On April 15, 2001, Jeff Hyman, forever better known asJoey Ramone, passed away in a New York hospital at the age of 49. He died having just listened to his favorite song at the time, U2's In A Little While. And he died with his first solo record, Don't Worry About Me, just short of being completed and ready for release.

For The Ramones, it was never about stardom or fame or money. When they got up on stage, something in that room became alive with an electricity few performers have. Joey was the leader, the frontman. But despite his punk persona, most people just thought he was a sweet guy. But punk rock had no room for "sweet" guys.

Don't Worry About Me in many ways showcases that Joey knew exactly what he was up against. The whole mood of the album lyrically signifies that. It reminds me a lot of the Queen album that was thrown together ASAP so that Freddie Mercury could make as much music as possible.

For those so familiar with the Ramones sound, you don't have much to fear, it's here in spades. For those who wanted something different, well, there isn't much different, other than the fact that the lyrics, as I said before, point out Joey's mortality, even though we know his spirit is immortal.

The album opens with What A Wonderful World, an old song originally done by the great Louis Armstrong. Joey's voice is tender and even melodic. If this is a tribute to a long favorite song/artist, then it is a fine one.

Joey begins to explore his situation immediately after that with the first original on the album, Stop Thinking About It, but it's the defiant punk attitude of I Got Knocked Down (But I'll Get Up) that takes the cake as the best song on the album. Sure, it's three chord Ramones mayhem at it's finest, and sure, the song just before it may have fit the mood of the lyrics better, but there's something chilling about hearing Joey sing I, I want life, I want my life, it really sucks.

The whole album is full of dual meanings and you could read any number of things into the song titles themselves. Venting (It's a Different World Today) almost makes Joey sound happy to be leaving, while Searching For Something could be some sort of strange allegory I'm sure.

The closing Don't Worry About Me is chilling and yet, in a way, it's a big middle finger to his illness and his fight. The lyrics say one thing, but they say a whole lot more if you look a bit deeper into them, believe me.

I'm sure that Joey Ramone has gone to punk rock heaven, where greasy black hair, leather jacket and black jeans are always going to be the hippest style. I'm just glad he was able to send us back into punk rock heaven one more time before he left us.



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