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."

Hair of the Dog
Ramones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I woke up this morning from the night before
My brain was pulsating, I was battered and sore
Nothing I tried would satisfy
Cold Coke and Pepsi or Canada Dry

What's so wrong, hair of the dog
There's nothing wrong, hair of the dog

What's so wrong, hair of the dog
There's nothing wrong, hair of the dog

Finally pulled myself out of my bed
Feeling kinda dodgy, I was feeling half dead
Done it before, probably do it again
Don't know if I ever will learn

What's so wrong, hair of the dog
There's nothing wrong, hair of the dog
What's so wrong, hair of the dog
There's nothing wrong, hair of the dog
Hair of the dog
Hair of the dog

Finally pulled myself out of my bed
Feeling kinda dodgy, I was feeling half dead
Done it before, probably do it again
Don't know if I ever will learn

What's so wrong, hair of the dog
There's nothing wrong, hair of the dog
What's so wrong, hair of the dog
There's nothing wrong, hair of the dog
What's so wrong, hair of the dog
There's nothing wrong, hair of the dog

What's so wrong, hair of the dog
There's nothing wrong, hair of the dog

Overall Meaning

The Ramones' song "Hair of the Dog" is a self-reflective anthem on the consequences of partying too hard. The singer awakens from a night of drinking with a pulsating brain and a battered body. He makes several attempts to cure his hangover, but finds that nothing will satisfy him. The phrase "hair of the dog" refers to the old belief that the cure for a hangover is to drink more alcohol, which the singer ultimately decides to do. Despite being fully aware of the consequences of his actions, he cannot resist the urge to keep doing it. The chorus repeats the phrase "What's so wrong, hair of the dog, there's nothing wrong, hair of the dog," illustrating the singer's resigned attitude towards his behavior.

The song is a commentary on the cyclical nature of addiction and the difficulties of overcoming it. Despite the singer's self-awareness, he cannot resist the urge to indulge in his vices. The phrase "Hair of the dog" is often used as an excuse to continue drinking, and this song highlights the dangers of this attitude. The cycle of addiction is difficult to break, and the singer's inability to learn from his mistakes is a common theme in addiction.

Overall, "Hair of the Dog" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of indulgence and addiction. The repetition in the chorus highlights the cyclical nature of addiction and the difficulty of breaking the cycle. It is a classic Ramones song, with driving guitars and a catchy chorus that make it a fan favorite to this day.

Line by Line Meaning

When I woke up this morning from the night before
After waking up from a night of partying, the singer experiences a hangover.

My brain was pulsating, I was battered and sore
The hangover is intense and causing physical discomfort.

Nothing I tried would satisfy
The singer has tried various remedies for the hangover but none of them seem to be working.

Cold Coke and Pepsi or Canada Dry
The artist has tried to soothe their hangover with popular soft drinks, but to no avail.

What's so wrong, hair of the dog
The phrase 'Hair of the dog' refers to drinking alcohol to cure a hangover, and the artist is questioning why this practice is seen as wrong or taboo.

There's nothing wrong, hair of the dog
The singer believes that drinking alcohol to cure a hangover is a valid solution and not something to be ashamed of.

Finally pulled myself out of my bed
The singer has managed to get out of bed despite feeling unwell.

Feeling kinda dodgy, I was feeling half dead
The hangover is still affecting the artist's physical and mental state.

Done it before, probably do it again
The artist has previously used the 'hair of the dog' method to cure a hangover and may do so in the future again.

Don't know if I ever will learn
Despite experiencing the negative effects of heavy drinking, the artist is unsure if they will ever stop doing it.

Hair of the dog
Repeating the phrase emphasizes the singer's belief that drinking more alcohol will cure the hangover.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEE DEE RAMONE, JOEY RAMONE, JOHNNY RAMONE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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