The group, whose style was based upon the sounds of Sun Records artists and other artists from the 1950s, were heavily influenced by Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent and Bill Haley & His Comets. The Stray Cats quickly developed a large following in the New York music scene playing at CBGB and Max's Kansas City as well as venues on Long Island. When the Cats heard a rumor that there was a revival of the 1950s Teddy Boy youth subculture in England, the band moved to the UK. They then spearheaded the nascent rockabilly revival, by blending the 1950s Sun Studio sound with modern punk musical elements. In terms of visual style the Stray Cats also blended elements of 1950 rockabilly clothes such as wearing drape jackets, brothel creepers and western shirts with punk clothes such as tight black zipper trousers and modern versions of 1950s hair styles.
In the summer of 1980 the Cats found themselves being courted by the elite of the music world including Virgin Records, Stiff Records and Arista Records. Word quickly spread and soon members of The Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin were at their shows. After a gig in London, Stray Cats met producer Dave Edmunds, well known as a roots rock enthusiast for his work with Rockpile and as a solo artist. Edmunds offered to work with the group, and they entered the studio to record their self-titled debut album, Stray Cats, released in England in 1981 on Arista Records. They had three hits that year with "Runaway Boys", "Rock This Town", and "Stray Cat Strut". The UK follow-up to Stray Cats, Gonna Ball, was not as well-received, providing no hits. Yet the combined sales of their first two albums was enough to convince EMI America to compile the best tracks from the two UK albums and issue an album (Built for Speed) in the U.S. in 1982. The record went on to sell double platinum in the US and Canada and was the #2 record on the Billboard album charts for 26 weeks
Musical and personal conflicts began to emerge in the ways that the individual members handled their new-found success; Phantom married actress Britt Ekland, while Setzer made guest appearances with stars like Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks and became the concert guitarist for Robert Plant's Honeydrippers side project. In late 1984, the band added former BMT's guitarist and Long Island native Tommy Byrnes on second guitar and harmony vocals, and after a European and US tour which ended at the New Orleans World's Fair, parted ways.
Rocker and Phantom formed a trio called Phantom Rocker & Slick (the "Slick" being former David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick) which contained the single "Men Without Shame", guest musicians on this record included both Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and Nicky Hopkins on the piano. Setzer went on to a solo career, retaining Byrnes and exchanging his rockabilly focus for a more wide-ranging roots rock/Americana sound on albums such as 1986's The Knife Feels Like Justice. In 1986, the Stray Cats reunited in Los Angeles, and recorded the covers-heavy Rock Therapy. In 1989, they reunited once again for the album Blast Off!, which was accompanied by a tour with US blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. No longer with EMI America, they entered the studio with Nile Rodgers for the record titled Let's Go Faster, issued by Liberation in 1990. After 1992's Dave Edmunds-produced Choo Choo Hot Fish, and after another covers album, 1993's Original Cool, the group called it quits again.
In 2004, the Stray Cats reunited for a month-long tour of Europe. A live album culled from those concerts, Rumble In Brixton, included one new studio track, "Mystery Train Kept A Rollin'." In 2007, they reunited once again for a successful and long awaited US tour with ZZ Top and The Pretenders. This was their first North American tour in over 15 years. In the 2000s, the band toured Europe as part of their Farewell Tour, although the band has performed concerts intermittently in the ensuing years.
In 2008, for the first time in 18 years, the Stray Cats visited Australia and New Zealand which included several consecutive sold out shows of their Farewell (Australia) Tour.
In April 2009 the band reunited for a single show to celebrate Brian’s 50th birthday at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis, MN.
Beautiful Blues
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always some joker standin' in line
To get a view
And now he's hittin' on you
Well, let me hear you sing it
Baby sing the beautiful blues
Just think of all the money
These crazy men have spent on you
I guess, I'm one of them too
Well, let me hear you sing it
Baby sing the beautiful blues
Now there must be times when you get tired of bein' idolized
It's got you searchin' for a man who ain't that kinda guy
Where you gonna be when you get old?
You're gonna need somebody to have and to hold on to
Who really cares about you, I do
Well, let me hear you sing it
Baby sing the beautiful blues
Always a queen, always so fine
Always some joker standin' in line
To get a view
And now he's hittin' on you
Well, let me hear you sing it
Baby sing the beautiful blues
I'm gonna tell you, since you were a babe, you've been heaven sent
Just think of all the money
These crazy men have spent on you
I guess, I'm one of them too
Well, let me hear you sing it
Baby sing the beautiful blues
Now there must be times when you get tired of bein' idolized
It's got you searchin' for a man who ain't that kinda guy
Where you gonna be when you get old?
You're gonna need somebody to have and to hold on to
Who really cares about you
Well, let me hear you sing it
Baby sing the beautiful
Let me hear you sing it
Baby sing the beautiful
Let me hear you sing it
Baby sing the beautiful blues
The song "Beautiful Blues" by the Stray Cats explores the idea of celebrity and fame, particularly from the perspective of a woman who has been sought after and idolized her whole life. The lyrics describe her as a queen, always so fine, with men constantly lining up to gain her attention. The singer acknowledges his own participation in this cycle, spending money like the other “crazy” men trying to impress her. However, he also recognizes the weariness and loneliness that can come from constantly being in the spotlight, and he offers to be the one who truly cares about her and will be there for her as she gets older.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "beautiful blues," which could refer to the beauty and glamour of being famous, contrasted with the feelings of sadness and isolation that can come with it. The singer encourages the woman to sing these blues, to express her thoughts and feelings about her situation.
Overall, the song presents a poignant and empathetic portrait of a woman who is both desired and lonely, navigating the difficulties of fame and seeking a deeper connection with someone who truly cares about her.
Line by Line Meaning
Always a queen, always so fine
You have always been regal and stunning, commanding attention wherever you go.
Always some joker standin' in line, to get a view and now he's hittin' on you
There are always men who are eager to catch a glimpse of you and now one of them is trying to pursue you romantically.
Well, let me hear you sing it. Baby sing the beautiful blues
Go ahead and sing the song you were born to sing, even if it's a melancholy one about the pain and frustration of being so sought after.
Since you were a babe, you've been heaven sent
You have been a blessing to this world since the day you were born.
Just think of all the money, these crazy men have spent on you. I guess, I'm one of them too
Men have spent a lot of money on wooing you, and I admit that I have also spent my fair share in the hopes of winning your affection.
Now there must be times when you get tired of bein' idolized
It's likely that you get tired of being put on a pedestal and constantly adored by men.
It's got you searchin' for a man who ain't that kinda guy
Because of this, you may be looking for a man who sees you as a real person rather than an object of worship.
Where you gonna be when you get old? You're gonna need somebody to have and to hold on to, who really cares about you, I do
As you age, you will need someone who truly loves and cares for you, and I want to be that person.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN SETZER, LAWRENCE EDWARD BARNARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john john
brilliant ive been looking for this track for ages please dont delete it.Cass guitar work by a then young brian setzer.
Le Hub'
So Jazzy !! The BSO is not so far...
Martin Gäckle
Legendär!
Jahrhundert-Gitarrensolo!
Fernanda Romano
Excelente!! Mi hijo hace una versión muy buena de Buatiful blues!!
Stray Cat 97
@Daniel Parra al cine
Daniel Parra
Aver
ViZiO Music
Wow!