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."
Spiderman
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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, is 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, is ignored 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 Ramones' song "Spiderman" is an ode to the beloved Marvel Comics superhero. The song begins with Spiderman's famous catchphrase "Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can," and then goes on to describe some of his key abilities such as spinning webs of any size and catching thieves like flies. The chorus warns us to look out, as Spiderman is always ready to spring into action.
The second verse raises the question of Spiderman's strength, to which the answer is he has radioactive blood, and can swing from a thread overhead. The lyrics then describe how he arrives at the scene of a crime like a streak of light, just in time to save the day. The song highlights Spiderman's friendly neighborhood persona and how he is ignored by wealth and fame. His reward is action, and whenever there's a hang-up, Spiderman is there to fix it.
Overall, the song perfectly captures the essence of Spiderman as a superhero: his agility, bravery, and willingness to fight crime in his local area. The light-hearted nature of the song also reflects the cheeky humor that the Marvel character has become synonymous with.
Line by Line Meaning
Spiderman, Spiderman Does whatever a spider can
This is an introduction to Spiderman, who possesses superhuman abilities similar to those of a spider.
Spins a web any size Catches thieves just like flies
Spiderman can create webs of any size, and he uses them to catch criminals with ease.
Look out, here comes the Spiderman
This line is repeated throughout the song as a warning that Spiderman is coming.
Is he strong? Listen Bud He's got radioactive blood
Spiderman's strength comes from the radioactive blood in his veins, which is a result of undergoing a scientific experiment.
Can he swing from a thread ? Take a look overhead
Spiderman can swing from building to building with the help of his webs.
Hey, there! There goes the Spiderman
This line implies that Spiderman is always on the move and that people should look out for him.
In the chill of the night, At the scene of a crime Like a streak of light, He arrives just in time
Spiderman often appears at crime scenes at night and is fast-moving in his efforts to catch criminals.
Spiderman, Spiderman Friendly neighborhood, Spiderman
Spiderman is known to be a friendly and helpful figure in his local community.
Wealth and fame, is ignored Action is his reward
Spiderman does not seek wealth or fame; instead, he finds satisfaction in helping others and stopping crime.
To him, life's a great big bang up Whenever there's a hang up You'll find the Spiderman!
Spiderman embraces the challenges of life and is always there when people need his help.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Anthem Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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