Certain songs have come to define the times in which they appeared as they proved to be the catalyst for the transformation of the cultural and political landscape. Most set trends in music, fashion and dance while floutin... more »g convention and testing the boundaries of society's accepted moral values. Each program in the Impact! series puts the spotlight on the songs that have left an indelible mark on the world. Besides setting the scene for the release of the song, the programs feature the song's creator(s) and explore its cultural impact and the ways that it changed the course of history. Guests include recording artists, music industry executives, cultural and political pundits and the music fans themselves for whom these songs became their life's soundtrackDuring the mid 70s, disco was king. New York's Studio 54 was the hip place to see and be seen. Bell bottoms, platform shoes, and disco balls were in vogue. Just downtown in the Village, there was another culture forming, a culture that couldn't be more opposite from Studio 54, in terms of attitude, fashion, and most of all, music. It was the Ramones. As the innovators of a new form of popular culture, these four alienated youths from Forest Hills, Queens were unlikely candidates. With this new, simplified music came a rebellious and energetic form of self-expression. It brought grace and dignity to people who might have been constitutionally incapable of dealing in the nine to five world. It just opened huge doors for people. The punk movement instigated by the Ramones helped to launch a new musical and aesthetic style known as new wave, which couldn't have been more opposite from the stripped-down, back-to-basics approach of the fathers of punk. By the early 90s, the original punk style of the Ramones would break into the mainstream. All over the world, they opened the doors. The entire indie movement would be rooted in what the Ramones made possible for young people. With song clips, Marky Ramone, Legs McNeil (Punk Magazine), Hilly Kristal (CBGB s founder), Brian Ritchie & Gordon Gano of The Violent Femmes, Frank Black, The Edge, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, David Hinds of Steel Pulse, Malcolm McLaren.« less
