Marcus. It was written by Joey about how he yearns for a girl to be herself instead of something she's not. The album's only cover song, "California Sun", was written by Henry Glover and Morris Levy, and originally recorded by The Rivieras. While the lyrics and musical structure remain the same throughout the piece, Joey's pronunciation upon words significantly lessened the similarity to the original song. The sound output tone also differs from the original, with more distortion as well as a faster tempo. Author Steve Waksman relates: "From the opening bars, 'California Sun' becomes subject to the Ramones' distinctive brand of musical minimalism paired with sonic excess. The chords go by in a blur of distortion; the drums and bass kick at seemingly twice the speed of the Rivieras." The twelfth track "Commando" has a theme which deals with war movies and contains multiple military references. Author Avram Mednick said the song was a successor to "Blitzkrieg Bop", released on the band's debut album. He also noted that it has a "bouncy melody and an infectious call-and-response chorus." "You're Gonna Kill that Girl", which was written very early in the band's career, was also rooted in doo-wop genre. Mednick commented that it appealed highly to those tuning into the Ramones in the UK, and also said it has a "lovely misogynistic tune." The final guitar chord on the track is played by drummer Tommy since Johnny rarely played acoustic. The album's final track, "You Should Never Have Opened That Door", was written by Dee Dee and Johnny, and circles themes of horror films and hints that people in these movies tend to be naïve and unintelligent. Critical reception Leave Home was released on January 10, 1977 and was well received by critics. Although the album did not receive much initial reception, Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone magazine gave the album a favorable review in 1977, saying that it is very similar to their debut yet more experienced sounding. He sums up the album with: "The Ramones are as direct and witty as before. They've also lost just a pinch of their studied rawness: whether this is a sign of maturity or sellout is a matter for debate. The Ramones make rousing music and damn good jokes, but they're in a bind: the hard rock of this group is so pure it may be perceived as a freak novelty by