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."
Im Affected
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I feel like I'm in paradise
I want you by my side
Cause I'm affected, 'fected
Yeah, I'm affected, 'fected
Well I'm affected
And all I want is you
But now I finally know
I want you by my side
I want you baby, baby, baby, baby
Yeah, I love you and I want you to know
Yeah, yeah, and that's for sure
I want you by my side
Cause I'm affected, 'fected
Yeah, I'm affected, 'fected
Well, I'm affected
And all I want is you
The lyrics of the song "I'm Affected" by Ramones exhibit the fascination and obsession of the singer with their beloved partner. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, depicting how the singer is entirely affected and smitten by their partner. The lines 'When I look into your big brown eyes, And I feel like I'm in paradise' clearly express the singer's awe and admiration for their partner. The repetition of the phrase 'I want you by my side' signifies the singer's desperate desire for their partner's presence around them.
The lyrics of the song showcase the singer's transition from not knowing their true feelings to acknowledging and embracing their love for the partner. The lyrics 'Didn't know it a few years ago, But now I finally know' signify the singer's realization of their love for their partner. The chorus of the song 'Cause I'm affected, 'fected, Yeah, I'm affected, 'fected' highlights the singer's addiction and infatuation with their partner.
Overall, the lyrics of the song beautifully capture the essence of love and obsession, displaying how love can influence an individual's emotions and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
When I look into your big brown eyes
Whenever I gaze deep into your alluring eyes
And I feel like I'm in paradise
And I experience supreme bliss, like I'm in heaven
I want you by my side
I desire your presence next to me
Cause I'm affected, 'fected
Since I'm under the spell of your love
Yeah, I'm affected, 'fected
Yes, I'm thoroughly captivated by you
Well I'm affected
I'm under the influence of your charm
And all I want is you
And all I crave in life is to be with you
Didn't know it a few years ago
I wasn't aware of this feeling years back
But now I finally know
But now I've come to realize
I want you by my side
I yearn to have your company alongside me
I want you baby, baby, baby, baby
I want you my dear, my love, my soulmate, and my everything
Yeah, I love you and I want you to know
Yes, I'm deeply in love with you and I need you to grasp this fact
Yeah, yeah, and that's for sure
Definitely, without a doubt, that's the truth
Cause I'm affected, 'fected
Because I'm besotted by you
Yeah, I'm affected, 'fected
Yes, I'm influenced by you
Well, I'm affected
I'm swept away by your amorous allure
And all I want is you
And all I long for is to be with you forevermore
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEE DEE RAMONE, DOUGLAS COLVIN, JEFFREY HYMAN, JOEY RAMONE, JOHN (RAMONE) CUMMINGS, JOHNNY RAMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John O'Shea
This was the first Ramones album I ever got. I used to love playing this song, especially towards the end with Johnny's guitar feedback going all the way to eleven. I liked the album so much that I went out and got all the earlier albums.
Joao Campos
Best Ramones song!!!! Best Ramones album!! End Of The Century rules!!!!
adrian esquivel
joey , extraño tu voz .... hoy todo lo que escucho suena igual!!!...para mi serán ETERNOS .... RAMONES NOT DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Carlos Santillan
Wish I was born in the 70's for being in one of their concerts :'(
R.J. Burle
Enjoy your life now. I am 50 years old and I didn't realize how good we had it back then. On top of that there were people back in my day wishing they could have been born to enjoy the 60s (barf) Nope. The time you live in is the time to rock it!!! There are some great bands now who won't be considered great until 20 to 30 years from now. Enjoy YouTube Ramones, but also find the modern day version made of 19 year olds today.
vinylmonstretify
Best Ramones song ever!!!!
Hannah The Terrible
This was the first record album I had ever purchased; the one I bought was on yellow vinyl. I later sold it to my best friend (he had a huge Ramones record collection) for $2.00. Thankfully, he still has it!
MJmcnult
Gotta hand it to Phil Spector on this album. Despite being a star producer, he actually tried to emphasize and tweak the Ramones sound rather than toning it down or making it more like what was popular at the time, e.g. Styx - Babe (Babe um leavin').
David Carreño
Esta canción es una catedra de Rock para la banda.
Ricardo Juarez
larga vida a los ramones!!!! saludos a todos los fans d Ramones d México y d todo el mundo!!! desde la ciudad d los cueros!!!! LEON GUANAJUATO.. MEXICO!!!