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."
Rock&Roll Radio
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rock N'
Rock N' Roll Radio
Let's go
Do you remember Hullabaloo,
Upbeat, Shindig and Ed Sullivan too?
Do you remember rock 'n' roll radio?
Do you remember Murray the K,
Alan Freed, and high energy?
It's the end of the 70's
It's the end of the century
Do you remember lying in bed
With your covers pulled up over your head?
Radio playin' so no one can see
We need change, we need it fast
Before rock's just part of the past
'Cause lately it all sounds the same to me
Oh, oh
[Repeat: x3]
Rock N'
Rock N' Roll Radio
Let's go
Will you remember Jerry Lee, John Lennon, T. Rex and Ol' Moulty?
It's the end of the 70's
It's the end of the century
Do you remember lying in bed
With your covers pulled up over your head?
Radio playin' so no one can see
We need change, we need it fast
Before rock's just part of the past
'Cause lately it all sounds the same to me
Oh, oh
[Repeat: x4]
Rock N'
Rock N' Roll Radio
Let's go
The Ramones' "Rock and Roll Radio" is a nostalgic ode to the heyday of rock and roll radio during the late 50s and throughout the 60s. The band members reminisce on this era by singing about popular TV shows like Hullabaloo, Shindig, and The Ed Sullivan Show, and DJ personalities such as Murray the K and Alan Freed. They yearn for the radio's power and countercultural significance, which seems to have faded away in the late 70s as punk and disco began to dominate the airwaves.
The song addresses the homogenization of modern rock music, and the need for revolutionary change in the genre. The chorus, "Rock N' Roll Radio, let's go" serves as a call-to-action for maintaining the cultural influence and spirit of rock music. The final verse adds a sense of urgency to the plea for change, emphasizing the need to "change, and quick" before rock music becomes a distant memory. Overall, "Rock and Roll Radio" is a heartfelt tribute to the golden era of rock and roll radio, and a reminder of its importance in shaping the cultural landscape of America.
Line by Line Meaning
Rock N', Rock N' Roll Radio
The song is an anthem for the importance of rock and roll radio.
Do you remember Hullabaloo, Upbeat, Shindig and Ed Sullivan too?
Asks if you remember those classic music and variety shows.
Do you remember rock 'n' roll radio?
Asks if you remember the importance of rock and roll radio in the past.
Do you remember Murray the K, Alan Freed, and high energy?
Asks if you remember the DJs and energy that made rock and roll radio special.
It's the end of the 70's, It's the end of the century
Reflects on the end of an era, and the potential decline of rock and roll radio.
Do you remember lying in bed, With your covers pulled up over your head?
Recalls the intimacy of listening to the radio in bed.
Radio playin' so no one can see
The privacy of listening to the radio without others watching.
We need change, we need it fast, Before rock's just part of the past
The recognition that rock and roll needs to evolve and stay relevant in order to survive.
'Cause lately it all sounds the same to me
The concern that the current rock music on the radio lacks creativity and originality.
Will you remember Jerry Lee, John Lennon, T. Rex and Ol' Moulty?
Asks if you will remember the legendary musicians that made rock and roll great.
Rock N', Rock N' Roll Radio, Let's go
Ends on a call to action to keep rock and roll radio alive and thriving.
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
@bdisaac1
One of the most original sounds in rock history…no confusing them with other bands.
@kaveh-w-
Saw them in 1992 in concert in Az. They did a cover of take it as it comes by the doors. What a great time 2 be alive. I was 18 then
@Bruno-tu3kj
This is so nostalgic, I loved the Ramones back when I was a kid. Unfortunately they were right and now rock is just part of the past
@davidberendt4160
I saw Joey’s last appearance at the Continental in the east Village. He opened up singing Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” . . then Darlene Love’s “ Baby Please Come Home” He blew the roof off of the place ! I had no idea it was the last of him. RIP Joey , You showed them how it’s done .
@skumbaeg45
Awesome, RIP Joey
@lincolnvaldez1873
I hate the fact that the original 4 young men who began this band are no longer with us. Yet they left a great impact on this earth. Despite all the issues and differences they stayed together til the end (Joey and Johnny). That means alot. I was never really into punk, but these guys made me think differently. They may be gone, but definitely not forgotten. Ramones fan for life and death!
@paultreadaway102
Part of ever expending over the years history since we can recall or since the 50s when it started the all increasing heavenly choirs
@TACHOMEX
"We need change, and we need it fast
Before Rock's just part of the past
'Cause lately, it all sounds the same to me
Whoah-whoah, oh"
PROPHETIC WORDS!!!
@waltermameli2026
People will say there are no good Ramones songs.....the truth is there are no bad ones.....the beat and lyrics get in your head and you cant get them out....
@Nocturne2
Is there someone who says there are no good Ramones songs? I don't know them...lol.