Carbona Not Glue

"Carbona Not Glue" is a song by the Ramones from their second album, Leave Home (1977).

Story

"Carbona Not Glue" is a follow-up to "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", a song that appeared on their first album. The band sarcastically suggested that the high obtained from sniffing Carbona cleaning solvent was more pleasurable than that of airplane glue. In the hardcover book included in some versions of Hey! Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology, Tommy Ramone says, "Something like 'Carbona Not Glue' has to be tongue-in-cheek. It's absurd, like saying that you should try something more poisonous." It was featured prominently in the graphic novel Ghost World by Dan Clowes.

Controversy

The original release of Leave Home included "Carbona Not Glue" as the fifth track on the album. However, the song was deleted from the album to avoid a potential lawsuit, as Carbona was a corporate trademark.^[1] The album was re-released with the outtake "Babysitter", which was also released as the B-side of "Do You Wanna Dance?", in its place. On the British version, "Babysitter" is not listed on the back cover or inner sleeve, but it is listed on the label. Most collectors believe that the "Babysitter" version is rarer than the "Carbona" version.

When Sire Records suddenly switched distributors from ABC Records to Warner Bros. Records (who had bought the label), yet another version of the album was released, with "Babysitter" being replaced by "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker", then a non-LP single already planned to be on the next Ramones album in a different mix.

The Tribute Band

Formed in 1995, Carbona Not Glue are a Ramones tribute band, taking their name from the song. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland they have played mostly around Scotland and the north of England.

See also

• Ramones discography
• Songs about drug use

References