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."
A Real Cool Time
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You looked really kind of cool now
Well come along with me 'cause
We got a lot of things to do now
You don't ever have to be lonely
Just as long as you're here by my side
You don't ever have to be lonely
Oohh...Oohh...
Come along with me 'cause
We're gonna have a real cool time
Girl you're girl you know you're always in my mind
You know girl you know I want you all the time
Girl girl you know I want you all the time
When I saw you at the Cat Club
You looked really kind of cool now
Well come along with me 'cause
We got a lot of things to do now
You don't ever have to be lonely
Just as long as you're here by my side
You don't ever have to be lonely
Just as long as you've nothing to hide
Oohh...Oohh...
Come along with me 'cause
We're gonna have a real cool time
The song "A Real Cool Time" by The Ramones is an upbeat and energetic rock love song about meeting someone at a club and wanting to spend time with them. The lyrics express the singer's desire to have fun with their partner and enjoy life together. The opening lines, "When I saw you at the Cat Club / You looked really kind of cool now," set the scene for the song and establish the initial attraction the singer feels. The repeated chorus, "You don't ever have to be lonely / Just as long as you're here by my side / You don't ever have to be lonely / Just as long as you've got nothing to hide," expresses the singer's commitment to their partner and suggests that they are a safe and accepting presence in their life.
The lyrics are simple and straightforward, but convey a sense of excitement and joy that is characteristic of the Ramones' music. The song is one of the most upbeat and danceable tracks on the band's 1977 album "Rocket to Russia," and is a fan favorite. The Ramones' stripped-down, high-energy sound was a departure from the prevailing trends in rock music in the late 1970s, and their influence on punk rock and alternative music is still felt today. "A Real Cool Time" is a great example of their unique style and their ability to write catchy, fun songs that get people moving.
Overall, "A Real Cool Time" is a simple love song that captures the spirit of the Ramones' music. It's all about having fun and enjoying life, and the lyrics and music combine to create a joyful and upbeat experience for the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
When I saw you at the Cat Club
When I first saw you at the Cat Club, I thought you looked really cool.
You looked really kind of cool now
I think you are really cool now and I want to spend time with you.
Well come along with me 'cause We got a lot of things to do now
You should come with me because we can have fun together and do lots of things.
You don't ever have to be lonely Just as long as you're here by my side
You don't have to be alone anymore, as long as you stay with me.
You don't ever have to be lonely Just as long as you've nothing to hide
You don't have to hide anything from me, as long as you stay with me.
Oohh...Oohh...
This is just a fun, catchy part of the song.
Come along with me 'cause We're gonna have a real cool time
Come with me, because I promise we will have a really cool time together.
Girl you're girl you know you're always in my mind
You're always on my mind, girl.
You know girl you know I want you all the time
You know that I always want to be with you, girl.
Girl girl you know I want you all the time
I really, really want to be with you all the time, girl.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEE DEE RAMONE, JOEY RAMONE, JOHNNY RAMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Racheal Plymale
on I Wanna Be Sedated (Live)
My Alltime favorite band!!!!!!!!! Joey Ramone was yummmy!!!!!