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."
Can't Say Anything Nice
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't want to be abused
Doberman eyes
Eagle claws
And your snake body says it all
You know your biggest problem
Is the way you comb your hair
And you see that it's too late now
You can't say anything nice
Not willing to sacrifice
Oh you can't say anything nice
You can't say anything nice
Not willing to sacrifice
Oh you can't say anything nice
Absent minded like a zombie
I can't control myself with you
A give give give, a take take take
Babe I'm through, through with you
You know your biggest problem
Is the way you comb your hair
And you see that it's too late now
Everybody thinks you're a clown
You can't say anything nice
Not willing to sacrifice
Oh you can't say anything nice
You can't say anything nice
Not willing to sacrifice
Oh you can't say anything nice
I'm walking away from you
Don't want to be abused
Doberman eyes
Eagle claws
And your snake body says it all
You know your biggest problem
Is the way you comb your hair
And you see that it's too late now
Everybody's putting you down
You can't say anything nice
Not willing to sacrifice
Oh you can't say anything nice
You can't say anything nice
Not willing to sacrifice
Oh you can't say anything nice
The Ramones song "Can't Say Anything Nice" is about walking away from a toxic relationship. The lyrics describe the singer's dissatisfaction with their partner, who is described as having "Doberman eyes, Eagle claws and your snake body." These animalistic descriptions suggest that the partner is dangerous and inhumane. The singer also points out the partner's biggest problem: their hair, which could be seen as a superficial aspect of their appearance that they prioritize over treating their partner well. The repeated line "you can't say anything nice, not willing to sacrifice" furthers the idea that the partner is selfish and unwilling to put effort into the relationship. The singer ultimately decides to walk away due to feeling abused and unable to control themselves around their partner.
The song is thought to have been inspired by Joey Ramone's tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend, Linda Danielle. According to bandmate Dee Dee Ramone, Danielle was often abusive towards Joey and would pick fights with him in public. The lyrics of "Can't Say Anything Nice" reflect this kind of dysfunctional relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm walking away from you
I'm leaving you behind and moving on
Don't want to be abused
I refuse to tolerate your mistreatment any longer
Doberman eyes
Your eyes are intense and intimidating like those of a guard dog
Eagle claws
Your grip is sharp and powerful like that of a bird of prey
And your snake body says it all
Your body language and movements are sneaky and untrustworthy like that of a serpent
You know your biggest problem
Your major flaw is apparent to everyone, even yourself
Is the way you comb your hair
You place too much importance on your appearance, specifically your hairstyle
And you see that it's too late now
You realize that you have already lost the respect of others
Everybody's putting you down
You are receiving criticism and disrespect from everyone around you
You can't say anything nice
You lack the ability to speak kindly or positively
Not willing to sacrifice
You are not willing to give up anything for anyone else's benefit
Oh you can't say anything nice
You persist in speaking negatively despite the consequences
Absent minded like a zombie
You are disconnected from reality and oblivious to your surroundings
I can't control myself with you
You have a negative influence over me and cause me to act irrationally
A give give give, a take take take
Our relationship is one-sided, with you constantly taking and me constantly giving
Babe I'm through, through with you
I am completely finished with our relationship
Everybody thinks you're a clown
People view you as foolish, ridiculous, and not to be taken seriously
Contributed by Jacob M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gustavo Ramires
mais uma música que deveria estar nos álbuns.
cuoccimix
Ritchie Ramone was absolutely underrated. He had a very good voice and his drumming was more sophisticated than Marky, but he never was considered as a Ramone. I just imagine this song with the Joey's voice...wow.
punkrockpub
All members of "The Ramones" contributed something to the band's wonderful greatness!!! I don't see it, as a , "Who's a better drummer", or "who's the better bassist"!!!! I believe that they all made the band great during their years!!!!
SalDOWN
Well I mean come on... Richie was a genius technician on the drums, who could sing and wrote legendary songs...while Marky was a replace of Tommy on the better level of technical skill on the drums... Joey also said that Richie saved Ramones in the middle 80's.
L. F.
Marky is a nice good drummer, but he only continued what his predecessors did. When he replaced Tommy, he kept the pace of the previous albums. Richie came and sped up the tempo, and Marky followed through.
Skullo Martin
Richie RAmone contribuyó mucho en esta banda, cantaba, tocaba y componia....GENIAL!
Make Me A Drummer
Really looking forward to playing this song in Camden, London on 29th Nov 2011 with RICHIE RAMONE himself! THE RAMONES RULE!!
VinnCapp
Woah, that was awesome!
Jonathan Lashlee
My favorite Ramones song by far. Richie's vocals along with his drumming fucking rip, and Johnny and Dee Dee's guitar and bass add another bit of ferocity that's unmatched imo
Oxi Genial
Because Richie is a true Ramone ever! We Salute The Ramones,from Brazil!