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."
Take it As It Comes
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time to laugh, time to die
Take it easy baby
Take it as it comes
Don't move too fast
If you want your love to last
You've been moving much too fast
Time to walk, time to run
Time to aim your arrows at the sun
Go real slow
You'll like it more and more
Take it as it comes
Specialize in having fun
Moving much too fast
Moving much too fast
Ramones’s Take It As It Comes is a song advocating for a life of moderation, balance and savouring each moment as it comes. The lyrics highlight the different phases of an individual’s life and encourages the listener to take it easy and appreciate every step of the journey. The first two lines “Time to live, time to lie, time to laugh, time to die” portray the various stages of existence, from birth, leading to experiencing some of life's pleasures and sorrows, then inescapably, death inevitably comes. The song encourages the listener not to rush into life and relationships, but instead to take time to cultivate and nurture them. The line "Don't move too fast; if you want your love to last" posits that the best relationships result from taking the time to build and nurture them. Going too fast exposes one to the risk of crashing and burning.
The song also emphasises the need to enjoy life itself. It advocates for living joyfully, moving slow and savouring every moment, and specialising in having fun or as the lyrics put it "Specialize in having fun." This line asserts that there is more to life than just experiences; life is enjoyable and should be lived that way.
Line by Line Meaning
Time to live, time to lie
As life goes on, there will be times when you must be honest and times when you might have to bend the truth a little.
Time to laugh, time to die
Life is full of joy and sadness that you must experience.
Take it easy baby
Don't take life too seriously, enjoy it while you can.
Take it as it comes
Accept whatever happens, good or bad.
Don't move too fast
Don't rush into things, take your time.
If you want your love to last
If you want your relationship to work out, patience is key.
You've been moving much too fast
You've been rushing into things too quickly, which can lead to mistakes.
Time to walk, time to run
Time for a change, it's time to try something new and set goals.
Time to aim your arrows at the sun
It's time to set your sights high and go for your dreams.
Go real slow
Take your time and enjoy life's journey.
You'll like it more and more
As you slow down, you'll appreciate life more and find joy in the little things.
Specialize in having fun
Make the most of life by enjoying every moment and having fun.
Moving much too fast
Again, you're rushing through life and missing out on some of the best things it has to offer.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STEVE WINWOOD, WILL JENNINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Racheal Plymale
on I Wanna Be Sedated (Live)
My Alltime favorite band!!!!!!!!! Joey Ramone was yummmy!!!!!