Music really is the universal communicator. I’ve always liked music to one degree or another, enjoying funk, 80’s pop, classic rock, and even a little new age. It wasn’t until November 2012 that I got into a band that not only seized my attention but made me explore the history of rock and roll. I picked up a copy of The Ramones’ Greatest Hits and it was a good sign that I listened to the entire disc in one sitting. With most compilations, I skip through a few but with this one I was consistently entertained through all the tracks. The Ramones are regarded as the quintessential pioneers of punk rock and remain one of the most influential and underrated bands in history. They were together for 22 years, made 14 studio albums (and a steadily rising number of live albums), starred in one movie, and played 2,263 live shows. They never had any big hits in the U.S. but were well-loved in foreign countries. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. They were also big fans of horror that they demonstrated throughout their career. For the sake of space, I’ll try to keep this short but I'll show this by discussing several of their songs. 
For one thing, I would like to introduce the band members. We have Joey (lead singer throughout the band’s career), Johnny (guitarist throughout the band’s career), Dee Dee (bassist for 15 years), Tommy (drummer for about 4 years), Marky (drummer for roughly 14 years), Richie (drummer for roughly 4 years), CJ (bassist for 7 years), and Elvis (A.K.A. Clem Burke from Blondie who played a few live shows).
Ramones (debut album 1976): From the very start, the punks from Queens let their enjoyment of horror shine through. The fifth track of the first album “Chainsaw” is a direct reference to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a dizzying hard-hitting song. The other that comes to mind is “I Don’t Wanna Go Down to the Basement.” The Ramones had several “don’t wanna” songs in their repertoire but this one was probably the strangest. The title speaks for itself, but basically implies there is a monster in the basement that will consume whoever goes down there. Both songs became fan favorites.
Leave Home (2nd Album, 1977): It’s interesting. There are three songs in this album about murder. In the first track “Glad to See You Go,” the character in the song “gets the glory like Charles Manson.” Aside from the subject matter, the song is pretty upbeat and was fun one for live shows. “He’s Gonna Kill That Girl” has a much sadder tone that alternates between a fast and slow rhythm. It was also evidence of the band’s technical skill evolving. “You Should Never Have Opened That Door” is the simplest of the three and implies a ritual sacrifice. There is another song that isn’t necessary horror but celebrates it. “Pinhead” is one of their most popular songs. It was inspired by the movie Freaks (made in the 30s by Todd Browning), and the lyrics borrow from a pivotal scene in the movie when the circus freaks welcome a normal beautiful woman into their fold because she married one of them. The song begins “Gabba gabba we accept you, one of us.” The Ramones identified with freaks, having grown up as outsiders and remained outsiders throughout their career. Through this song, they welcome their fans, the cretins and pinheads, into their fold.
Rocket to Russia (3rd Album, 1977): Although not really horror, “Teenage Lobotomy” has some weird lyrics that describe the life of a mindless chick magnet. Overall, this album is fan favorite and “Teenage Lobotomy” remains a beloved song in the band’s set list. One of the songs recorded for this album but didn’t make it on the original release was “Slug”, a mournful song with a 50s feel about someone who lost his girlfriend to attacking slugs in the woods. Fun and underrated, this song deserves more attention.
Let’s fast forward a few years. 1983 saw the release of the band’s 7th album Subterranean Jungle. This album contains a fan favorite that was played often at their live shows: “Psycho Therapy”. This one has a more heavy metal feel that became more typical of their songs recorded in the 80s. “Psycho Therapy” describes the antics of a psychotic criminal “a teenage schizoid, the ones your parents despise. . .” This song was made into a music video that was criticized for its gruesome content. It was pointed out in the book On the Road with the Ramones that the criticism on the music video was unjust considering how much Michael Jackson’s video Thriller was loved when it was released around the same time. Guess which song made more money? Double standards rarely amount to anything when money talks. Just last Halloween, my wife and I were flipping through radio stations while commuting home and found “Thriller” playing on three of them at once. Yes, people love that damn song. I like it too, but the Ramones are my band.
Too Tough to Die (8th Album, 1984). The Ramones’ bassist Dee Dee wrote a significant amount of songs throughout the band’s career but what sets this album apart from the previous ones was the fact that he sang lead in two songs. It was at this time that Dee Dee took a more active role with singing although Joey continued to sing most of the band’s output. In “Wart Hog”, the character of the song sings about “doomsday visions”, shouting out his disgust with the world. It was another fan favorite and possibly the band’s angriest song. “Endless Vacation” deals with a suicidal, posses off, vengeful character. With lines like “takin’ Carrie to the high school prom” and “The heart is the place devil’s congregate” the song expresses a vision of horrific and chaotic extremes.
Animal Boy (9th Album, 1986): Over halfway through their career and the Ramones showed no signs of slowing down. Although it’s not really a favorite, “Apeman Hop” describes a fierce caveman who “paints the face of a demon.” The song says, “He’s the devil’s apprentice.” In the end, the apeman sacrifices his girlfriend and cannibalism ensues. “Mental Hell” tells of a more personal horror, “Demons in my head, in my head, inside this private hell.” This song describes the rage and anguish of a man battling mental illness. Joey brings these feelings alive in a way that is nothing short of cathartic to anyone who suffers from mental issues.
Brain Drain (11th album, 1989): This one contains the band’s most celebrated horror song “Pet Sematary.” After the band ate dinner at Stephen King’s house, Dee Dee was asked by King if he would be interested in writing a song for the upcoming movie based on King’s novel. In that same night, Dee Dee wrote and finished the song. It manages to sound atmospheric, sinister, and tragic all at once, which are the essential elements of the story. “Pet Sematary” became one of the band’s most popular songs. Interestingly enough, Pet Sematary 2 featured another Ramones song “Poison Heart.” The song and Clancy Brown playing a villain are the only good parts about this sequel.
¡Adios Amigos! (14th Album, 1995): This is the last studio album that the band released. The last song of the album (minus the hidden track “Spiderman”) is “Born to Die in Berlin”, one with some of Dee Dee’s most vividly written lyrics. Underplayed and underrated, this song is a about a man haunted by drug addiction, frustration, and nightmares, “I closed my eyes and I let myself sleep/Creeps and dirty bastards/demons waitin’ in my bed.” If anything, this song is an existential horror, full of anxieties that many people face every day, “Sometimes I feel like screamin’/Sometimes I feel I just can’t win/Sometimes I feelin’ my soul is as restless as the wind/Maybe I was born to die in Berlin.” This is a song that I connect with personally. I was never a drug addict but I know that life is full of setbacks and frustrations and sometimes it feels like whatever I do to fight it is futile.
The Ramones played songs about love, anger, heartbreak, and the pain of growing up. In addition to these, they periodically dealt with themes of violence, madness, and monstrosities, elements essential to a good horror story. They were relatable on many levels, especially to people who never felt that they fit in anywhere. Their music remains fun and vital even after 40 years. To me, I felt my personality was incomplete until I discovered punk rock. The Ramones are an essential piece to the puzzle of my life.
P.S. Johnny Ramone was an avid horror movie fan who loved collecting movie posters. As a bonus for this article, here is a list of his Top Ten Horror Movies:
Psycho (1960)
Freaks (1932)
The Wolf Man (1941)
The Evil Dead (1981)
Re-Animator (1985)
King Kong (1933)
The Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Written by Nick Montelongo
For one thing, I would like to introduce the band members. We have Joey (lead singer throughout the band’s career), Johnny (guitarist throughout the band’s career), Dee Dee (bassist for 15 years), Tommy (drummer for about 4 years), Marky (drummer for roughly 14 years), Richie (drummer for roughly 4 years), CJ (bassist for 7 years), and Elvis (A.K.A. Clem Burke from Blondie who played a few live shows).
Ramones (debut album 1976): From the very start, the punks from Queens let their enjoyment of horror shine through. The fifth track of the first album “Chainsaw” is a direct reference to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a dizzying hard-hitting song. The other that comes to mind is “I Don’t Wanna Go Down to the Basement.” The Ramones had several “don’t wanna” songs in their repertoire but this one was probably the strangest. The title speaks for itself, but basically implies there is a monster in the basement that will consume whoever goes down there. Both songs became fan favorites.
Leave Home (2nd Album, 1977): It’s interesting. There are three songs in this album about murder. In the first track “Glad to See You Go,” the character in the song “gets the glory like Charles Manson.” Aside from the subject matter, the song is pretty upbeat and was fun one for live shows. “He’s Gonna Kill That Girl” has a much sadder tone that alternates between a fast and slow rhythm. It was also evidence of the band’s technical skill evolving. “You Should Never Have Opened That Door” is the simplest of the three and implies a ritual sacrifice. There is another song that isn’t necessary horror but celebrates it. “Pinhead” is one of their most popular songs. It was inspired by the movie Freaks (made in the 30s by Todd Browning), and the lyrics borrow from a pivotal scene in the movie when the circus freaks welcome a normal beautiful woman into their fold because she married one of them. The song begins “Gabba gabba we accept you, one of us.” The Ramones identified with freaks, having grown up as outsiders and remained outsiders throughout their career. Through this song, they welcome their fans, the cretins and pinheads, into their fold.Rocket to Russia (3rd Album, 1977): Although not really horror, “Teenage Lobotomy” has some weird lyrics that describe the life of a mindless chick magnet. Overall, this album is fan favorite and “Teenage Lobotomy” remains a beloved song in the band’s set list. One of the songs recorded for this album but didn’t make it on the original release was “Slug”, a mournful song with a 50s feel about someone who lost his girlfriend to attacking slugs in the woods. Fun and underrated, this song deserves more attention.
Let’s fast forward a few years. 1983 saw the release of the band’s 7th album Subterranean Jungle. This album contains a fan favorite that was played often at their live shows: “Psycho Therapy”. This one has a more heavy metal feel that became more typical of their songs recorded in the 80s. “Psycho Therapy” describes the antics of a psychotic criminal “a teenage schizoid, the ones your parents despise. . .” This song was made into a music video that was criticized for its gruesome content. It was pointed out in the book On the Road with the Ramones that the criticism on the music video was unjust considering how much Michael Jackson’s video Thriller was loved when it was released around the same time. Guess which song made more money? Double standards rarely amount to anything when money talks. Just last Halloween, my wife and I were flipping through radio stations while commuting home and found “Thriller” playing on three of them at once. Yes, people love that damn song. I like it too, but the Ramones are my band.
Too Tough to Die (8th Album, 1984). The Ramones’ bassist Dee Dee wrote a significant amount of songs throughout the band’s career but what sets this album apart from the previous ones was the fact that he sang lead in two songs. It was at this time that Dee Dee took a more active role with singing although Joey continued to sing most of the band’s output. In “Wart Hog”, the character of the song sings about “doomsday visions”, shouting out his disgust with the world. It was another fan favorite and possibly the band’s angriest song. “Endless Vacation” deals with a suicidal, posses off, vengeful character. With lines like “takin’ Carrie to the high school prom” and “The heart is the place devil’s congregate” the song expresses a vision of horrific and chaotic extremes.
Animal Boy (9th Album, 1986): Over halfway through their career and the Ramones showed no signs of slowing down. Although it’s not really a favorite, “Apeman Hop” describes a fierce caveman who “paints the face of a demon.” The song says, “He’s the devil’s apprentice.” In the end, the apeman sacrifices his girlfriend and cannibalism ensues. “Mental Hell” tells of a more personal horror, “Demons in my head, in my head, inside this private hell.” This song describes the rage and anguish of a man battling mental illness. Joey brings these feelings alive in a way that is nothing short of cathartic to anyone who suffers from mental issues.
Brain Drain (11th album, 1989): This one contains the band’s most celebrated horror song “Pet Sematary.” After the band ate dinner at Stephen King’s house, Dee Dee was asked by King if he would be interested in writing a song for the upcoming movie based on King’s novel. In that same night, Dee Dee wrote and finished the song. It manages to sound atmospheric, sinister, and tragic all at once, which are the essential elements of the story. “Pet Sematary” became one of the band’s most popular songs. Interestingly enough, Pet Sematary 2 featured another Ramones song “Poison Heart.” The song and Clancy Brown playing a villain are the only good parts about this sequel.¡Adios Amigos! (14th Album, 1995): This is the last studio album that the band released. The last song of the album (minus the hidden track “Spiderman”) is “Born to Die in Berlin”, one with some of Dee Dee’s most vividly written lyrics. Underplayed and underrated, this song is a about a man haunted by drug addiction, frustration, and nightmares, “I closed my eyes and I let myself sleep/Creeps and dirty bastards/demons waitin’ in my bed.” If anything, this song is an existential horror, full of anxieties that many people face every day, “Sometimes I feel like screamin’/Sometimes I feel I just can’t win/Sometimes I feelin’ my soul is as restless as the wind/Maybe I was born to die in Berlin.” This is a song that I connect with personally. I was never a drug addict but I know that life is full of setbacks and frustrations and sometimes it feels like whatever I do to fight it is futile.
The Ramones played songs about love, anger, heartbreak, and the pain of growing up. In addition to these, they periodically dealt with themes of violence, madness, and monstrosities, elements essential to a good horror story. They were relatable on many levels, especially to people who never felt that they fit in anywhere. Their music remains fun and vital even after 40 years. To me, I felt my personality was incomplete until I discovered punk rock. The Ramones are an essential piece to the puzzle of my life.
P.S. Johnny Ramone was an avid horror movie fan who loved collecting movie posters. As a bonus for this article, here is a list of his Top Ten Horror Movies:
Psycho (1960)
Freaks (1932)
The Wolf Man (1941)
The Evil Dead (1981)
Re-Animator (1985)
King Kong (1933)
The Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Written by Nick Montelongo
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