Thursday Inspiration #189 Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)

Respond to this challenge, by either by using the prompt word start, or going with the above picture, or by means of the song ‘Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)’, or by going with another song by The Ramones, or another Christmas song or anything else that you think fits.  The Ramones were a band that changed the world, and then then they died.  The four men shared the same last name although they were not related, they dressed the same in leather motorcycle jackets, weathered jeans, sneakers and they all had the same dark hair color.  The Ramones formed in Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974.  Before The Beatles became superstars and Beatlemania made all the girls chase after them, Paul McCartney would check into hotels using the name Paul Ramon.  Bassist Dee Dee Ramone who was born Douglas Colvin knew about this and he got the idea to call the group The Ramones, adding an ‘e’ to the end of that surname.  Dee Dee, Joey born Jeffrey Hyman, and Johnny born John Cummings were the same age and they hung out together.  Guitarist Johnny Ramone and Tommy Ramone born Tamás Erdélyi played in a band called the Tangerine Puppets, which was named after a Donovan song.  Singer Joey Ramone was the lead singer for a glam rock band called Sniper before joining Tommy, Johnny, and Dee Dee to form the Ramones.  When they first formed, they only knew a couple of chords, so they were barely able to produce the most rudimentary sounds, but they played hard and fast.  The Ramones never had a true hit single or album, they disbanded in 1996 and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

‘Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)’ is a song about a couple breaking up.  They love each other, but the stress associated with this time of year has become too much for them.  The Ramones was at a low point during the recording of the song.  Dee Dee Ramone departed from the band at the end of the sessions.  Johnny and Joey didn’t speak to each other for most of the band’s 22-year history, which was caused by their political and personality differences with Joey being a liberal hippie, and Johnny a hippie-hating conservative along with an insane love triangle.  Linda Daniele started dating Joey in 1977, but four years later she fell in love with Johnny.

‘Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)’ was the B-side of their single ‘I Wanna Live’ and it was written by Joey the only Jewish Ramone.  It was on their 1987 album Halfway to Sanity and it was released again on their 1989 album Brain Drain.  No one noticed the song at the time and the single ‘I Wanna Live’ failed to chart in the US or the UK.  There aren’t a ton of punk rock Christmas songs and this one wound up becoming a holiday season classic for those who became tired of the same-old Bing Crosby songs.  Over time ‘Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)’ became a Christmas song for people that don’t like Christmas and they just want to make it through the holidays without killing each other.  Try to spread the love around and please don’t fight as you listen to this song.

I love you and you love me
And that’s the way it’s got to be
I loved you from the start