Standing in the Spotlight Review
First published: Friday June 13th, 2025
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It's Time to Rock, It's Time to Rap
I wanted to do a series reviewing each Ramones album, but I decided to start of with two honorable mentions, this being one of them.
Let's start with why this album exists, Dee Dee King is Dee Dee Ramone, albeit under a different name (slightly.) In 1989 after leaving the Ramones following Brain Drain, Dee Dee went into drug rehabilitation and learned about rap music and decided that he's gonna do that. So, he took the name Dee Dee King and created his debut and only rap album Standing in the Spotlight. It has been called one of the worst recording failures in music history. With context out of the way let's review.
Track 1: Mash Potato Time
This is a reworked version of the song of the same name by Dee Dee Sharp released in 1962, and right of the bat, this song is terrible, first off, Dee Dee is not singing he's talking, and I get that's what rap is to an extent, but not like this. His "singing" if we can call it that is also way worse than when he was with the Ramones, take a listen to any of these songs and the song "Time Bomb" from the Ramones' Subterranean Jungle and the difference is night and day. Or even "punishment Fits the Crime" off of Brain Drain released the same year. What the hell happened? You're going to hear this a lot so I'm preparing you now, the only decent part of this song is the chorus, mainly because it's not Dee Dee singing. He also comes off as extremely cocky in this song, saying "I'm as cool as they come, you other rappers better run" and "I'm as strong as Sly Stallone" no, you're definitely not as strong as Sylvester Stallone, if he went 10 rounds with him and you'll be looking like Apollo Creed in Rocky IV.
Track 2: 2 Much 2 Drink
First off, what's with the title? Did he get it from the Fast and Furious franchise? Literally the first second into the song and I already want to listen to something else. Like before, he's talking not singing, but this time he's doing it in this "trying to be soothing" voice and it's just irritating. Even the chorus here is still awful. This is genuinely impressive, two songs in and I want to toss the record out the window.
Track 3: Baby Doll
Again, talking but now he sounds whinier, it's frustrating because you have to sit through 44 seconds of pure crap until you get to an actually pretty good chorus, again because Dee Dee's either not singing or did something with his voice to make it sound not like him. Other than the chorus, I really can't stand this track.
Track 4: Poor Little Rich Girl
Wow, I didn't think we could get worse but here we did, this time his voice is just scratchy and yelling. Like what he did on Animal Boy. it's truly impossible to listen to except for the chorus, I don't get how he does it, he makes the worst songs imaginable and then blesses your ears with about five seconds of decent music before returning to the shit you were just hearing.
Track 5: Commotion In the Ocean
I actually like the riff, before the words show up. But notice that I said BEFORE the words show up, these lyrics make absolutely no sense at all for an example: "if you're freezing in New York, that I've followed the stork" Like I know he first heard about rap in drug rehabilitation, but clearly it didn't work as this sounds like the ramblings of a man who's done just a bit too much of the old nose candy. I sound like a broken record, (funny, that's what I wish this album will be) but the chorus is actually pretty good.
Track 6: German Kid
Have you ever wanted to hear someone rapping in German? Oh, you haven't? Well, to bad! Yep, you read that right, this song has Dee Dee rapping in German. Which I'll give him props for but it still sounds terrible. The chorus is fine sound wise but lyric wise it sure is something. You see, Dee Dee was the son of an American soldier and a German woman, and lived in Berlin until he was 15, so the chorus reads: "half American, half German." Wow! Such original lyrics, give this man a Grammy, and while you're at it, put him in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Track 7: Brooklyn Babe
What's new to say here" Chorus good, rest bad, I'm, tired of repeating myself. I will say the lyrics are particularly bad here, especially in pronunciation emphasizing the "a" in about. Although I do fin the lyrics "how can I describe the chick? Let's do some arithmetic she's a 34-23-34" does make me laugh when I hear it.
Track 8: Emergency
Finally! Some actually good music! Well, good might be being too generous but at least not terrible. His voice is still iffy, and I don't like the voice he does from the line "please, sir, please" to "and you're in it" However, the chorus is by far the best out of any song I've heard on this album. This is the best song on the album, by far.
Track 9: The Crusher
This one is also not so bad, again not good, but not bad, we're on a hot streak! This song was actually later covered by the Ramones on their final album, I think it's done better there as apposed to here mainly because of Dee Dee's "singing" now C.J. is far from the best singer, but he did a better job the Dee Dee did. The chorus is pretty obnoxious but I kind of like it, and some of the lyrics just don't work but overall, I think it's a fine song.
Track 10: I Want What I Want When I Want It
I Want What I Want When I Want It
And the streak's ruined. This one's just awful on so many levels, the opening to the song is just loud and, in your face, the chorus isn't good, his "singing" makes me want to blow my brains out. And, again with Dee Dee just sounding cocky, he says "I'm the baddest rapper in Whitestone, Queens" I guarantee you he's not.
Honorable Mention: Funky Man
Funky Man was actually the first song Dee Dee King released and there's really no point in discussing it because I'd just be repeating what others said about it, but I'll try. First, he's doing the same voice as "Poor Little Rich Girl," The chorus is just, well, and I quote "fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu funky" wow, just wow.
Not many people cared enough to listen to the album and those who did hated it, with AllMusic giving it one and a half stars, and Robert Christgau, the man who'd given the first Ramones album and "A" grade, gifted Mr. King with a "C." After this catastrophic failure, he left the rap game and formed probably the dumbest band name you've ever heard: Dee Dee Ramone I.C.L.C. the I.C.L.C. stood for Inter-Celestial Light Commune. So, it's safe to say drug rehabilitation didn't work? Right? His later stuff went back to the punk stuff he was familiar with, and he played with I.C.L.C. until his death in 2002.
As for my grade, I give it a "D" there's really only one good song, and one song that's best described as "good if you squint at it." Do I agree that this is one of the biggest failures in recording history? Yes.
That being said, I'll see you all later.
-MM