How Sweet It Is

Written for Song Lyric Sunday –
“Universally Perceived Pleasurable Flavor”

This week at Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday, the theme is “Universally Perceived Pleasurable Flavor” and our challenge is to write about a song that mentions candy, honey, sugar, or sweet. I’ve chosen two American groups which I’ve never featured before; while they both started in the 70s, were from the East Coast, and performed rock music, that’s where the similarities end. Let’s take a look at who’s featured this week.

Formed in 1974 in Forest Hills, Queens, NY, the Ramones are widely considered the pioneers of punk rock. They revolutionized music with a minimalist, high-energy sound, launching a global movement from the stage of the New York City club CBGB. Despite their matching surname, the band members were not related. The stage name “Ramone” was actually inspired by Paul McCartney, who used the alias “Paul Ramon” when checking into hotels during the early Beatles days. The original core lineup consisted of:  Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman) – lead vocals; Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) – guitar; Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) – bass and vocals; and Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi) – drums. The Ramones rebelled against the complex, highly produced arena rock of the mid-1970s. They stripped R&R back to its snotty, teenage core, delivering blistering, rapid-fire songs introduced by Dee Dee’s iconic count-in: “One, two, three, four!”. They combined a love for 1960s bubblegum pop and surf rock with distorted guitars, setting a definitive blueprint for the genre. Their self-titled 1976 debut album became a foundational text for the punk movement, especially after a pivotal tour of England that helped spark the British punk explosion. Despite their massive influence on subsequent generations of bands like Nirvana, Green Day, and The Clash, the Ramones never achieved widespread commercial success in the US and never had a Billboard Top 40 hit. The band toured relentlessly for 22 years, playing over 2,200 shows before officially disbanding in 1996. Their historical importance has been deeply cemented since, including a 2002 induction into the R&R Hall of Fame. Tragically, the four founding members have all passed away: Joey in 2001, Dee Dee in 2002, Johnny in 2004, and Tommy in 2014.

“Ramona (Sweet Little Ramona)” is a spunky, upbeat punk rock track featured on The Ramones’ third studio album, Rocket to Russia (1977). Written collaboratively by all four original members, the song blends classic mid-60s pop  with the band’s signature relentless guitar-driven tempo. The song is widely rumored to have been written about Ramona Jan, a key figure in the 1970s New York City punk scene. The lyrics have a comical, B-movie spy narrative: the narrator is entirely infatuated with “Sweet, sweet little Ramona” but wrestles with the fact that she works as an undercover spy for the “BBI” (British Bureau of Intelligence). In true Ramones fashion, it is incredibly succinct, clocking in at just about two-and-a-half minutes long and features their iconic “One, two, three, four” count-in. The lyrics play on the band’s trademark pop-culture humor by treating romance and international espionage as equally chaotic experiences.

This is Ramona (Sweet Little Ramona)” by The Ramones

LYRICS

One, two, three, four!

Hey, Johnny
Hey, Dee Dee
Little Tom and Joey
You know we’re goin’ over
Sweet, sweet little Ramona

You’re getting better and better
It’s getting easier than ever
Hey, you kids in the crowd
You know you like it when the music’s loud

Sweet, sweet little Ramona
She always wants to come over
Sweet, sweet little Ramona
I think I’ll try and phone her

I let her in if you’re wondering why
‘Cause she’s a spy for the BBI
I let her in and I started to cry
And then I knew I wanted to die

Oh, little Ramona
Oh, little Ramona
Oh, little Ramona
Oh

Sweet, sweet little Ramona
She always wants to come over
Sweet, sweet little Ramona
I think I’ll try and phone her

I let her in if you’re wondering why
‘Cause she’s a spy for the BBI
I let her in and I started to cry
And then I knew I wanted to die

Oh, little Ramona
Oh, little Ramona
Oh, little Ramona
Oh

^{Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Joey Ramone / Dee Dee Ramone / Johnny Ramone / Tommy Ramone
Ramona lyrics © Wb Music Corp., Taco Tunes, Cretin Hop Music}

Formed in Boston in 1976, The Cars were pioneers of the new wave and power pop genres, combining 1970s glam rock, synthesizer-heavy pop, and sleek, mechanical melodies. Anchored by chief songwriter Ric Ocasek, their accessible yet artful sound made them one of the most successful American bands of the era. The original lineup consisted of Ric Ocasek – rhythm guitar, lead vocals; Benjamin Orr – bass, co-lead vocalist; Elliot Easton – lead guitar; Greg Hawkes – keyboard; and David Robinson – drums. Ocasek and Orr began collaborating in the early 1970s in Boston and eventually recruited Hawkes, Easton, and Robinson. After a local DJ started heavily playing their demo tape, the band was signed to Elektra Records. Their 1978 self-titled debut album was a smash hit, blending classic rock with new wave, and spawning defining tracks like “Good Times Roll” and “My Best Friend’s Girl”. In 1984, The Cars scored a massive commercial peak with their fifth album, Heartbeat City, which produced hits like “You Might Think” and the ballad “Drive”. The band officially disbanded in 1988 due to internal friction, but their music heavily influenced generations of pop and rock bands. Orr passed away in 2000, and Ocasek died in 2019. The surviving members reunited in 2011 to release a final album, Move Like This, and were inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 2018.

“Candy-O” is the title track from the Cars’ second album, Candy-O (1979). Written by Rick Ocasek and featuring lead vocals by Benjamin Orr, the song is about an obsessive, desperate infatuation with a fictional woman, and uses repetitive, urgent lyrics like “Candy-O, I need you so” to capture the feeling of being completely hooked on someone. When asked if the ”O”  stood for Ocasek or Orr, Ocasek joked that it stood for “obnoxious”. The song relies heavily on a hard-rocking guitar style, with an impressive guitar solo by Elliott Easton. The album was a massive commercial triumph, peaking at #3 on the US Billboard 200 and ultimately going quadruple platinum.

This is “Candy-O” by The Cars

LYRICS

Candy-O I need you
Sunday dress, ruby ring
Candy-O I need you so
Could you help me in

Purple hum, assorted cards
Razor lights, you bring
And all to prove you’re on the move
And vanishing

Candy-O I need you so
Candy-O I need you so

The edge of night distract yourself
Obstacles don’t work
Homogenize, decentralize
It’s just a quirk

Different ways to see you through
All the same in the end
Peculiar star that’s who you are
Do you have to win?

Candy-O I need you so……

^{Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Ric Ocasek
Candy-O lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group}

Bonus Track: This is “My Sweet Lord” from All Things Must Pass (1970) by George Harrison

Universally Perceived Pleasurable Flavor

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow his link and check out his site.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to some great music. I hope you enjoyed the theme for this week as well as the information and music I featured.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2026

^{Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.}