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 Theme
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spider-Man, Spider-Man
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size
Catches thieves just like flies
Look out!
Here comes the Spider-Man
He's got radioactive blood
Can he swing from a thread?
Take a look overhead
Hey there!
There goes the Spider-Man
In the chill of the night, at the scene of a crime
Like a streak of light, he arrives just in time
Spider-Man, Spider-Man
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Wealth and fame? He's ignored
Action is his reward
Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man
Look out!
Let's go!
In the chill of the night, at the scene of a crime
Like a streak of light, he arrives just in time
Spider-Man, Spider-Man
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Wealth and fame? He's ignored
Action is his reward
To him, life's just a great big bang up
Wherever there's a hang-up
You'll find the Spider-Man!
The Ramones’ song “Spider-Man” is an homage to the classic Marvel Comics superhero. The song’s opening verses briefly touch upon the many abilities that Spider-Man has as he goes about his crime-fighting escapades. The lyrics state that Spider-Man is capable of doing “whatever a spider can,” including spinning webs of any size to “catch thieves just like flies.” The chorus warns listeners to look out for Spider-Man as he swings into action.
The second verse delves deeper into Spider-Man’s powers. He is revealed to have radioactive blood, which gives him superhuman strength. He is also able to swing from threads, an ability that is highlighted in the TV series and movies. And just as quickly as he appears, Spider-Man is often gone from a scene, moving with the quickness of a light streak.
Overall, the song celebrates Spider-Man’s superhero status, but it also reveals the down-to-earth nature of the character. Spider-Man is not motivated by riches or fame as indicated in the lyrics, but by a sense of responsibility to his community. For him, “action is his reward” and he jumps in to help whenever there’s a “hang-up.”
Line by Line Meaning
Spider-Man, Spider-Man
Introducing the character Spider-Man
Does whatever a spider can
Spider-Man has spider-like abilities
Spins a web, any size
Spider-Man can create webs for various purposes
Catches thieves just like flies
Spider-Man can apprehend criminals with ease
Look out!
A warning to be aware of Spider-Man's presence
Here comes the Spider-Man
Spider-Man is arriving at the scene
Is he strong? Listen, bud
A rhetorical question that leads to an answer about Spider-Man's strength
He's got radioactive blood
Spider-Man's powers were acquired through exposure to radiation
Can he swing from a thread?
Another rhetorical question that implies Spider-Man has an ability
Take a look overhead
Encouraging the listener to look up to see Spider-Man's aerial prowess
Hey there!
A casual greeting from Spider-Man
There goes the Spider-Man
Spider-Man is departing from the scene
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a helpful and approachable hero
Wealth and fame? He's ignored
Spider-Man is not motivated by material gains
Action is his reward
Spider-Man is satisfied by his heroic actions
Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man
A repeated warning of Spider-Man's imminent arrival
Let's go!
An invitation to join Spider-Man on his adventures
To him, life's just a great big bang up
Spider-Man sees life as a thrilling adventure
Wherever there's a hang-up
Spider-Man is always ready to help those in need
You'll find the Spider-Man!
A confident assertion of Spider-Man's reliability as a hero
Contributed by Lucy P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@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