“Sultans Of Swing” was written by Mark Knopfler after he ducked into a random pub to get out of the rain. There was a band playing in the pub that was notable for how bad it was. The pub was closing, and the band finished their last song, with the bandleader closing out with “Thanks, all; we’re The Sultans of Swing.” Knopfler thought the name was hilarious, as the band was far from being the sultans of anything.
Richard Reinhardt joined the Ramones in February 1983 after the previous drummer Marky was asked to leave due to his drinking problem. In addition to drumming, Richie also wrote several of the songs, sang backup vocals, and mixed some of the tracks for the albums. He got along well with Joey and Dee Dee though he did have some artistic differences with Johnny, which worsened when he was unable to get a small percentage of the merchandise sales – less than his bandmates were getting (Per his book, he asked for 10%). In August 1987 after a gig on Long Island, Richie was picked up by a limo, said “I quit, guys. I’m leaving. Thanks for everything. Bye.” Got into the back of the car, had two quaaludes, a bottle of Cristal, and rode off with his wife.