(Credits: Far Out)
Sun 1 February 2026 22:00, UK
Now that we’re in the full throes of award season, many artists’ minds will be wandering to the wildest imaginings. The Ramones thought they were getting that very moment of glory back in 1989 – until they realised their award was actually for ‘Worst Song’.Â
As harsh as it may sound, having a clanger or two in your time is more or less a rite of passage for any band looking to make a mark on the scene in the long haul, but there’s no point in denying that the moment comes with a highly bitter sting. Only the benefit of hindsight can really soften that blow, but that can be months, years, or even decades later.Â
But in 1989, the punk pioneers truly thought they were on to the big time when they were summoned by the overarching literary god of all time – Stephen King. Much like many of his own darkest, twisted words, the author knew how to seek out something with a sharper edge and tantalising bite when he wanted it. This was exactly where he found the Ramones.
It’s difficult to quantify this next part of the story since recollections seem to vary so hugely, but Marky Ramone seemed to remember being invited to King’s house one night, being given a slap-up dinner, and then the author handing Dee Dee a copy of his novel Pet Sematary, for which the bassist had written the corresponding song an hour later.Â
Basically, King himself called that bullshit. To his memory, the whole affair was a much more mundane transaction involving a call to Dee Dee when making the film for Pet Sematary, but again, Ramone’s mind clearly ran away with him. As such, when the eponymous song became the band’s best-selling song, charting at number four, his mind must have been on fire.
That all came crashing down pretty soon after, however, when the band then found themselves the unfortunate custodians of a nomination for ‘Worst Original Song’ at the 1989 Golden Raspberry Awards for ‘Pet Sematary’. They weren’t the only ones with their tails between their legs, though – it ended up being Iron Maiden who took the bullet of the actual award win for their song, ‘Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter’.
Similarly to the Ramones, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson must have thought he was set for grand filmic ambitions when he was asked to record the track for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. And in certain ways, he was: the version recorded by the rest of the band became their only ever UK number one.
Yet ‘Pet Sematary’ and ‘Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter’ shared in the same wallowing pity party as each other, being two classic rock hits that didn’t necessarily seem to translate to the movie-going worlds they were really intended for. Is there some sort of message in there about snobbish audiences compared to the classic rock market? Probably, but let’s not go there.
Of course, despite their clanging recognition, the embarrassment of the moment never seemed to harm either the Ramones or Iron Maiden massively in the long run. Making a couple of wrong turns is all part of the ride – but when you get called out by the mighty King, that must be just a little bit mortifying.
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