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."
Main Man
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get hooked on me baby, there ain't no cure.
I've always been able to laugh at fate.
Two brown eyes filled with hate.
I'm the man who makes the street his home
And my lean mean hearts is just as hard as stone.
Don't want nothing from no one.
I'm my main man.
Always ready for what ever's gonna happen.
Spend my time in a cold jail cell, shootin' up poison
And livin' in hell and I never care what people think,
My history's written on me in tattooed ink.
And still life goes on tracks on my arms,
And the number thirteen is my good luck charm.
Oh, I'm my main man.
Don't want nothing from no one.
I'm my main man.
Always ready for what ever's gonna happen.
What happens to me is my own affair.
If you don't like me, I really don't care.
Cause no one's been what I've been through,
And I don't do what people want me to do.
I'll fight you till the bitter end,
And then I'll screw your little girl friend.
Oh, I'm my main man.
Don't want nothing from no one.
I'm my main man.
Always ready for what ever's gonna happen.
The Ramones' song "Main Man" is a bold declaration of individuality and toughness. The lyrics are gritty and uncompromising, with the singer proclaiming himself to be his own boss and willing to do whatever it takes to survive.
The first stanza sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer describing himself as a blur and someone who can't be controlled. He's confident in his ability to take on the world and doesn't care if others don't like him. The second stanza describes a life of drugs and jail, with the singer unapologetically owning his history of addiction and incarceration. The final stanza is perhaps the most aggressive, with the singer promising to fight anyone who gets in his way and even to take revenge by sleeping with their girlfriend.
Overall, "Main Man" is a song that celebrates toughness and individuality, but also acknowledges the difficult and sometimes dangerous path that can come with such a life.
Line by Line Meaning
When I start movin', you see a blur.
My energy is contagious and my presence is undeniable.
Get hooked on me baby, there ain't no cure.
Once you are attracted to me, you will never be able to let go. I'm addictive.
I've always been able to laugh at fate.
I have a resilient personality and possess the ability to see the humor in life's cruel moments.
Two brown eyes filled with hate.
I have a fierce and determined demeanor. My rage is raw and untamed.
I'm the man who makes the street his home
I have no permanent dwelling and live an unstructured lifestyle.
And my lean mean hearts is just as hard as stone.
My toughness and resilience comes from within.
Oh, I'm my main man.
I am self-sufficient and rely on no one.
Don't want nothing from no one.
I refuse to be dependent on others for any reason.
Always ready for what ever's gonna happen.
I embrace the unpredictable nature of life and am always prepared for anything.
Spend my time in a cold jail cell, shootin' up poison
I have a history of addiction and have spent time incarcerated.
And livin' in hell and I never care what people think,
I have faced immense struggles and have become indifferent to the opinions of others.
My history's written on me in tattooed ink.
My past experiences have left a permanent mark on my body.
And still life goes on tracks on my arms,
The scars of my past remind me of the journey I've been on.
And the number thirteen is my good luck charm.
I am superstitious and hold onto small symbols of hope in order to find strength.
What happens to me is my own affair.
I am fiercely independent and make my own decisions.
If you don't like me, I really don't care.
I am not concerned with the opinions or feelings of others towards me.
Cause no one's been what I've been through,
I have endured unique struggles that no one else can understand.
And I don't do what people want me to do.
I refuse to conform to societal expectations.
I'll fight you till the bitter end,
I am willing to fiercely defend my beliefs and values.
And then I'll screw your little girl friend.
I am sexually promiscuous and unapologetic about my behavior.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANIEL REY, DEE DEE RAMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@frankyramone7852
el mejor tema de Ramones!!!!
@cristianrocapinto6885
GREAT SONG
@josemartins8754
Que disco ducaraalho!
@keithgordon620
Just brilliant!
@sandrosoler4275
Underrated gem
@ago1001
aguante RAMONES !!!
@marcelochalfen564
bienvenido a ARGENTINA,CJ !!!! 07/11 en el asbury club
@ramiGNR
Slash estaba escuchando esta canción mientras componía Doctor Alibi xDD
@rpk7330
RAM GN'R jajajaja verdad!
@erichheard115
Even though my favorite Ramone is DD, I think my second favorite is CJ. I guess that makes this song the best of both worlds: DD wrote it, CJ sang it. I am also making monsters for my friends.