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."
She Talks to Rainbows
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She looks so happy but she seems so sad
Ah ah oh yea oh oh oh yea
She's a little lost girl in her own little world
I'd like to help her I'd like to try
Ah ah oh yea oh oh oh yea
She talks to birds she talks to angels
She don't talk to me
Talks to the rainbows and to the seas
She talks to the trees
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
You know she drives me outta my mind
You know she drives me outta my head
She talks to birds
She's a little lost girl in her own little world
She looks so happy but she seems so sad
Ah ah oh yea oh oh oh yea
She's a little lost girl in her own little world
I'd like to help her I'd like to try
Ah ah oh yea oh oh oh yea
She talks to birds she talks to angels
She talks to trees she talks to bees
She don't talk to me
Talks to the rainbows and to the seas
She talks to trees
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
"She Talks to Rainbows" by the Ramones is a song that discusses a girl who appears generally happy on the surface, but who is actually sad and lost within her own inner world. The song emphasizes her detachment from others, as she prefers to talk to birds, trees, and even rainbows and seas instead of interacting with people. The chorus emphasizes this point with the repetition of the phrase "She talks to birds she talks to angels, She talks to trees she talks to bees, She don't talk to me, Talks to the rainbows and to the seas, She talks to trees, She don't talk to me, Don't talk to me". The lyrics suggest that the singer of the song, who is likely a man, is interested in helping the girl and connecting with her, but he is ultimately unable to do so.
The lyrics of "She Talks to Rainbows" are somewhat ambiguous, leaving it open to interpretation as to what the song is really about. One possibility is that the song is about autism or Asperger's syndrome, both of which are conditions that can lead to social isolation and an unusual connection to the natural world. Another interpretation is that the song is a commentary on the superficiality of modern society, which values material possessions and social status above real human connections. In this view, the girl's detachment from others is a response to a culture that encourages people to prioritize appearances over substance.
Line by Line Meaning
She's a little lost girl in her own little world
She is feeling disconnected from the reality and is living in her own world.
She looks so happy but she seems so sad
Despite appearing happy, she is going through a difficult time and is sad.
She talks to birds she talks to angels
She connects with nature and spirituality by conversing with birds and angels.
She talks to trees she talks to bees
She also communicates with trees and bees and finds solace through these interactions.
She don't talk to me
However, she doesn't really communicate with the person singing this song.
Talks to the rainbows and to the seas
She even associates with natural phenomena like rainbows and seas and finds a sense of belonging there.
You know she drives me outta my mind
Her actions of talking to everything but the singer frustrate him to the point of insanity.
You know she drives me outta my head
Her lack of communication with him troubles him deeply and puts him in a state of confusion.
I'd like to help her I'd like to try
In spite of his own foolish romantic feelings, he wants to help her in any way he can.
She don't talk to me
But, alas, she remains indifferent towards him.
Don't talk to me
His plea for her to talk to him goes unheard.
She don't talk to me
He reiterates that she still doesn't converse with him.
Don't talk to me
His anguish of her not talking to him is evident in this repetition.
She don't talk to me
He emphasizes yet again that she does not talk to him.
Don't talk to me
His frustration continues as he feels ignored by her.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOEY RAMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daramccaughey8653
She's a little lost girl in her own little world
She looks so happy but she seems so sad
Ah ah oh yea oh oh oh yea
She's a little lost girl in her own little world
I'd like to help her I'd like to try
Ah ah oh yea oh oh oh yea
She talks to birds she talks to angels
She talks to trees she talks to bees
She don't talk to me
Talks to the rainbows and to the seas
She talks to the trees
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
You know she drives me outta my mind
You know she drives me outta my head
She talks to birds
She's a little lost girl in her own little world
She looks so happy but she seems so sad
Ah ah oh yea oh oh oh yea
She's a little lost girl in her own little world
I'd like to help her I'd like to try
Ah ah oh yea oh oh oh yea
She talks to birds she talks to angels
She talks to trees she talks to bees
She don't talk to me
Talks to the rainbows and to the seas
She talks to trees
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
She don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
@parishads
I come here often. Such a nice song.
@simorado
This is a simple beautiful beautiful song.. really amazing
@johnnada6855
Joey was such a great singer
@jayham____fromgeorgia
Joey and Ronnie are singing together now and forever! two Angel's who blessed me and millions all over our planet..
@marcelle345
they were fabulous
@pabloocampo3836
No hay canción de Ramones que no se pueda tararear filtrando olas en una bella jornada de surfing en las playas del sur bonaerense...Acompañaron 3/4 partes de mi vida y lo siguen haciendo en situaciones muy disímiles e igual de intensas y emocionantes. R.A.M.O.N.E.S. Good music saves your soul!
@cristianmolina3412
jejej que buen comentario hno puro podeer jajaj
@fernandomartinez-wl5qb
Olas en el sur bonaerenses??????whats!¿¿¿????
@marcelle345
it was a time I worked at Max's Kansas City, and saw them so many times. When they came on the scene it was an explosion
@cc2124
Wow... If I could go back in time to see any band it would be The Ramones... Must've been so awesome