"We're a Happy Family" - Various Artists

Album

U2 Related Content:

Full Track Listing:

  • Havana Affair – Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • Blitzkrieg Bop – Rob Zombie
  • I Believe in Miracles – Eddie Vedder with Zeke
  • 53rd and 3rd – Metallica
  • Beat on the Brat – U2 (2:35)
  • Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio – Kiss
  • The KKK Took My Baby Away – Marilyn Manson
  • I Just Wanna Have Something to Do – Garbage
  • Outsider – Green Day
  • Something to Believe In – The Pretenders
  • Sheena is a Punk Rocker – Rancid
  • I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend – Pete Yorn
  • I Wanna Be Sedated – The Offspring
  • Here Today, Gone Tomorrow – Rooney
  • Return of Jackie and Judy – Tom Waits

Additional Tracks

  • Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love) – Eddie Vedder with Zeke (Limited Edition bonus track)

Hidden Track

  • Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World – John Frusciante

Background Information

“We’re a Happy Family” is a tribute album to the music of The Ramones, and it featured artists recording songs that were made popular by the Ramones. The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1974, and are often credited as being the earliest punk group. And although none of the band were related, they all adopted psuedonyms ending with the name “Ramone”.

The tribute album was initially started when Johnny Ramone was approached about a tribute album, and he agreed to participate, as long as he would have full control over the project. It was Ramone who asked Rob Zombie to be the co-producer of the project, and approached Stephen King to write the liner notes. The project was one of the last projects that Johnny Ramone worked on before his death in 2004.

The song “Beat on the Brat” was the second song on The Ramones debut album, titled “Ramones”. It is the song that U2 have covered for this compilation. Earlier, on February 25, 2002 the NME Carling Awards (aka The Brats) were held. At the awards show, U2 won an award for best live act, and as an acceptance speech in their absence U2 recorded a video performing “Beat on the Brat”. Adam Clayton was not in attendance in the video and bass tech Stuart Morgan filled in on bass behind a cardboard cutout of Adam. It was also recorded for this compilation. U2’s recording of the song took place at Hanover Quay studios in Dublin Ireland.

The limited edition digipack CD actually contains 20 tracks. The first 16 tracks are listed as above (including the Eddie Vedder bonus track). Track 17, 18, and 19 are short 10s blank tracks. Then Track 20 is the hidden track “Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World”. On the non limited edition the CD contains the first 15 tracks, three tracks of silence then this hidden track. The bonus track itself was released on the first pressing of the CD only and appears on 100,000 copies of the release.

The album had a series of rumoured release dates throughout much of 2002. A press release confirming the February 11, 2003 release date was sent out in mid-January, 2003. Part of the proceeds of this album go to benefit the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

Liner Notes

Beat on the Brat: Written by Jeffrey Hyman, John Cummings, Douglas Colvin. (Joey, Johnny and DeeDee Ramone) Performed by U2. Produced by Mike Hedges for 3kHz. Engineered by Ger McDonnell. Assisted by Chris Heaney and Matthieu Ciouard. Recorded at HQ, Dublin.

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