“Hey! Ho! Let’s go!” Four guys from Queens in leather jackets, counting off two-minute songs at CBGB. Without the Ramones there’s no punk, and without punk there’s no new wave. They never had the hits they deserved. They got something better: everyone who came after.
Queens, 1974: four “brothers”, no relation
The Ramones formed in Queens, New York, in 1974: Joey Ramone on vocals, Johnny Ramone on guitar, Dee Dee Ramone on bass and most of the songs, and Tommy Ramone on drums. They weren’t related. The shared surname came from “Paul Ramon”, a name Paul McCartney once used on the road. At CBGB and the other downtown clubs they led a new underground that wanted nothing to do with mid-’70s arena rock: loud guitars, simple chords, big hooks, no solos, no wasted seconds.
Ramones (1976): a week, a small budget, a revolution
The debut, Ramones, came out on 23 April 1976. It was made in about a week for very little money, and it rewrote the rules: “Blitzkrieg Bop”, “Beat on the Brat”, “Judy Is a Punk”, “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”, “53rd & 3rd”. It didn’t sell much at first. It inspired thousands of bands.
Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, Road to Ruin
They followed fast. Leave Home (1977) brought “Pinhead”, “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment” and their cover of “California Sun”. Rocket to Russia, later the same year, is one of the great punk records, with “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker”, “Rockaway Beach”, “Teenage Lobotomy” and “Do You Wanna Dance?”, surf and ’60s pop melodies played at punk speed. Road to Ruin (1978) gave them “I Wanna Be Sedated”, now one of the most recognizable punk songs ever, all over radio, film, TV and sports arenas.
Phil Spector and the ’80s
For End of the Century (1980) they worked with Phil Spector, with “Baby, I Love You” and “Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio?”. The ’80s brought Pleasant Dreams (1981), Subterranean Jungle (1983), Too Tough to Die (1984), Animal Boy (1986), Halfway to Sanity (1987) and Brain Drain (1989), which included “Pet Sematary”, written for the film of Stephen King’s novel.
Is Ramones new wave?
The Ramones are punk, but new wave grew straight out of them. Short, hook-filled songs, catchy melodies, do-it-yourself creativity and minimal production became the starting point for the new wave bands at CBGB and beyond, from Blondie and Talking Heads to the Cars.
Adios Amigos
Mondo Bizarro (1992), Acid Eaters (1993) and ¡Adios Amigos! (1995) closed out the catalog. After more than 2,200 shows, they retired in 1996 at the end of a long farewell tour. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, they later received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Clash, the Sex Pistols, R.E.M., Nirvana, Green Day, the Offspring, Blink-182 and Foo Fighters all owe them something, and the look (leather jackets, ripped jeans, sneakers, bowl cuts) is one of rock’s most copied.
The essential Ramones songs
“Blitzkrieg Bop” · “Beat on the Brat” · “Judy Is a Punk” · “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” · “Pinhead” · “California Sun” · “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” · “Rockaway Beach” · “Teenage Lobotomy” · “Do You Wanna Dance?” · “I Wanna Be Sedated” · “Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio?” · “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg” · “Pet Sematary” · “Poison Heart”
The essential albums
Ramones (1976) · Leave Home (1977) · Rocket to Russia (1977) · Road to Ruin (1978) · End of the Century (1980) · Pleasant Dreams (1981) · Too Tough to Die (1984) · Brain Drain (1989)
New to the Ramones? Start here
Play the debut. It’s under 30 minutes, and by “Blitzkrieg Bop” you’ll get it. Then Rocket to Russia, which is the debut with better tunes. “I Wanna Be Sedated” is the single to send to a friend.
Like the Ramones? Try these next
Talking Heads · Blondie · The Clash · The Jam · Buzzcocks · Pretenders · Elvis Costello · The Cars · Devo · The B-52’s · XTC · The Police
Hear the Ramones on New Wave Radio
Where new wave started. Request “Rockaway Beach” and count along: one, two, three, four.
Official links: ramones.com · Facebook · Instagram · YouTube · Spotify
