Editing Halfway to Sanity (section)

==Musical style and lyrics==
The album's opening track, "I Wanna Live", features heavy [[feedback]] and a musical style closer to [[hard rock]] than [[punk rock|punk]].<ref name=true>{{Harvnb|True|2010|page=279}}</ref> Described by author [[Dave Thompson (author)|Dave Thompson]] as similar to contemporary "[[Romantic music|romantic]] [[melody|melodies]],"<ref name="dave">{{Harvnb|Thompson|2000|page=582}}</ref> the song was written by Dee Dee, who quoted the lyrics "''As I load my pistol / Fine German steel''" years later in a photo session with Ken Hinchey and Mike Vought as he loaded a gun.<ref>{{Harvnb|True|2010|pages=283–284}}</ref> The song runs 2 minutes 39 seconds and despite its brevity was called "too long" by music journalist [[Everett True]].<ref>{{Harvnb|True|2010|page=278}}</ref> Both the next track, "Bop 'Til You Drop", and the fifth track, "Go Lil' Camaro Go", were described by True as "dire 'fun,'" saying it sounded "as if they've been tossed off in a couple seconds—and probably were" and that Joey sang with a "drink-ravaged voice."<ref>{{Harvnb|True|2010|pages=282, 284}}</ref> Thompson wrote that "Go Lil' Camaro Go", a [[duet]] with Blondie's [[Debbie Harry]], had a style similar to [[bubblegum pop]].<ref name="dave"/><ref name="digital">{{cite journal|title=Ramones: Halfway to Sanity|journal=Digital Audio and Compact Disc Review|date=1988|volume=4|issue=7–12|pages=72|publisher=WGE Publishing, Inc}}</ref> Track three, "Garden of Serenity", incorporates elements used in [[crossover thrash]].<ref>{{Harvnb|True|2010|page=282}}</ref> The next track is "Weasel Face", written by Dee Dee and Johnny about, according to Johnny, a fan "who had a real weasel face. He came to all our gigs in the South; he followed us around. I think he was from [[Mississippi]]."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ramone|first1=Johnny|title=Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone|date=2012|publisher=[[Abrams_Books#Abrams_Image|Abrams Image]]|isbn=978-0-8109-9660-1|page=158}}</ref> Side A concludes with Richie's "I Know Better", which, along with "Go Lil' Camaro Go", was described by [[AllMusic]] reviewer [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] as having a "solid" [[hook (music)|hook]].<ref name="allmusic"/>

Joey wrote the opening track for Side B, "Death of Me", as well as "A Real Cool Time", which True said was a tribute to "summer beach" parties and "New York Cat Clubs," and compared the [[melody]] line to [[the Who]]'s "[[The Kids Are Alright (song)|The Kids Are Alright]]".<ref name="true 283">{{Harvnb|True|2010|pages=283}}</ref> The album's longest song is track 11, "Bye Bye Baby", at 4 minutes 33 seconds. It was described as a "tear-jerking" piece by True, and was influenced by '50s/early '60s [[girl group]] pop.<ref name="true281">{{Harvnb|True|2010|pages=280–281}}</ref> He wrote that it features a "beautiful chiming guitar sound" that "stands out like a sore thumb" compared to the other songs on the album, because Joey "sings instead of shouting."<ref name="true281"/> The song was deemed "[[Phil Spector]]-ish" in the WEG Publication's ''Digital Audio and Compact Disc Review'',<ref name="digital"/> who also described the album's final track, "Worm Man", as having a "[[hardcore punk]] [[Thrashcore|thrashing]]" style.<ref name="digital"/> while True said the latter was similar to the work of [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]].<ref name="true 283"/>