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."
Haye You Ever Seen The Rain
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know, and it's been comin' for some time.
When it's over, so they say, it'll rain a sunny day.
I know, shinin' down like water.
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Comin' down on a sunny day?
Yesterday, and days before, sun is cold and rain is hard.
I know, been that way for all my time.
'Till forever on it goes through the circle fast and slow,
I know, and it can't stop, I wonder.
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Comin' down on a sunny day?
The lyrics to Ramones's song "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" seem to express a sense of expectation and anticipation for something that's brewing, but also a sense of inevitability about it. The first verse talks about a calm before the storm, suggesting that there's a sense of danger or trouble on the horizon. The singer acknowledges that this feeling has been growing for some time, implying that it's been building slowly over a period and could be something serious.
The second part of the verse talks about the aftermath of the storm, suggesting that it will bring a "sunny day" – a sense of relief or a return to calm. The following chorus asks a question that seems to relate to this turbulent situation in the first verse. It asks if the listener has ever seen the rain coming down on a sunny day - a strikingly unusual event that defies our expectations.
The second verse expands on the theme by talking about how the sun is "cold" and the rain is "hard," suggesting that the world can be a harsh and unforgiving place. The singer notes that this has been the case "all my time," suggesting that it's a long-standing issue that is unlikely to change. The final line of the song suggests that the cycle of life will continue to move "fast and slow" and that it can't be stopped or predicted with any certainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone told me long ago, there's a calm before the storm.
I heard that before a storm, there's a period of stillness and peace.
I know, and it's been comin' for some time.
I'm aware of the storm coming, and it's been a long time coming.
When it's over, so they say, it'll rain a sunny day.
After the storm, people say it'll be a bright and beautiful day.
I know, shinin' down like water.
I believe it'll be a day when the sun is radiant.
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I'm curious if you've witnessed the downpour of rain before.
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
I'm asking if you've ever seen the rainfall before.
Comin' down on a sunny day?
Has it ever rained on a day when the sun was shining bright?
Yesterday, and days before, sun is cold and rain is hard.
In the past, the sun has been cold and the rain has been harsh.
I know, been that way for all my time.
I've experienced this my entire life.
'Till forever on it goes through the circle fast and slow,
This cycle of sun and rain continues endlessly, alternating between quick and slow.
I know, and it can't stop, I wonder.
I know this cycle can't be halted, and it makes me think.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: JOHN CAMERON FOGERTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pepe Patea Traseros
vamos los ramones años escuchandolo y siempre me despierta una lagrima . Argentina los ama
Leslie Perry
I thought I had heard everything the Ramones ever did....then I heard this on satellite radio in my car on the way to work one day LAST WEEK!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! I grew up to my parents listening to CCR, but the Ramones took it to a whole new level! It was so surreal to hear something NEW (to me) by the Ramones.....THEY STILL LIVE!!! RIP Johnny, Joey, and Deedee. <3 <3 <3
Justin Meadows
That entire album is great some really good covers
Друг Горацио
И Томми
FelpHero
This is why you should use google and wikipedia
E F
how can you possibly not like this?! thanks Joey for your unforgettable voice!
Metalero.5 (Damian)
Sólo los buenos mueren jóvenes! Como los extraño Ramones por siempre.!
Nicolas Vargas
Somos 2
No Hay Sueños Imposibles
Hoy escuche esta maravilla por primera vez... Son inmortales!!
ce de
30 años y los seguimos escuchando...