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."
It's Not For Me To Know
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was something that I didn't think was so bad
Now I'm lookin' out my window but I don't know where I am
And I've give up trying to understand what I can't
I don't have any illusions anymore I've done all that I can do
It's not for me to know It's not for me to know
I stood under the moonlight to ill-luminate myself
Something I fell into from being kicked around
I don't have any illusions anymore I've done all that I can do
It's not for me to know It's not for me to know
It's not for me to know It's not for me to know
No one seemed to notice seeing from smoke screen eyes
You can get what you want but I don't think it is true
I don't have any illusions anymore I've done all that I can do
It's not for me to know It's not for me to know
It's not for me to know It's not for me to know
It's not for me to know It's not for me to know
The song "It's Not For Me To Know" by Ramones is a reflection on confusion and disillusionment. The singer seems to have lived a carefree and hedonistic life, with an "easy come, easy go" attitude to everything. However, this carefree life has not led him to any real understanding or enlightenment, and now he finds himself lost and unable to make sense of his surroundings. The moonlight, which he stands under to try and find some clarity, only serves to "ill-luminate" his confusion.
The lyrics express the singer's recognition that he has no control over the mysteries of the universe, and that it is not his place to try and understand them. He has come to the end of his illusions and accepts that there may be things beyond his comprehension. The repeated refrain "It's not for me to know" emphasises this point and reinforces the singer's sense of resignation.
The line "You can get what you want but I don't think it is true" suggests a loss of faith in the idea that happiness can be found through material possessions or other external factors. The singer seems to have realised that true understanding and contentment can only be found by accepting one's place in the world and making peace with the unknown.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the human experience of confusion and uncertainty, and the acceptance that sometimes it is not possible to have all the answers.
Line by Line Meaning
Easy come and easy go for me that was the fun
I didn't mind when things came or went easily, it was enjoyable in the moment
It was something that I didn't think was so bad
I didn't think it was a big deal at the time
Now I'm lookin' out my window but I don't know where I am
I feel lost and uncertain of my surroundings
And I've give up trying to understand what I can't
I've stopped trying to make sense of things that are beyond my control
I stood under the moonlight to ill-luminate myself
I tried to make myself more visible or understood, even if it meant standing out in the open
Something I fell into from being kicked around
I ended up in this situation due to being mistreated or taken advantage of
No one seemed to notice seeing from smoke screen eyes
People didn't recognize or acknowledge my struggles because they were too focused on their own issues
You can get what you want but I don't think it is true
Even if you achieve your desires, it may not live up to your expectations
It's not for me to know It's not for me to know
There are some things that are beyond my understanding or control
I don't have any illusions anymore I've done all that I can do
I don't believe in unrealistic expectations or hopes anymore, I've done everything in my power to make things better
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANIEL REY, DEE DEE RAMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Racheal Plymale
on I Wanna Be Sedated (Live)
My Alltime favorite band!!!!!!!!! Joey Ramone was yummmy!!!!!