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."
Suzy Is a Headbanger
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooo-whee, do it one more time for me!
Can't stop
Stop that girl
There she goes again
I really really love to watch her
Watch her headbangin'
Her mother is a geek
Do it one more time for me!
Ooo-ooo-whee!
Ooo-ooo-whee!
Ooo-whee, do it one more time for me!
Ooo-whee, do it one more time for me!
Can't stop
Stop that girl
There she goes again
I really really love to watch her
Watch her headbangin'
Suzy is a headbanger
Her mother is a geek
Do it one more time for me!
Ooo-ooo-whee!
Ooo-ooo-whee!
Headbanger!
Headbanger!
Headbanger!
Headbanger!
Headbanger!
Headbanger!
Headbanger!
The lyrics to the Ramones' song "Suzy Is a Headbanger" are about a girl named Suzy who loves to headbang, a style of dancing where one vigorously moves their head up and down in time with the music, typically to heavy metal or punk rock. The song is an ode to Suzy and her rebellious attitude, with the singer expressing how much they enjoy watching her headbang. Throughout the song, the singer repeats "Ooo-whee, do it one more time for me!" which adds to the energetic and fun-loving tone of the song.
The lyrics also mention that Suzy's mother is a "geek" which could be interpreted as someone who is overly strict or uncool. This further establishes Suzy's rebellious nature and her love for rock music. The repetition of the phrase "headbanger" at the end of the song is a nod to the subculture of people who identify as headbangers and participate in mosh pits, concerts, and other events associated with heavy metal and punk rock.
Overall, "Suzy Is a Headbanger" is a fast-paced and catchy punk rock song that celebrates individuality and the joy of expressing oneself through music and dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooo-whee, do it one more time for me!
The singer is requesting the band to replay a song that Suzy loves.
Can't stop
There is no way to prevent Suzy from listening to music that she enjoys.
Stop that girl
Although others don't like Suzy's music, the singer wants her to continue.
There she goes again
Suzy never ceases to listen to her favorite music.
I really really love to watch her
The singer loves watching Suzy headbang because she truly enjoys it.
Watch her headbangin'
The singer observes how Suzy enthusiastically nods her head to the beat.
Suzy is a headbanger
Suzy loves aggressive music that makes her excited and energetic.
Her mother is a geek
Suzy's mother isn't interested in the music Suzy listens to, or is not as cool and hip.
Ooo-ooo-whee!
The singer requests the song replay to further satisfy Suzy's enjoyment.
Headbanger!
The chorus repeats Suzy's love for heavy music that makes her excited.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Douglas Colvin, Jeff Hyman, John Cummings, Thomas Erdelyi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Racheal Plymale
on I Wanna Be Sedated (Live)
My Alltime favorite band!!!!!!!!! Joey Ramone was yummmy!!!!!