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."
Out of Here
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I toss and toss, it's after dark
Is this real or just a dream, some fantasy?
And is this real or emptiness?
We're getting out of here
As fast as we can
Oh, we're getting out of here
She still stand beside my parts and in this world
It's getting sicker all the time
Say that victim, a victim made society
Chop her ankle and bring it back to her family, yeah
We're getting out of here
As fast as we can
Oh, we're getting out of here
As fast as we can
Dusty highway
Wait, await and see
West of passion
Oh, turn back to me
Oh, come back to me, oh
Nuclear alarmament, disarmament
We are going straight to hell
Kill for problem, kill for pride and kill for fun
Democracy has just begun, yeah
We're getting out of here
As fast as we can
Oh, we're getting out of here
As fast as we can
We'll never passes with open
Pass through this way again
The night is gladly or somewhat, so it seems
Is this real or just a dream? Yeah
Oh
Oh
The Ramones' song "Out of Here" gives a glimpse of a world that is slowly becoming unbearable to live in. The lyrics depict a society that is plagued with violence, sickness, and nuclear threats. The first verse shows the singer's confusion between reality and fantasy, and the line "Hanging out and shooting out all of the lights" portrays a reckless abandon and disregard for society's norms.
The second verse talks about a victimized society, where people take pleasure in killing for the sake of pride and fun. The line "Chop her ankle and bring it back to her family" shows the brutality and barbarism that has taken control. The chorus "We're getting out of here, as fast as we can" emphasizes the urgency to escape and leave this world behind.
The final verse talks about never passing through this way again and holds a note of finality. The repeated "Oh" at the end of the song gives a sense of desperation and hopelessness of this world. Overall, "Out of Here" provides a stark and honest commentary on society's decay and a warning to act before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Hanging out and shooting out all of the lights
We're partying and breaking everything in sight
I toss and toss, it's after dark
I can't sleep, it's late at night
Is this real or just a dream, some fantasy?
I question whether my current situation is real or just a fantasy
And is this real or emptiness?
I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is real or just empty, meaningless existence
We're getting out of here
We're leaving this place
As fast as we can
We're leaving quickly and urgently
She still stand beside my parts and in this world
I still have my partner in this messed-up world
It's getting sicker all the time
The world is becoming more and more messed-up over time
Say that victim, a victim made society
Society is creating victims
Chop her ankle and bring it back to her family, yeah
Violence is rampant and people are getting hurt
Dusty highway
We're on a dusty road
Wait, await and see
We're waiting to see what happens next
West of passion
We're heading west in search of something better
Oh, turn back to me
I want my partner to come back to me
Nuclear alarmament, disarmament
There are concerns about nuclear weapons
We are going straight to hell
Things are getting worse and we're headed towards disaster
Kill for problem, kill for pride and kill for fun
Killing has become too normalized in society
Democracy has just begun, yeah
There's a glimmer of hope with the start of democracy
We'll never passes with open
We won't have this opportunity again
Pass through this way again
We won't come back this way again
The night is gladly or somewhat, so it seems
The night is giving off mixed feelings
Is this real or just a dream? Yeah
I'm still questioning the reality of things
Oh
Oh
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAN FISHER, IRENE HIGGINBOTHAM, SAMMY GALLOP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CountDruckula
Hanging out and shooting out all of the lights
I toss and toss, it's after dark
Is this real or just a dream, some fantasy?
And is this real or emptiness?
We're getting out of here
As fast as we can
Oh, we're getting out of here
As fast as we can
She still stands beside my parts and in this world
It's getting sicker all the time
Say that victim, a victim made society
Chop her ankle and bring it back to her family, yeah
We're getting out of here
As fast as we can
Oh, we're getting out of here
As fast as we can
Dusty highway
Wait, wait and see
West of passion
Oh, turn back to me
Oh, come back to me, oh
Nuclear armament, disarmament
We are going straight to hell
Kill for problem, kill for pride and kill for fun
Democracy has just begun, yeah
We're getting out of here
As fast as we can
Oh, we're getting out of here
As fast as we can
We'll never pass with open
Pass through this way again
The night is gladly or somewhat, so it seems
Is this real or just a dream? Yeah
Marcelo Delgado
Como é que essa musica nao entrou como faixa do album????
Bob Ellal
My favorite song on the album. A much more metal feel. A Motorhead cover would be brilliant. Saw these guys in '78 at a club in rural Connecticut--speakers bigger than Frigidares. A friend was so hammered he fell asleep in a chair about two feet from one.
Adam J K
Jesus I can’t believe they used to have enormous speakers cased in the heaviest wood possible lol
Bob Ellal
My favorite song on this album. It has a much more metal feel than punk. A Motorhead cover would be brilliant. Saw these guys in '78 at a small club in rural Connecticut--speakers were bigger than Frigidares.
Mondo Bizarro
Ramones É Do Cacete,Velho
TheMaio75
gracias, me encanta esta cancion y gracias x subir la letra....buenisima raresa
Matt Whiting
If any Ramones fans don't understand that this is one of their best and most underrated songs, then you're simply not Ramones fans.
Adam J K
I love this song but that’s a silly thing to say. No one has to like a specific outtake from 1984 to be a real ram ones fan
woodyamsterdam
Never heard this song. Thanks for posting! Straight to my favorites;)
andee ramone
this song is so heavy! someone should cover this and make it more metal. r.i.p JoeyJohnnyDeeDee