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."
California Sun
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the days are short and the nights are long
Where I'll walk
And they walk
I'll twist
And they twist
And I'll shimmy
And I'll fly
And they fly
Where they're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Well, I'm going out west
Out on the coast
Where the California girls
Are really the most
And I'll walk
And they walk
I'll twist
And they twist
And I'll shimmy
And they shimmy
And I'll fly
And they fly
Where they're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Well, the girls are frisky
In old 'Frisco
A pretty little chick
Wherever you go
And I'll walk
And they walk
I'll twist
And they twist
And I'll shimmy
And they shimmy
And I'll fly
And they fly
Where they're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Where they're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
The Ramones's song California Sun was first released in 1977 as part of their album "Leave Home". The song is about the singer's desire to travel out west to California, where the weather is warm and the nightlife is vibrant. The song has a catchy, upbeat melody that is accompanied by repetitive lyrics that give a feeling of excitement and anticipation.
The opening lines of the song, "Well I'm going out west where I belong, Where the days are short and the nights are long," paint a picture of the singer's longing to escape the monotony of everyday life and head off to a place where he can let loose and have fun. The chorus, with lines like "Where they're out there having fun, In the warm California sun," highlights the sense of carefree joy that the singer anticipates he will experience on this journey.
The song's lyrics are straightforward and easy to understand, but they also capture a sense of youthfulness and energy that is synonymous with the Ramones's music. The repetition of lines like "I'll twist and they twist, I'll shimmy and they shimmy," creates a sense of unity and excitement that is characteristic of many rock and roll songs.
Overall, the Ramones's California Sun is a fun, upbeat song about youthful adventure and the excitement of exploring new places.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm going out west where I belong
I am headed to the western part of the US, where I feel I belong
Where the days are short and the nights are long
In this place, the days are short and the nights are long
Where I'll walk
I will walk when I arrive there
And they walk
Others will also walk there
I'll twist
I will dance in a twist-like manner
And they twist
Others will also dance in this manner
And I'll shimmy
I will dance in a shimmy-like manner
And they shimmy
Others will also dance in this manner
And I'll fly
I will metaphorically 'fly' and have a great time
And they fly
Others will also feel like they are 'flying' and having fun
Where they're out there having fun
Other people are already having fun in this location
In the warm California sun
This fun is happening in the warm sunshine of California
Well, I'm going out west
To reiterate, I really am headed out west
Out on the coast
Specifically, I am heading to the coast of California
Where the California girls
I am excited to meet California girls when I arrive
Are really the most
I hear they are the best and most desirable girls
Well, the girls are frisky
I have heard the girls in San Francisco are lively and playful
In old 'Frisco
San Francisco is often called 'Frisco', so I am referring to this city
A pretty little chick
There is a pretty girl wherever you look in San Francisco
Wherever you go
No matter where you go in San Francisco, there are pretty girls to be found
Where they're out there having fun
Again, others are already having fun out there
In the warm California sun
This fun is taking place in the warm California sunshine
Where they're out there having fun
Finally, a reminder that other people are already out there having fun
In the warm California sun
And that this fun is happening in the warm California sun
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Henry Glover, Morris Levy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@raymondellison4296
Well I'm going out west where I belong
Where the days are short and the nights are long
And I'll walk
And they'll walk
And I'll twist
And they'll twist
And I'll shimmy
And they'll shimmy
And I'll fly
And they'll fly
Where we're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Well, I'm going out west out on the coast
Where the California girls are really the most
And I'll walk
And they'll walk
And I'll twist
And they'll twist
And I'll shimmy
And they'll shimmy
And I'll fly
And they'll fly
Where we're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Well, the girls are frisky in old 'Frisco
A pretty little chick wherever you go
And I'll walk
And they'll walk
And I'll twist
And they'll twist
And I'll shimmy
And they'll shimmy
And I'll fly
And they'll fly
Where we're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Where we're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
@alexvolkov4685
For my people that likes to sing a long
"California Sun"
Well I'm going out west where I belong
Where the days are short and the nights are long
And I'll walk
And they'll walk
And I'll twist
And they'll twist
And I'll shimmy
And they'll shimmy
And I'll fly
And they'll fly
Where we're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Well, I'm going out west out on the coast
Where the California girls are really the most
And I'll walk
And they'll walk
And I'll twist
And they'll twist
And I'll shimmy
And they'll shimmy
And I'll fly
And they'll fly
Where we're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Well, the girls are frisky in old 'Frisco
A pretty little chick wherever you go
And I'll walk
And they'll walk
And I'll twist
And they'll twist
And I'll shimmy
And they'll shimmy
And I'll fly
And they'll fly
Where we're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Where we're out there having fun
In the warm California sun
@kevinlstarrettlaw3354
Joey was a serious bad ass
lead vocalist 🎤 R.I.P. JR. ⚰️
@Frankbird-vj5be
Jeffrey ross hyman or joey ramone
05/19/1951 - 04/15/2001
The lymphoma leaves him
@curly_wyn
Everybody! Everybody on this album cover is dead! R.I.P. Ramones
@Baggymanproductions
R.i.p the greatest band of all time
@markjameswolf5694
I would say Long live !!!
@josephfalco3141
1234
@gamerluiz8888
the RAMONES will never die remember the scream HEY HO LET'S GO!
@MartyMcFly88
Totally agreed. I met Marky back in 2004. Great guy.
@Lateralus1007
How many click up on the volume when this song starts? 1, 2, 3, 4!!!!
@nicks4802
1-2-3-4!!!!