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."
In the Park
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the big bright moon
Shines a friendly hello
When my heart pants
With lust like a Romeo
Like I am messed up
When the fireflies glow
I goin' out tonight
Everything is out of sight
It's gonna be all right
I am gonna hang out in the park
Hang out after dark
I am gonna be with the gang tonight
Under street lamps I will play
After the school day
When troubles disappear
I feel excitement is here
Kids in cars were cruisin' by
The big bright moon
Smiles in the sky
Music playin' that portable sound
Everybody's hangin' all around
I am gonna hang out in the park
Hang out after dark
I am gonna be with the gang tonight
I am gonna be with the gang tonight
I am gonna be with the gang tonight
Ramones's song In the Park is a nostalgic portrayal of teenage life during the 70s in New York City. The song describes the singer getting dressed up to go out to the park to hang out with his friends at night. The lyrics are descriptive and successfully paint a picture of the neighborhood the singer is in, as he reminisces about the summer nights when the fireflies would glow and the moon would shine brightly.
Furthermore, the lyrics illustrate that the singer is seeking excitement, and the park serves as an escape from reality. The park is a place where they can be free from their worries, and just have fun. While hanging out, they would play under the street lamps and listen to music from a portable sound system. The presence of cars cruising by also adds to the lively atmosphere of the park.
Overall, the lyrics of In the Park capture a specific moment in time, providing a glimpse into the youth culture of 70s New York City.
Line by Line Meaning
All dressed up an' the sun sets low
I'm all dressed up and ready for the night to come as the sun sets low.
When the big bright moon, shines a friendly hello
The big, bright moon welcomes me as it shines its light on me, giving me a sense of comfort.
When my heart pants, with lust like a Romeo
When I'm in the park, my heart races with excitement and desire, like Romeo's love for Juliet.
Like I am messed up, when the fireflies glow
When the fireflies glow, I feel intoxicated and disoriented, like I'm not in control of my own decisions.
I just want to cuss and fight
I feel the urge to curse and fight because I'm so amped up with energy.
I goin' out tonight
I'm going out tonight to have some fun and let loose.
Everything is out of sight
I'm so caught up in the moment that everything else fades away and becomes invisible.
It's gonna be all right
I feel confident that everything will turn out okay tonight.
I am gonna hang out in the park
I'm going to spend my time in the park tonight.
Hang out after dark
I'm planning on staying out late and enjoying the night even more.
I am gonna be with the gang tonight
I'll be spending my night with my friends, my gang.
Under street lamps I will play
I'll have fun and be playful under the street lamps in the park.
After the school day
After a long day at school, I'm ready to relax and have some fun.
When troubles disappear
I feel carefree and my worries fade away when I'm out with my friends.
I feel excitement is here
I sense an overwhelming excitement and anticipation for what the night has in store for me and my gang.
Kids in cars were cruisin' by
I see other young people driving by in their cars while I'm hanging out in the park.
The big bright moon, smiles in the sky
The moon continues to shine brightly and radiate happiness like a smile in the sky.
Music playin' that portable sound
There's music playing from a portable sound system, adding to the atmosphere of the park.
Everybody's hangin' all around
Everyone is enjoying themselves and hanging out with their friends in the park tonight.
I am gonna be with the gang tonight
I'll be spending my night with my friends, my gang.
I am gonna be with the gang tonight
I'll be spending my night with my friends, my gang.
I am gonna be with the gang tonight
I'll be spending my night with my friends, my gang.
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
Bernardo Leal N S
I Love Subterranean Jungle. People say that is a not good album, but its very good '-'
Sergio Di Carlo
I also
Elwood McCable
I've never heard anyone say anything bad about it. But then, people don't bring it up much.
Rafael Machado
Concordo contigo, também curto muito!
Kleber Santos
Totally agree! It's an amazing album!
Jackals The Last
One of their most underrated tracks ever!
danielscissorhands
Personally I think Halfway to Sanity is their most underrated album.
Doug Vitale
+The Grey Jackals Appropriate since 'Subterranean Jungle' is their most underrated album.
Eli Francisco
A lírica que ele segue nesse som é surreal. Isso é único!
Bill Collins
Often imitated never to be duplicated !! The one and only greatest RocknRoll band of all time....................THE RAMONES