[Playlist] The 10 Best Ramones Songs

I present to you guys, the fathers of punk rock and the ultimate rockstars, without which the history of rock ‘n’ roll would have been completely different – the Ramones. I started listening to Ramones when I was in high school and since then, they have been an inseparable part of my life. I remember my friends asking me why do I enjoy listening to this “noise” and how come all of their songs sound exactly the same…Probably, to many people they do, however to me, their songs, as well as their style, image and influence were (and still are) so different, so unique, so hardcore, so dangerous, so me…

Needless to say, Ramones are one of my favorite bands of all time. At first, I fell for their music, their easy to sing-along lyrics, speedy guitar riffs and hard-edge melodies. Then, I fell for the whole concept and movement of punk rock – the style, the fashion, and of course the ideas behind it. What I really liked about Ramones was the fact that they were not so strict anti-politics extremists, like Sex Pistols, for instance. They were simply rock ‘n’ roll! The oddness of their lyrics is what actually attracted me to Ramones – I mean, at some point you just get sick and tired of listening to music about love and you just want “to be sedated”.

Many people are unfamiliar with the immense influence Ramones had on the music scene and the rock musicians back in the day (believe me, they still do). Their music and image marked the beginning of the 1970s and 80s punk rock movement in the USA, as well as in the UK and all over Europe. Their sound inspired artists such as Blonde, The Strokes, The Misfits, Nirvana, Arctic Monkeys and many many more. Their music was so effective, powerful and durable. “The band’s first four albums set the blueprint for punk, especially American punk and hardcore, for the next two decades.” (Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, “The Ramones: Biography”) They also never stopped producing music and touring – their whole career was a concert, after concert, state after state, arena after arena… Until, they disbanded in 1996.

With all my respect, appreciation and love for their one-of-a-kind sound and enormous impact, I decided to prepare a list of 10 favorite Ramones songs. Plucking just 10 songs out of their enormous catalog is definitely a challenge, but for now I’m just going to focus on the following ten. The list is based on a subjective selection made by me. I hope you can enjoy it and get reminded of some of their classic punk rock songs! Let’s go!