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."
Romones-spider-man
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spins a web any size, catches thieves just like flies
Look out, here comes the Spiderman
Is he strong? Listen bud, he's got radioactive blood
Can he swing from a thread? Take a look overhead
Hey, there! There goes the Spiderman
Like a streak of light he arrives just in time
Spiderman, Spiderman, friendly neighborhood, Spiderman
Wealth and fame, he ignores, action is his reward
Look out, here comes the Spiderman
Spiderman, Spiderman, friendly neighborhood, Spiderman
Wealth and fame, he ignores, action is his reward
To him, life's a great big bang up, whenever there's a hang up,
You'll find the Spiderman!
The lyrics to the Ramones' song "Spider-Man" are a tribute to the comic book superhero known as Spider-Man. The first verse describes his abilities, "doing whatever a spider can" by spinning webs and catching thieves much like a spider catching flies. The chorus repeats the title and mentions the character's approach to fighting crime in his "friendly neighborhood." The second verse answers the question of whether he's strong, stating that despite having radioactive blood, his strength comes from a combination of his powers and his will to do good. The bridge talks about his nightly patrols, arriving just in time and with a sense of urgency to save the day.
The song is a punk rock anthem that is fast-paced and upbeat, conveying the sense of energy and urgency that Spider-Man carries with him. It highlights the character's selflessness, as he ignores wealth and fame in favor of protecting his community. The lyrics also emphasize the idea that life is a challenge, with Spider-Man always ready to address any hang-up that comes his way. Overall, the song celebrates the icon status of Spider-Man in popular culture while emphasizing his heroic persona.
Line by Line Meaning
Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can
Introducing Spiderman as a superhero with incredible abilities just like a spider
Spins a web any size, catches thieves just like flies
Spiderman's ability to create webs and catch criminals with ease
Look out, here comes the Spiderman
A warning to be cautious as Spiderman is on his way
Is he strong? Listen bud, he's got radioactive blood
Explaining that Spiderman's strength is due to his radioactive blood
Can he swing from a thread? Take a look overhead
Highlighting Spiderman's ability to swing from his webs and move overhead
Hey, there! There goes the Spiderman
Noticing Spiderman's presence and his movement in the area
In the chill of the night At the scene of a crime
Describing Spiderman's crime-fighting work, which takes place at night when it's usually colder
Like a streak of light he arrives just in time
Spiderman's quick and efficient approach to arriving at the crime scene
Spiderman, Spiderman, friendly neighborhood, Spiderman
Emphasizing Spiderman's friendly and neighborhood persona
Wealth and fame, he ignores, action is his reward
Spiderman doesn't care about wealth and fame, he thrives on taking action and making a difference
To him, life's a great big bang up, whenever there's a hang up,
Spiderman views life as one big adventure, and he's always there to help whenever there's a problem
You'll find the Spiderman!
A declaration that Spiderman will always be there when he's needed
Lyrics © GUY WEBSTER/WEBSTER MUSIC
Written by: BOB HARRIS, PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lucassantoscosta7695
Lyrics:
Spiderman, Spiderman
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web any size
Catches thieves just like flies
Look out, here comes the Spiderman
Is he strong? Listen Bud
He's got radioactive blood
Can he swing from a thread?
Take a look overhead
Hey, there! There goes the Spiderman
In the chill of the night
At the scene of a crime
Like a streak of light
He arrives just in time
Spiderman, Spiderman
Friendly neighborhood, Spiderman
Wealth and fame, he's ignored
Action is his reward
Look out, here comes the Spiderman
In the chill of the night
At the scene of a crime
Like a streak of light
He arrives just in time
Spiderman, Spiderman
Friendly neighborhood, Spiderman
Wealth and fame, he's ignored
Action is his reward
To him, life is a great big bang up
Whenever there's a hang-up
You'll find the Spiderman!
@superstarquins
Rip Stan Lee, and all the original Ramones. All of you were legends.
@jswatch9270
What happened to the ramones
@canceritself1854
J's Watch Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy each died for different reasons. All, except Dee Dee, died from cancer. Dee Dee OD’d.
@jswatch9270
@Cancer Itself185 oh really gees
@canceritself1854
J's Watch Yeah, it’s quite sad.
@jswatch9270
@Cancer Itself185 it is
@00Knucklehead00
Punk rock and comic books! what a wonderful combination!
@jswatch9270
Yeah
@riadvids1642
Kewl!
@smartalex995
Exactly