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."
I Wanna Be a Good Boy
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be on my own
I just want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be all alone
I just want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be on my own
I just want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home now I wanna be all alone
The Ramones's song "Wanna Be A Good Boy" focuses on the idea of wanting to break free from expectations and societal norms. The repeated line of "I just want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad" represents the desire to be seen as a good, well-behaved individual, but also the struggle to conform to these expectations. The repetition of "now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be on my own" highlights the feeling of wanting to escape from the confines of one's surroundings and to find independence.
The lyrics of the song can also be interpreted as a commentary on the pressures placed on individuals to conform and behave a certain way in order to gain acceptance and approval from society. There is a sense of rebellion and restlessness in the lyrics, as the singer seeks to carve out their own path and identity. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the frustration and anxiety that can come with the desire to rebel against societal norms.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of wanting to break free from constraints and to find one's own sense of identity and purpose. It is a powerful expression of the human desire for individuality and the struggles that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I just want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
The singer desires to live a virtuous life and avoid negative behavior.
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be on my own
The singer yearns for independence and freedom from parental control and supervision.
Now I wanna be all alone
The singer wishes to be isolated and self-sufficient.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Douglas Colvin, Jeff Hyman, John Cummings, Thomas Erdelyi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BenAck912
Lyrics:
Now I want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be on my own
I just want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be sad alone
Now I want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be all alone
Now I want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home now I wanna be on my own
@behindthebros3248
Can we talk about how awesome Tommy's drums sound on this?
@coopsawright7225
sure we can BB sure we can
@larryramone7400
Love the first 3 album sounds 🎉🎉🎉🎉👍👍👍👍
@coopsawright7225
I had abusive parents that made me feel loads of shame so I used to have fantasies of being alone in the world with nobody but me in it and I could be naked and walk around everywhere without condemnation. This song speaks to me.
@csdiego
SCOOBY DOO 🔥🇧🇷🎸
@leahflower9924
This song is so powerful, Dee Dee was the freaking man!
@BenAck912
Lyrics:
Now I want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be on my own
I just want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be sad alone
Now I want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home, now I wanna be all alone
Now I want to be a good boy, I don't want to be bad
Now I wanna run away from home now I wanna be on my own
@Anthony-uf3oz
*now I wanna be all alone
@Possum_help_me
Thank you
@tomasmoreira672
Love you Ramones
I Missing you 😍🤩