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This story begins at the end: "Don't Worry About Me", the title track of an album as intense and beautiful as it is melancholic and sad, the only solo album by Joey Ramone. A long piece (almost 4 minutes, a lot by genre standards), intense and beautiful, the best of the entire work. This is how a story that had already ended closed, just less than a year before with the passing of the legendary singer, but in reality, it never truly ended and never will, beyond rhetoric.
Joey Ramone already knew about his illness, he had been unwell for some time when he recorded this eagerly awaited first solo album, which unfortunately would be, as mentioned, the only one. Before this last track, there's an entire album, short and intense. A fresh and highly enjoyable sound, a record absolutely on par with the best works of the great Joey's parent band. One could talk about the tracks, the cheerful and almost carefree "Mr Punchy" and "Maria Bartiromo", the pure punk of "Spirit In My House", the great but less inspired "Venting (It's a Different World Today)" and "Like a Drug I Never Did Before", the wonderful ballad "Searching For Something", the nice cover of "1969" by the Stooges, but everything pales in comparison to that title track. Always reaffirming the overall very high value.
Almost everything, because the heartrending "I Got Knocked Down (But I'll Get Up)" catches you and leaves you petrified and laid down in front of its immense dramatic nature. Oh, I forgot the historic cover of "What a Wonderful World" which indeed opens the record, what to say? Thanks to this track, millions of Italians discovered a unique character and, consequently, a legendary band. It seems (it is) paradoxical, but we know how it is: an ad can be more valuable than an entire discography.
This album had been in Joey's head for a while, even in the months prior to the announced dissolution of his celebrated band, he was thinking about a solo project that he would then postpone for several years, until its unfortunately posthumous release. And it is precisely this status as a posthumous album that gives an overall feeling of desolation mixed with melancholy and sadness to this record which simply is wonderful in every sense and all aspects. And at times perhaps surprising too, certainly demonstrating definitively who was always the true soul of the Ramones.
To end this story or review, it's up to you, let's go back to where we started: the track that gives the record its title: "Don't worry about me, oh oh oh/ I want you baby, but you always lie/ Always complaining or contemplating suicide/ I want you, baby, but you even try/ Always complaining, said a bye, baby, bye, bye, bye". Nothing else to add.
With this beautiful and poignant piece, the last testament of the great Joey Ramone closes: a character, an artist, a musician who left an incalculable mark and at the moment of his passing, left us with an irreplaceable void that even today, 9 years later, we terribly feel his absence.
When this album came out, the story of the man Jeffrey Hyman had already concluded 10 months prior, and to leave a better memory of the artist Joey Ramone, he could not have done better, beyond rhetoric and the inevitable feelings that the record cannot help but convey.
Thank you, Joey.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 What a Wonderful World (02:23)
I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I say to myself
What wonderful world
I see skies of blue, and clouds of white
Bright sunny days, dark sacred nights
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow are so pretty in the skies
Are also on the faces, of people walkin' by
I see friends shakin' hands sayin', "How do you do?"
They're really sayin' "I love you"
I see babies cry, I watch them gro
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world
(Whoa ohh ohh)
(Whoa ohh ohh)
And I say to myself
What a wonderful world
(World)
02 Stop Thinking About It (02:57)
Stop thinking about it
Stop thinking about it
Stop thinking about it
Stop thinking about it
Dwelling is driving me crazy
Obsessing don't you know where that's at
Yeah, you don't know what you want but you want it
Stop thinking about it
Stop thinking about it
Stop thinking about it
Stop thinking about it
This world is driving you crazy
Baby don't you know where that's at
Yeah, you don't know what you want but you want it
Oh oh oh oh oh you don't know what you want but you want it
Stop thinking about it
Stop thinking about it
Stop thinking about it
Stop thinking about it
Ahh nothing lasts forever
And nothing stays the same
Feeling numb all over
And totally deranged
When you finally make your mind up
I'll be buried in my grave
O yeah o yeah o yeah
Alright
You don't know what you want
You don't know what you need
You don't know what you want but you want it
04 Maria Bartiromo (03:58)
What´s happening on Wall St.
What´s happening at the Stock Exchange
I want to know
What´s happening on Squawk Box
What´s happening with my stocks
I want to know
I watch you on the TV every single day
Those eyes make everything okay
I watch her every day
I watch her every night
She´s really outta sight
Maria Bartiromo
Maria Bartiromo
Maria Bartiromo
What´s happening with Yahoo!
What´s happening with AOL
I want to know
What´s happening with Intel
What´s happening with Amazon
I want to know
I watch you on TV every single day
Those eyes make eveything OK
I watch her every day
I watch her every night
She´s really outta sight
Maria Bartiromo (5x)
What´s happening on Wall St.
What´s happening at the Stock Exchange
I want to know
What´s happening on Squawk Box
What´s happening with my stocks
I want to know
I watch her at the big board every single day
While she´s reporting you best stay out of her way
I watch her every day
I watch her every night
She´s really outta sight
Maria Bartiromo (3x)
11 Don't Worry About Me (03:55)
Don't worry 'bout me
Don't worry 'bout me
Oh oh oh
I want you baby, but you always lie
Always complaining or contemplating suicide
I want you baby but you don't even try
Always complaining said a bye baby bye bye bye
Don't worry 'bout me
Don't worry 'bout me
Oh oh oh
When I saw you I knew that I wanted ya
But you're the kinda girl that you just can't get through to
Standin' by the corner in a mini skirt
You're the kinda girl that ya just can't forget
Now I'm sittin' here sad and blue
Thinkin' 'bout all that we been through
I gotta get away
Don't worry 'bout me
Don't worry 'bout me
Oh oh oh
I want you baby but you always lie
Always complaining you make the tears fall from my eyes
I want you baby but you don't even try
Always complaining said a bye baby bye bye bye
Don't worry 'bout me
Don't worry 'bout me
Oh oh oh
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