Rock ‘n’ Roll High School is a musical comedy film released on August 24, 1979. The film was directed by Allan Arkush, produced by Michael Finnell and starring P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard and Dey Young. The film featured the punk rock band Ramones.
The film is set in 1980. Vince Lombardi High School keeps losing principals to nervous breakdowns due to the students’ penchant for rock and roll and disregard for education. Student leader Riff Randell is the biggest Ramones fan in the school and also the biggest behavior problem, as her disciplinary record fills an entire file cabinet. She stands in line for three days to get tickets to see the band, hoping to meet Joey Ramone so she can give him a song she wrote for the band, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.
Roger Corman, the film’s executive producer, was looking to make a modern teen movie similar to those he made early in his career during the 1960s, focusing on the actual music of the time. The initial title Disco High was selected because of a story idea by Allan Arkush and Joe Dante. Richard Whitley, Russ Dvonch and Joseph McBride developed the screenplay. During this time, the film went through several title changes, including Heavy Metal Kids and Girl’s Gym. Arkush directed most of the film, but Dante also helped out when Arkush was burned out.
The soundtrack album was released at about the same time, but only included a limited number of songs from the film. The two main Ramones songs (the title track and I Want You Around) were recorded by Ed Stasium, but remixed by Phil Spector for the soundtrack album. Ed Stasium’s original mixes were not released until the compilation album Ramones Mania (1988) and the compilation album Hey! Ho! Let’s Go: The Anthology (1999), respectively.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
1.- Rock ‘N’ Roll High School by Ramones
2.- I Want You Around by Ramones
3.- Come On Let’s Go by Ramones, Paley Brothers
4.- Ramones Medley: Blitzkrieg Bop, Teenage Lobotomy, California Sun, Pinhead, She’s the One by Ramones, Henry Glover, Morris Levy
5.- So It Goes by Nick Lowe
6.- Energy Fools The Magician by Brian Eno
Side 2:
1.- Rock ‘N’ Roll High School by P.J. Soles
2.- Come Back Jonee by Devo
3.- Teenage Depression by Eddie And The Hot Rods
4.- Smoking In The Boys’ Room by Brownsville Station
5.- School Days by Chuck Berry
6.- A Dream Goes On Forever by Todd Rundgren
7.- School’s Out by Alice Cooper
