Rise of the Ramones

By: Tanya Soto

Ramones 2

Here come leather jackets, long hair, Converse, and ripped jeans—Joey the lead singer, Johnny on guitar, DeeDee as bassist, and last but not least Tommy on the killer drums. They all had the surname “Ramone” even though they weren’t related. Their fast beats and catchy lyrics started in New York City in 1974, but ended this year when Tommy the last fellow band member eventually passed away and no longer can share the whole Ramone experience. Although, they may no longer be with us their music will forever live.

The first four albums of The Ramones, are “Ramones” (1976), “Leave Home” (1977), “Rocket to Russia” (1977), “Road to Ruin” (1978), made punk music in the late 1970’s far more popular and noticeable. With their punk energy, they rekindled what was soon burning out for this genre. As soon as Joey’s voice blared through the amps, Johnny’s hypnotizing strumming on the guitar intoxicates over the air waves. Deedee with his superb bass embraces the beat, and Tommy bangs on the drums creating a lovely toxic rhythm. The Ramones memorize anyone coming their way, as soon as the tune hits listener’s ears there’s no turning back.

The Ramones aren’t just any other band, they were the band that made punk noticeable once again. “They’re credited with being the Godfathers of punk and they’re hugely influential not just punk bands, but also other bands. They’re definitely not flashy at all. They’re definitely not up for the looks, not good looking dudes. They just had this attitude, like we don’t care if you don’t like us. We don’t care what you think about us. We’re just going to play. We’re going to play tough music that people enjoy,” answer of Mr. Pinney, an English teacher and huge fan of the Ramones, when asked about his opinion on this legendary group. They made punk rise to what seemed to be at the weakest point. Karen Quinonez responded, “They make me want to rob a bank and get away with it,” after being asked how she felt about the Ramones. The Ramones may not be around to sing “Baby I Love You” or “Wanting to be Sedated”, and not be able to state how “Sheena was a Punk Rocker”, or simply not want to be a “Pinhead” anymore, but they’ll still be heard, whether on old record players or the newest of technology. We won’t forget our long haired, rebellious Ramones.

4 Comments Add yours

  1. Mr. Pinney says:

    Tanya, fantastic article on the Ramones! It is well-written and really captures the essence of this great band; hopefully you will inspire some new listeners to explore the awesome musical offerings of the Ramones!
    Gabba Gabba Hey!

    1. Tanya Soto says:

      Thank you!

  2. Justus Ekblad says:

    Ramones are a great band. Good description of them.

  3. Luciano Delaluz says:

    this an awesome article about one of the greatest bands to have ever lived,the ramones was simply put one of the most legendary bands in music and didn’t care what you thought of there music like a great band should there music will live on forever

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