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."
Howling at the Moon
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Ships are docking, planes are landing
A never ending supply
No more narco, no more gangster
Conservatives can cry
I took the law and threw it away
'Cause there's nothing wrong, it's just for play
There's no law, no law anymore
I want to steal from the rich and give to the poor
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Keep it glowing, glowing, glowing
I'm not hurting anyone
Keep it glowing, smoking, glowing
I'm howling at the moon
I took the law and threw it away
'Cause there's nothing wrong, it's just for play
There's no law, no law anymore
I want to steal from the rich and give to the poor
Winter turns to summer
Sadness turns to fun
Keep the faith, baby
You broke the rules and won
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Oh baby, oh baby
Oh baby, oh baby
I took the law and threw it away
'Cause there's nothing wrong it's just for play
I'm smoking, baby
I'm smoking, oh baby
There's no law, no law anymore
I want to steal from the rich and give to the poor
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
The song "Howling at the Moon" by The Ramones is an interesting take on society and the law. The singer seems to be rejecting traditional conservative values and the idea of law and order. The repeated refrain, "Sha-la-la-la," serves to emphasize the chorus and give the song a catchy, sing-along quality.
The opening line, "Ships are docking, planes are landing, a never-ending supply," suggests an influx of people and goods, perhaps from other countries. The singer goes on to say that there are "no more narco, no more gangster," indicating a shift away from criminal activity or perhaps a utopian society where no such vices exist. The line "I took the law and threw it away" is a direct rejection of traditional societal norms, and the singer states that there is "no law anymore." The desire to "steal from the rich and give to the poor" suggests a Robin Hood-like mentality, where the singer is rebelling against unequal distribution of wealth.
The second verse begins with the phrase "Winter turns to summer, sadness turns to fun," which is a hopeful sentiment about change and transformation. The repeated phrase "Keep it glowing, smoking, glowing" creates an image of something burning brightly, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the rebellious spirit of the singer. The chorus repeats the same melody and lyric, and the song ends with the lines "I'm smoking, baby, there's no law anymore. I want to steal from the rich and give to the poor."
Overall, "Howling at the Moon" is a song about rejecting societal norms and embracing a rebellious spirit. The use of repetitive phrases and a catchy melody create a memorable and engaging tune.
Line by Line Meaning
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Repeating a nonsensical phrase to set the tone for the song
Ships are docking, planes are landing
Transportation is constantly bringing in things
A never ending supply
There is always more coming
No more narco, no more gangster
The bad guys are gone
Conservatives can cry
Traditionalists are upset about the changes
I took the law and threw it away
I ignored the rules
'Cause there's nothing wrong, it's just for play
I don't think what I'm doing is harmful
There's no law, no law anymore
I don't recognize authority anymore
I want to steal from the rich and give to the poor
I want to redistribute wealth
Keep it glowing, glowing, glowing
Keep the energy up
I'm not hurting anyone
My actions aren't causing harm
Keep it glowing, smoking, glowing
Stay energized and motivated
I'm howling at the moon
I'm expressing myself freely
Winter turns to summer
Times change
Sadness turns to fun
Moods can shift rapidly
Keep the faith, baby
Stay positive
You broke the rules and won
Disobeying authority can have positive outcomes
Oh baby, oh baby
Expressing emotion
I'm smoking, baby
I'm feeling good
There's no law, no law anymore
Continued rejection of authority
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la-la
Repeating the phrase to close out the song
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOEY RAMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vincent Distefano
I was Honored to be in this Music Video with the Ramones in 1984! I'm the Kid in the beginning of the Video putting down the Small television on a Shelf wearing a red Bandana around my head. Then working on an Item in the background after the Forklift drives by.
THIAGO GUACHE
Very nice dude
Z Z
My brother, who passed away recently was the still photographer for that video (he went on to become a famous movie photographer 😉📸)... Our family dog was sitting in the lady's lap at the end, and I was crouching in the corner as Joey Ramone told everybody to leave the room except for me and whoever was shooting the video!
Vincent Distefano
@Z Z That old lady was a Neighbor 2 blocks from where I lived in Brooklyn.
ícaro philippe
❤❤
ícaro philippe
Do you have Facebook?
Jason Kreitzer
One of the greatest bands with one of the most depressing stories. They should have been multimillionaires with numerous gold/platinum albums and numerous #1 hits. R.I.P.
Karl Morris
if you like this you might like my brothers music. his name is Stu Morris.
Lauren Alessandra
Five years since my dad died, this was our song. Miss him every second of every day.
spiff2268
Lost my dad in 2014. Cheers to your old man!