Top Ten Songs by the Ramones
The Ramones formed two years before I was born in 1974 in Queens New York. This is probably one of the few places on earth that could create a band like the Ramones. The Ramones were a huge part of the punk scene, creating a genre of music along side other legendary punk bands like The Clash and wildly popular Sex Pistols.
While the band members changed a few times through the years the original band members were Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, and Tommy Ramone. They were not related and their real names are quite different than those listed here. Joey Ramone was the lead singer; his real name was Jeffry Hyman. Johnny Ramone’s real name was John Cummings. Dee Dee Ramone’s real name was Douglas Colvin. Finally, Tommy Ramone’s real name was Tamas Erdelyi. They choose the last name Ramone based on the knowledge that Paul McCartney used a similar name as a pseudonym when staying at hotels. The first names came from a variety of sources.
The Ramones songs are short, which is why they were often criticized by the music critics of their day. Short bursts of loud punk rock that could last as little as 120 seconds were new to the musical world. Their first show was at the Performance Studio in New York City, their hometown. It was on March 30, 1974. Needless to say the crowd had not seen anything like them, nor would they ever.
While the Ramones were not hugely popular during their hey day they were infamous for their concerts at CBGB’s. The concerts were incredibly short, sometimes as short as 30 minutes. It was common for them to repeat the show to fill the evening with music. The songs were energetic short bursts of loud punk rock, which has come to be appreciated more in the past three decades then when they were in their prime.
My top ten list of Ramone’s songs is as follows:
1.Labotomy
2. Hey Ho Let’s Go
3. Sheena is a Punk Rocker
4. I Wanna Be Sedated
5. Love Kills
6. Ignorance is Bliss
7. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
8. I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You
9. The KKK Took My Baby Away
10. Blitzkrieg Bop
“Sheena is a Punk Rocker” is the song that introduced me to the Ramone’s on the Pet Cemetery sound track. They have a cool sound in this song, which is slightly less harsh than many of their other songs. I think this song might be the whole reason I watched them movie countless times in Middle School. OK, I am a big Steven King fan as well.
“Hey Ho Let’s Go” is classic Ramones. They rapidly repeat the key lyrics, “Hey Ho Let’s Go” repeatedly, stuff in some guitar licks, and abruptly end of their own accord. What more could you want. No fuss, no muss, and simple lyrics any silly American can repeat and sing along with. I love it!
“Lobotomy” takes their repeated lyrics to an all time extreme. Every time I hear this song I envision jocks running around the football field screaming “Lobotomy!” I am not sure why, but it seems fitting some how.
The Ramones are classic, their style a breath of fresh air, and they have influenced countless rock bands including contemporary favorites like Pearl Jam.
