Ongoing History Daily: The Famous Ramones Logo

One of the most famous iconic symbols in all of rock is the logo of the Ramones.  I mean, how many times have you seen that on a t-shirt?  It was designed in 1975 by a guy named Arturo Vega, a friend of the band who allowed Joey and Dee Dee to live at his place from time to time. 

After Vega took a trip to Washington DC, he based his creation on the Great Presidential Seal of the United States.  It’s an eagle holding a couple of things in its claws.  In one is an apple tree branch–not an olive branch, an apple one–which was meant as both a peace offering and depicted the Ramones as American as apple pie.  In the other is a baseball bat, representing Johnny Ramone’s fanatical devotion to baseball.  In the eagle’s beak is a scroll that reads “Hey ho let’s go,” the line from “Blitzkrieg Bop.” 

The logo has been a massive success and sales of t-shirts generated far more revenue than record sales.