All of the band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname "Ramone", though none of them were related. They performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years. In 1996, after a tour with the Lollapalooza music festival, the band played a farewell concert and disbanded. By a little more than eight years after the breakup, the band's three founding members—lead singer Joey Ramone, guitarist Johnny Ramone, and bassist Dee Dee Ramone—had died. Drummer Tommy Ramone, the last surviving original member, died in 2014.
Their only record with enough U.S. sales to be certified gold was the compilation album Ramones Mania. However, recognition of the band's importance built over the years, and they are now cited in many assessments of all-time great rock music, such as the Rolling Stone list of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. In 2002, the Ramones were ranked the second-greatest band of all time by Spin magazine, trailing only The Beatles. On March 18, 2002, the Ramones—including the three founders and drummers Marky and Tommy Ramone—were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2011, the group was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Formation: 1974–1975
Forest Hills High School, attended by the four original members of the Ramones
The original members of the band met in and around the middle-class neighborhood of Forest Hills in the New York City borough of Queens. John Cummings and Tamás Erdélyi had both been in a high-school garage band from 1966 to 1967 known as the Tangerine Puppets. They became friends with Douglas Colvin, who had recently moved to the area from Germany, and Jeffry Hyman, who was the initial lead singer of the glam rock band Sniper, founded in 1972.
The Ramones began taking shape in early 1974, when Cummings and Colvin invited Hyman to join them in a band. The initial lineup featured Colvin on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Cummings on lead guitar, and Hyman on drums. Colvin, who soon switched from rhythm guitar to bass, was the first to adopt the name "Ramone", calling himself Dee Dee Ramone. He was inspired by Paul McCartney's use of the pseudonym Paul Ramon during his Silver Beatles days. Dee Dee convinced the other members to take on the name and came up with the idea of calling the band the Ramones. Hyman and Cummings became Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone, respectively.
A friend of the band, Monte A. Melnick (later their tour manager), helped to arrange rehearsal time for them at Manhattan's Performance Studios, where he worked. Johnny's former bandmate Erdélyi was set to become their manager. Soon after the band was formed, Dee Dee realized that he could not sing and play his bass guitar simultaneously; with Erdélyi's encouragement, Joey became the band's new lead singer.
Dee Dee would continue, however, to count off each song's tempo with his signature rapid-fire shout of "1-2-3-4!" Joey soon similarly realized that he could not sing and play drums simultaneously and left the position of drummer. While auditioning prospective replacements, Erdélyi would often take to the drums and demonstrate how to play the songs. It became apparent that he was able to perform the group's music better than anyone else, and he joined the band as Tommy Ramone.
The Ramones played before an audience for the first time on March 30, 1974, at Performance Studios. The songs they played were very fast and very short; most clocked in at under two minutes. Around this time, a new music scene was emerging in New York centered around two clubs in downtown Manhattan—Max's Kansas City and, more famously, CBGB (usually referred to as CBGB's). The Ramones made their CBGB debut on August 16. Legs McNeil, who cofounded Punk magazine the following year, later described the impact of that performance: "They were all wearing these black leather jackets. And they counted off this song...and it was just this wall of noise.... They looked so striking. These guys were not hippies. This was something completely new."
The band swiftly became regulars at the club, playing there seventy-four times by the end of the year. After garnering considerable attention for their performances—which averaged about seventeen minutes from beginning to end—the group was signed to a recording contract in late 1975 by Seymour Stein of Sire Records. Stein's wife, Linda Stein, had seen the band play at CBGB; she would later co-manage them along with Danny Fields. By this time, the Ramones were recognized as leaders of the new scene that was increasingly being referred to as "punk". The group's unusual frontman had a lot to do with their impact. As Dee Dee explained, "All the other singers [in New York] were copying David Johansen [of The New York Dolls], who was copying Mick Jagger.... But Joey was unique, totally unique."
04_-_we_want_the_airwaves
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't gonna take it, it's our time
We want the world, and we want it now
We're gonna take it anyhow
We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves, baby
Oh yeah
well alright
Let's rock
tonight
All night
Oh yeah
well alright
Let's rock
tonight
All night
Where's your guts and will to survive
And don't you wanna keep rock 'n' roll music alive
Mr. Programmer, I got my hammer
And I'm gonna smash my, smash my brain!
We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves, baby
If rock is gonna stay alive
Oh yeah
well alright
Let's rock
tonight
All night
Oh yeah
well alright
Let's rock
tonight
All night
We want the airwaves airwaves
We want the airwaves airwaves
We want the airwaves airwaves
We want the airwaves airwaves
We want the airwaves, baby
The Ramones’s song “We Want The Airwaves” is a punk rock anthem that critiques the commercial radio industry and champions independent radio stations. The first verse alludes to the daily grind of working five to nine jobs and the desire to break free from the monotony. The chorus declares the band’s demand for the airwaves, asserting that rock music needs to be kept alive and thriving. The song calls out the “Mr. Programmer,” the gatekeepers of mainstream radio, suggesting that they lack the guts and will to survive, unlike those dedicated to keeping rock alive.
The second verse is a call to action, asserting that action must be taken to keep rock music alive. The bridge is vocalized with an almost manic energy, emphasizing the need for action and symbolizing the frustration of being shut out of the mainstream by commercial radio. The final chorus is the band’s rallying cry, with the repetition of the phrase “we want the airwaves” emphasizing the band’s demand to be heard.
The song is a commentary on the music industry’s commodification of rock music and chides mainstream radio for failing to provide airtime for independent musicians. It is a protest against the homogenization of music taste and rails against the lack of opportunity for new bands to be discovered. The song is a precursor to the DIY ethos of punk and stands as an emblem of the punk movement’s spirit of rebellion.
Line by Line Meaning
Nine to five, and five to nine
We're tired of the traditional work hours and want to pursue our passion in music.
Ain't gonna take it, it's our time
We refuse to settle for a mundane life and believe it's our moment to shine.
We want the world, and we want it now
We crave success and recognition, and we're not willing to wait for it.
We're gonna take it anyhow
We'll do whatever it takes to achieve our goals.
We want the airwaves
We need a platform to promote our music and reach a wider audience.
If rock is gonna stay alive
We believe our genre of rock music needs exposure to remain relevant and popular.
Where's your guts and will to survive
We challenge those who don't have the courage to pursue their dreams or keep their interests alive.
And don't you wanna keep rock 'n' roll music alive
We appeal to those who share our passion for rock music, imploring them to help us sustain its existence.
Mr. Programmer, I got my hammer
We're determined to break down obstacles, including technological barriers that may prevent us from accessing the airwaves.
And I'm gonna smash my, smash my brain!
We're willing to put in the effort and creativity necessary to create meaningful music and gain exposure.
We want the airwaves, baby
We're persistent in our quest to find a means of promoting our music, and that includes the airwaves.
Contributed by Eva W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Racheal Plymale
on I Wanna Be Sedated (Live)
My Alltime favorite band!!!!!!!!! Joey Ramone was yummmy!!!!!