Awesome / Ramones

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• One could say their whole existence. There were other bands like Television that were creating the punk movement, but the Ramones made it fun. They also codified how the songs had to be fast, blunt and to the point — indeed, some of their all-time greatest songs are over within two minutes. And let's not forget the fact that they're one of the most influential bands of all time, with artists inspired by them ranging from (obviously) standard punk bands like The Clash and The Damned, Hardcore Punk bands like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys, metal bands like Motörhead and Metallica, Grunge bands like Nirvana and L7, mainstream pop rock bands like U2 and pretty much every other punk/punk-influenced act the world over.
• Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, and Road to Ruin are generally considered their best albums.
• While their mid-to-late '80s output is a little hit or miss, everyone likes 1984's Too Tough to Die.
• It's Alive! A candidate for one of the best live albums ever, it's the original lineup in London, England, just tearing it up for nearly an hour. It set a trend for later (and, notably, faster) live albums in that most of the time, as soon as one song would end, Dee Dee would immediately shout "ONETWOTHREEFOUR!!!" and they'd go right into another one without so much as catching their breath.
• Their appearance on The Simpsons is both awesome and hilarious. The band plays a birthday song for Mr Burns and basically give him and everyone else the middle finger by voicing their displeasure of having to play the gig. After the song, CJ delivers a line that leaves Mr. Burns, a man who people are usually terrified of, shaking in fear:
  CJ: Go to hell, you old bastard!
• "Pinhead" from Leave Home.
• An episode of Beavis and Butt-Head included the video for "I Wanna Be Sedated". Usually Beavis and Butt-Head mock the video as it plays; the Ramones were one of the few bands to make them shut up and just rock out.
• Their first British concert on July 4, 1976, the United States Bicentennial. Before the performance, the band hung out with fans including members of the Sex Pistols and The Clash. During their encounter, Clash bassist Paul Simonon explained that his band had not played a show yet because they felt they weren't good enough. Johnny Ramone responded, "We stink. You don't have to be good, just get out there and play." And so Punk was well and truly born.
• "Pet Sematary" was written an hour after Dee Dee finished reading the novel. It's still great.
• Their cover of "I Don't Want to Grow Up", in addition to being a badass cover, also serves as a call to action for Ramones fans everywhere. Even though it was featured on the band's last album, it encourages listeners to stay young and enjoy life even as they move on.

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