Although there were precursors-- like the Stooges and the Velvets-- most music historians date the beginning of the punk rock movement with the release of the first Ramones album early in 1976. The second single released by Sire from that album is a song that has never lost its controversiality, "53rd & 3rd." Dee Dee wrote it and it refers to his days as a male prostitute. I've talked with each of the Ramones about this and even they didn't agree with each other about what the lyrics mean! The corner was a notorious hotspot for pre-Internet gay prostitutes. But now there's a Citibank skyscraper there. What's your favorite Ramones song?
