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."
Love Kills
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nancy was a broken queen
Their lives were so glamorous
Sid and Nancy were a mess
When you're hooked on heroin
Don't you know you'll never win
Drugs don't ever pay
Love kills (x3)
We still believe in anarchy
It makes me so damn angry
Sid and Nancy meant a lot to me
You may be dead but your souls are free
Like Romeo and Juliet
You two made a pact of death
Like the needle that ya used
Sid and Nancy were born to lose
Love kills (x3)
Sid never meant any harm
He shot some dope into his arm
All he wanted was some fun
Now she's lying in a pool of blood
Always loaded, always high
Why did you have to die?
I'll say one thing is
It leaves me with a bitter taste
Love kills (x9)
The Ramones' song "Love Kills" is a tribute to the tumultuous and tragic love affair between Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. The couple were notorious figures in the late 1970s punk rock scene in London, and their relationship was fueled by drug addiction and a shared sense of nihilism. The lyrics of the song reflect the chaos and destruction that characterized their lives, as well as the sense of loss and anger that many felt when they died.
The opening lines of the song describe Sid and Nancy as "king" and "queen," respectively, of the punk rock scene. However, their glamorous lifestyle was a facade, and the reality of their drug addiction and destructive behavior was far from glamorous. The lyrics emphasize the tragic nature of their relationship, as they were both ultimately doomed to suffer the consequences of their actions.
The repeated refrain of "Love Kills" underscores the destructive power of addiction and the often fatal consequences of drug use. The song also expresses a sense of anger and frustration with the social and political status quo, and the Ramones assert their commitment to anarchy as a means of rejecting mainstream values and norms.
Overall, "Love Kills" is a powerful and poignant tribute to Sid and Nancy, two iconic figures in the punk rock scene who lived fast and died young.
Line by Line Meaning
Sid was a punk rock king
Sid was a person of great influence and importance in the punk rock scene
Nancy was a broken queen
While Nancy may have had a title or position of power, she was struggling and unhappy
Their lives were so glamorous
Despite the reality of their situation, on the surface, Sid and Nancy's lives seemed exciting and full of extravagance
Sid and Nancy were a mess
In truth, Sid and Nancy's lives were chaotic and destructive
When you're hooked on heroin
Being addicted to heroin is a difficult and dangerous situation to be in
Don't you know you'll never win
Despite the feeling of relief or pleasure that drugs might provide, in the end, they will always lead to negative consequences
Drugs don't ever pay
Taking drugs is not a sustainable or smart way to live your life
You really did it your way
Sid and Nancy were rebellious and did not conform to the expectations of society or their loved ones
Love kills (x3)
The destructive nature of love is a recurring theme throughout the song
We still believe in anarchy
Despite the tragedy of Sid and Nancy's story, the punk movement and its values still hold true
It makes me so damn angry
The frustration and anger over the loss of two promising lives is palpable
Sid and Nancy meant a lot to me
The impact of Sid and Nancy on the artist was significant and meaningful
You may be dead but your souls are free
While they may be physically gone, Sid and Nancy's spirits are still alive and free
Like Romeo and Juliet
Sid and Nancy's story is reminiscent of the tragic tale of two young lovers
You two made a pact of death
Sid and Nancy's pact to stick together until the end ultimately led to their demise
Like the needle that ya used
The needle represents the source of Sid and Nancy's pain and ultimate destruction
Sid and Nancy were born to lose
Despite their potential and talent, Sid and Nancy were destined for tragedy and failure
Sid never meant any harm
Despite his reputation and involvement in destructive behavior, Sid did not intend to cause harm or hurt to anyone
He shot some dope into his arm
Sid's drug use was a self-destructive habit that ultimately contributed to his demise
All he wanted was some fun
At the core of Sid's behavior was a desire for excitement and enjoyment
Now she's lying in a pool of blood
Nancy's violent death is a tragic and painful reality
Always loaded, always high
Sid and Nancy were constantly under the influence of drugs and alcohol
Why did you have to die?
The senseless and unfair nature of death is difficult to grasp
I'll say one thing is
Despite the tragedy, there is one lesson or takeaway from Sid and Nancy's story
It leaves me with a bitter taste
The sadness and anger over the loss of Sid and Nancy is overwhelming and difficult to shake off
Love kills (x9)
The repetition of this line throughout the song emphasizes the destructive nature of love and how it led to Sid and Nancy's downfall
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEE DEE RAMONE, JOEY RAMONE, JOHNNY RAMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Racheal Plymale
on I Wanna Be Sedated (Live)
My Alltime favorite band!!!!!!!!! Joey Ramone was yummmy!!!!!