Dee Dee Ramone, born Douglas Glenn Colvin (September 18, 1951 - June 5, 200… Read Full Bio ↴Dee Dee Ramone, born Douglas Glenn Colvin (September 18, 1951 - June 5, 2002) was a founding member of The Ramones, a heavily influential punk band in which he wrote or co-wrote most of the songs, including "53rd & 3rd", "Commando", "Pet Semetary" and "Poison Heart". Dee Dee struggled with drugs for much of his life, especially heroin, beginning his drug use as a teenager, and continuing to use for the majority of his adult life. He was the bassist for the group until 1989, when he left to pursue a short-lived career in rap under the name Dee Dee King. Afterwards he continued to write songs for the Ramones until 1996, when the band retired.

Douglas Glenn Colvin was born in Fort Lee, Virginia, and raised in Berlin, Germany (later to move back to the Forest Hills, Queens, NYC, NY, USA), the son of an American soldier stationed there and a German woman. His parents separated shortly after his birth, and he lived in Berlin until the age of 16, when he and his mother moved to the Forest Hills section of New York City's borough of Queens. There he met Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) and Tommy Ramone (Tommy Erdelyi), then playing in a band called The Tangerine Puppets, named after a Donovan song of the same name. They quickly became friends, being outcasts in that heavily middle class neighborhood. In 1974, Johnny and Dee Dee formed the Ramones with then-drummer Jeffrey Hyman, soon to be Joey Ramone, who took over vocal duties after Dee Dee decided that he could not sing lead and play bass well at the same time. Tommy then became the drummer.

Colvin wrote a considerable amount of the Ramones' material, such as "53rd and 3rd" (a song about rent boys; Dee Dee had been a prostitute on 53rd and 3rd, even though he refuses to speak about it, saying in the Ramones documentary "End of the Century," when asked about that situation, that he would like to "bypass that" and that "everyone blows up the negative"), "Glad To See You Go" (written about his then-girlfriend, Connie, a stripper and fellow drug user with a volatile personality), "It's A Long Way Back to Germany", "Chinese Rocks" (originally recorded by Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers as Johnny Ramone, a former addict himself, was not enthusiastic about the Ramones doing songs about drugs) and "Warthog".

In 1989, after quitting the Ramones, Colvin started a brief -- and to some fans, rather embarrassing -- career as rapper Dee Dee King with the album "Standing in the Spotlight". After the album failed, he returned to punk rock with various bands like Sprokkett and The Spikey Tops.

In 1991 Ramone was briefly involved with transgressive punk rock performance artist GG Allin, playing second guitar with Allin's backup band The Murder Junkies. DeeDee's involvement lasted a week, enough for him to be briefly interviewed during the filming of the Allin documentary Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies; rehearsal recordings of Ramone with Allin appear on the Hated soundtrack, and on the posthumous live Allin compilation Res-Erected; while video footage of rehearsals is available on DVD through Allin's estate's website.

In 1992 he formed new band called The Chinese Dragons, which was followed by ICLC from 1994 to 1996. With ICLC Ramone also did an EP and a full-length album "I Hate Freaks Like You."

He reunited with The Ramones one last time in 1996. After Ramones retired, Colvin formed a Ramones tribute band called The Ramains with his girfriend Barbara and former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone. He also recorded several solo albums under his old name Dee Dee Ramone: "Zonked/Ain't It Fun" (1996), "Hop Around" (1999) and "Greatest & Latest" (2000). In new millenium he teamed with Paul Inderk Kostabi, leader of the hardcore punk band Youth Gone Mad and former guitarist of the White Zombie. Kostabi helped Colvin to start a new career as painter, but they also recorded several songs together.

Colvin was found dead on the evening of June 5, 2002, by his wife Barbara Zampini ("Barbara Ramone") at his Hollywood, California apartment. A heroin overdose was the official cause of death. He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California, as is his former bandmate, Johnny Ramone, who died a little more than two years later.

Rockaway Beach
Dee Dee Ramone Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Chewin' at a rhythm on my bubble gum
The sun is out and I want some
It's not hard, not far to reach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

Up on the roof and out on the street
Out in the playground the hot concrete
Bus ride

is too slow
They blast out the disco on the radio

Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
So we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

It's not hard, not far to reach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

It's not hard, not far to reach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

Chewin' at a rhythm on my bubble gum
The sun is out and I want some
It's not hard, not far to reach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

Up on the roof and out on the street
Out in the playground the hot concrete
Bus ride
is too slow
They blast out the disco on the radio

Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
So we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach
So we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

So we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach
So we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

Overall Meaning

Dee Dee Ramone’s “Rockaway Beach” is a classic punk rock ode to summertime fun and escape. The song opens with the singer’s gum-chewing rhythm, a subtle image of the youthful energy and carefree spirit that pervades the rest of the lyrics. The first verse sets the scene: the sun is out, and the singer wants some, and it doesn’t take much effort to get to the beach from their current location. The second verse reinforces the sense of playful irresponsibility, with references to loitering on the roof, the street, or the playground—anywhere but where they’re supposed to be. The third verse offers a bit of contrast, with the singer decrying the slow bus ride and the radio’s disco music. These images, along with the refrain of “Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach,” can be read as a criticism of mainstream culture’s tendency to homogenize and sedate young people, leaving them little room for authentic excitement and self-expression.

Overall, “Rockaway Beach” is a testament to the power of youth rebellion and the importance of finding joy in even the smallest moments. The song celebrates the freedom and energy that come with being young and having the whole summer ahead of you, while also hinting at the darker forces trying to limit that freedom and stifle that energy. The lyrics may be simple, but they capture a complex mix of emotions and experiences that are still relevant to young people today.

Line by Line Meaning

Chewin' at a rhythm on my bubble gum
I'm keeping time by chewing on my bubble gum

The sun is out and I want some
I want to enjoy the sunny weather

It's not hard, not far to reach
Getting to Rockaway Beach is easy and nearby

We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach
We can catch a ride to go to Rockaway Beach

Up on the roof and out on the street
There are people having fun on the roof and on the street

Out in the playground the hot concrete
The concrete is hot in the playground

Bus ride is too slow
Taking a bus is too slow compared to other options

They blast out the disco on the radio
The radio is playing disco music loudly

Rock Rock, Rockaway Beach
Let's go to Rockaway Beach and rock out!

So we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach
We can catch a ride to go to Rockaway Beach

It's not hard, not far to reach
Getting to Rockaway Beach is easy and nearby

We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach
We can catch a ride to go to Rockaway Beach

So we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach
We can catch a ride to go to Rockaway Beach

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOUGLAS COLVIN, JEFFREY HYMAN, JOHN CUMMINGS, THOMAS ERDELYI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Lucy Weston Johansson

8y↑21

RIP Douglas Glenn Colvin aka Dee Dee Ramone (1951-2002), we all wish u were still here with us, but im sure you are in spirit. :)

Lucy Weston Johansson

7y↑3

I agree and I love his sense of humor too if you remember his infamous speech on rock n roll hall of fame ;)

Robert Sagan

8y↑4

g.o.a.t. bass player imo.
But he was much more than that, a good person, a humble guy, brilliant songwriter and an amazing musician.
There was only one Dee Dee :)