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."
All the Way
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Makes me so high
I love all the monitor men
But why are they alive
The van is making me crazy
It's just like being in the navy
Doomsday, doomsday's coming - 1981
I'm gonna have some fun
The bubble's going to explode
Probably never live to get old
But I just wanna have some fun
Probably won't see no money
I just wanna have some fun
Before they throw me in the sanitarium
Feedback blasting out my ears
Makes me so high
I love all the monitor men
But why are they alive
Well Monte's making me crazy
It's just like being in the navy
In the song All the Way by the Ramones, the band expresses its fondness for the loud and electrifying sound of high-volume feedback. The song begins with the singer reveling in the sensation of the loud, ear-splitting sound, which is so intense it makes him feel high. He then goes on to express his love for "all the monitor men", who are responsible for producing the sound, but also wonders why they are alive. The song then takes a turn towards the darker side, where the singer talks about the van he is in, which is driving him crazy, just like being in the navy. He then sings about the coming doomsday of 1981 and how he probably won't live to get old, but before things blow up, he just wants to have some fun.
Throughout the song, the Ramones remind listeners of their trademark sound, which is a mix of punk rock, bubblegum pop, and 60s surf music. The lyrics may seem light-hearted, but they include references to the Cold War era when nuclear annihilation was a constant concern. The band's love for high volume feedback is something that has long been associated with their music, and they use it here to generate a sense of excitement and danger, as well as to pay tribute to the people who are responsible for creating and controlling this sound.
All the Way is an ode to the wild and chaotic sounds of punk rock, and is a reminder of the Ramones' infectious energy and creativity. It is still considered to be one of the most popular tracks from the band's 1980 album, "End of the Century". The song also holds a special place in the hearts of Ramones fans and is often played at concerts as a fan favorite.
Line by Line Meaning
Feedback blasting out my ears
The loud sound produced by the music equipment is overwhelming
Makes me so high
The loud sound makes the singer feel ecstatic
I love all the monitor men
The singer appreciates the people controlling the sound equipment
But why are they alive
The singer is questioning the purpose of these people being alive when music brings so much joy
The van is making me crazy
The touring life is taking a toll on the singer's mental health
It's just like being in the navy
The constant traveling and close quarters of touring mirrors that of being in the military
Doomsday, doomsday's coming - 1981
The singer is acknowledging the political and social unrest of the early 1980s
But until things blow
Despite the uncertain future, the singer wants to enjoy the present moment
I'm gonna have some fun
The singer is determined to enjoy themselves
The bubble's going to explode
The societal structure is fragile and the singer predicts its imminent collapse
Probably never live to get old
The singer doubts they will live to see old age due to societal instability and rockstar lifestyle
But I just want to have some fun
The singer's main priority is enjoying themselves
Probably won't see no money
The singer acknowledges their lack of financial success
Before they throw me in the sanitarium
The singer fears being institutionalized for their rockstar lifestyle
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dee Dee Ramone, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kArtoffelkooperative808
STARK - PUNKS NOT DEAD!!!
@davytrechak
I just wanna have some fun
before they throw me in the sanitarium
@LucasLeiteLLO
Demo version is better than