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."
Tomorrow She Goes Away
Ramones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hang around, screw up my mind
I hope I've seen her for the very last time
(Dangers of drinking), but I don't want to die
Got to leave this cycle behind
I hope I've seen her for the very last time
I can't wait another day
I can't wait 'til tomorrow
Tomorrow she goes away - ay, hay
Over my shoulder, I keep looking back
I feel a presence following me
So I know I'll never be free
And I can't wait 'til tomorrow
I can't wait another day
I can't wait 'til tomorrow
Tomorrow she goes away - ay, hay
Over my shoulder, I keep looking back
I feel a presence following me
So I know I'll never be free
And I can't wait 'til tomorrow
I can't wait another day
I can't wait 'til tomorrow
Tomorrow she goes away - ay, hay
The Ramones' "Tomorrow She Goes Away" is a reflection on a disastrous infatuation that haunts the singer, driving him to the brink of despair. He is unable to shake the memory of this person, who has mentally and emotionally destabilized him. The lyrics convey feelings of desperation and hopelessness, suggesting that the singer fears that he may never be able to break free from the pain and confusion caused by the relationship.
The song expresses a sense of urgency in wanting to move on from the past and start anew. The repetition of the phrase "I can't wait 'til tomorrow" conveys a sense of desperation and the need for relief. The singer is pleading with himself to leave behind the cycle of destructive behavior that comes with this enamored attraction. The cyclical habits of drinking to forget and finding himself once again drawn back into the fixation are doing him harm.
The line, "I feel a presence following me," conveys a sense of dread and paranoia that accompanies the memory of the person. The singer sees his ex-lover as a threatening presence that he can never escape, which leads him to fear that he will never be free from this person's hold on him. The overall message of the song is one of hope that the singer can break the cycle of this infatuation and finally move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Infatuation, she's a fatal attraction
I am deeply infatuated with someone who is bad for me and will only bring harm.
Hang around, screw up my mind
Continuing to be around this person is causing me to lose my sanity.
I hope I've seen her for the very last time
I desire to never see this person again in order to avoid further negativity in my life.
(Dangers of drinking), but I don't want to die
I understand the risks of my actions but I still do not wish to die.
Got to leave this cycle behind
I need to break free from this negative pattern in order to better my situation.
And I can't wait 'til tomorrow
I am eagerly waiting for the day when this person is out of my life.
I can't wait another day
I am impatient and cannot tolerate being in this situation any longer.
Tomorrow she goes away - ay, hay
I am excited for the coming day when this person will finally be gone.
Over my shoulder, I keep looking back
I cannot help but worry and think about this person even though I know I should let go.
I feel a presence following me
The weight of this person's influence still lingers on my mind and emotions.
So I know I'll never be free
Even though they will be gone physically, the emotional impact of this person's presence will remain with me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANIEL REY, JOEY RAMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bryanjones7257
Greatest F'ing band EVER!!!
@gastonpertussi270
Ramones es un sentimiento ❤
@Carolina-hu1cx
La mejor banda de todos los tiempos
@muzengarocker3184
Great solo! Ed Stasium!
@toddpont8062
Best damn punk band ever!!!!!
@scottwillie9914
Definitely!
@gustavogomesdossantos5599
Otima música perfeita saudades desse tempo que não volta mais saudades
@EnderPlayerofc
verdade
@marianotagliotti5003
Rock and roll de carretera
@dmcalister4505
Dangers of drinkin
But I don't wanna die
Got to leave this psycho behind
I hope I've seen her for the very last time ...
#RamonesForever