all other members of the band claim or at least imply that he did.

The protagonist of the song complains that he is the prostitute never chosen, and when he finally is, he has to kill his customer to prove that he is not gay.

Shortly after the song was written, the site was cleared to make way for one of Manhattan's most famous skyscrapers, the Citicorp Center.

The song was covered by Metallica on the We're a Happy Family tribute album. Screeching Weasel also covered the song on the album Beat is on the Brat. On the live album We're Outta Here, Lars Fredriksen of Rancid joins the Ramones in performing this song.

[edit] Trivia

The song also lent its name to a British indie pop pop label, which is unsurprising given that The Ramones influenced indie rock and indie pop.

Ramones
Joey Ramone • Johnny Ramone • Dee Dee Ramone • Tommy Ramone • Marky Ramone • Richie Ramone • Elvis Ramone • C. J. Ramone
Discography
Studio albums: Ramones (1976) • Leave Home (1977) • Rocket to Russia (1977) • Road to Ruin (1978) • End of the Century (1980) • Pleasant Dreams (1981) • Subterranean Jungle (1983) • Too Tough to Die (1984) • Animal Boy (1986) • Halfway to Sanity (1987) • Brain Drain (1989) • Mondo Bizarro (1992) • Acid Eaters (1993) • ¡Adios Amigos! (1995)
Live albums: It's Alive (1979) • Loco Live (1991) • Greatest Hits Live (1996) • We're Outta Here (1997) • You Don't Come Close (2001) • NYC 1978 (2003)
Compilations: Ramones Mania (1988) • All The Stuff (And More!) Volume 1 (1990) • All The Stuff (And More!) Volume 2 (1990) • Hey Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology (1999) • Ramones Mania Vol. 2 (2000) • Masters of Rock: Ramones (2001) • Best of the Chrysalis Years (2002) • Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits (2002) • The Chrysalis Years (2002) • The Best of The Ramones (2004) • Weird Tales of the Ramones (2005) • Greatest Hits (2006)
Tribute Albums: Ramones (1992) • We're a Happy Family (2003)
Films: Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) • Lifestyles of the Ramones (1990) • Ramones - Around the World (1993) • We're Outta Here (1997) • Ramones: Raw (2004) • End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003)
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