Ramones were a punk rock band that formed in Queens, New York, United State… Read Full Bio ↴Ramones were a punk rock band that formed in Queens, New York, United States, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk group. Despite achieving only limited commercial success, the band was a major influence on the punk rock movement both in the United States and the United Kingdom.

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. In The Park
Ramones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All dressed up an' the sun sets low
When the big bright moon
Shines a friendly hello
When my heart pants
With lust like a Romeo
Like I am messed up
When the fireflies glow

I just want to cuss and fight
I goin' out tonight
Everything is out of sight
It's gonna be all right

I am gonna hang out in the park
Hang out after dark
I am gonna be with the gang tonight

Under street lamps I will play
After the school day
When troubles disappear
I feel excitement is here

Kids in cars were cruisin' by
The big bright moon
Smiles in the sky
Music playin' that portable sound
Everybody's hangin' all around

I am gonna hang out in the park
Hang out after dark
I am gonna be with the gang tonight

I am gonna be with the gang tonight
I am gonna be with the gang tonight

Overall Meaning

The Ramones' "In The Park" describes the excitement of hanging out with friends after dark, when the troubles of the day disappear and the city is alive with activity. The singer's heart is racing with the thrill of the night, and he's ready to cuss and fight if necessary. The moon and fireflies provide a welcoming backdrop, and music fills the air as friends gather beneath the street lamps to enjoy each other's company.

The song captures the spirit of youthful rebellion and the sense of camaraderie that comes from being part of a group. It represents a time when life was simpler and carefree, and the pleasures of hanging out with friends in public parks were enough to make life feel full and exciting. At its core, "In The Park" is about the joy of being alive and the excitement that comes from being part of a vibrant community.

Overall, the song is a love letter to the city and the people who inhabit it, and it captures the energy and excitement of life in urban centers. It reminds us of the power of friendship and the importance of social bonds in a world that can be isolating and lonely.

Line by Line Meaning

All dressed up an' the sun sets low
I am dressed up and ready to go out as the sun sets low in the sky.

When the big bright moon
During the night, when the moon is big and bright.

Shines a friendly hello
It seems like the moon is saying hello in a friendly way.

When my heart pants
When my heart beats fast and furiously with excitement.

With lust like a Romeo
Like a character in a Shakespearean play, I feel intense desire and passion.

Like I am messed up
I am feeling disoriented and maybe a little bit crazy with excitement.

When the fireflies glow
When the fireflies light up the night with their gentle glow.

I just want to cuss and fight
I am feeling rebellious and ready to swear and get into a fight.

I goin' out tonight
I am going out tonight to have some fun.

Everything is out of sight
Everything is amazing and incredible and beyond my wildest dreams.

It's gonna be all right
Everything is going to be okay and I am going to have a great time.

I am gonna hang out in the park
I am going to spend time in the park with my friends.

Hang out after dark
I am going to stay in the park even after it gets dark outside.

I am gonna be with the gang tonight
I am going to be with my group of friends all night long.

Under street lamps I will play
I am going to have fun under the street lamps in the park.

After the school day
After a long day at school is over.

When troubles disappear
When all of my problems seem to disappear and I can just enjoy myself.

I feel excitement is here
I am feeling excited and full of energy.

Kids in cars were cruisin' by
Other young people are driving around in their cars.

The big bright moon
The moon is still shining bright and it looks amazing.

Smiles in the sky
The moon seems to be smiling down at everyone.

Music playin' that portable sound
People are playing music from portable speakers or stereos.

Everybody's hangin' all around
People are hanging out and having a good time together.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEE DEE RAMONE, DOUGLAS COLVIN, JEFFREY HYMAN, JOEY RAMONE, JOHN (RAMONE) CUMMINGS, JOHNNY RAMONE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS