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.
Cruisin
Stray Cats Lyrics
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I'm cruisin', goin' don't know where
I'm cruisin', got to find my gal
I'm cruisin' for a bruisin'
That man with her is gonna get
Cruisin', got to find my gal
I'm cruisin', goin' here and there
I'm cruisin' for a fight
That man with her will have tonight, cruise
Crusin', ought to find my cat
Cruisin', so we can be a pair
Cruisin', wonderin' where she's at
I'm cruisin' for my date
I hope, I find before it's way too late, rock
Cruisin', lookin' for my gal
I'm cruisin', going don't know where
I'm cruisin, lookin' for my gal
I'm cruisin' for to bruise him bad
That man with her is gonna get
Cruisin', cruisin', cruisin', cruisin'
Cruisin', cruisin', I'm cruisin'
The lyrics to Stray Cats' song Cruisin' are about a man who is searching for his girl while he is cruising around aimlessly. He is determined to find her and is willing to get into a fight with anyone who gets in his way. He is frustrated that his girl is with another man and is determined to win her back. The chorus repeats the word "cruisin'" throughout, emphasizing the idea of driving around aimlessly in search of his lost love.
The song's lyrics are typical of the rockabilly genre, which was popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Stray Cats were one of the most successful bands of this genre, combining elements of rock and roll, country, and blues to create a unique sound. The three-piece band consisted of Brian Setzer on guitar and vocals, Lee Rocker on bass, and Slim Jim Phantom on drums.
Cruisin' was released in 1980 on the Stray Cats' self-titled debut album. The album was a commercial success and helped to launch the band's career. The song was written by Brian Setzer, who is known for his distinctive guitar playing and songwriting abilities. Setzer is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists of his generation and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Line by Line Meaning
Cruisin', lookin' for my gal
I'm driving around searching for my girlfriend
I'm cruisin', goin' don't know where
I'm out driving, but I don't have a particular destination in mind
I'm cruisin', got to find my gal
I’m cruising around because I need to find my girlfriend
I'm cruisin' for a bruisin'
I might end up in a fight because I’m getting mad about my girlfriend being with another man
That man with her is gonna get
I'm angry at the man who is with my girlfriend
Cruisin', got to find my gal
I'm driving around because I really need to find my girlfriend
I'm cruisin', goin' here and there
I'm driving around in different directions without any particular aim
I'm cruisin', got to find my gal
I’m still looking for my girlfriend
I'm cruisin' for a fight
I'm in the mood for a brawl, fueled by anger over my girlfriend being with another guy
That man with her will have tonight, cruise
I’m determined to physically harm the guy with my girlfriend when I find them
Crusin', ought to find my cat
I must find my 'cat' (girlfriend)
Cruisin', so we can be a pair
I'm driving around hoping to find my girlfriend, so we can be a couple again
Cruisin', wonderin' where she's at
I'm driving around trying to figure out where my girlfriend is
I'm cruisin' for my date
I want to find my girlfriend before our scheduled date
I hope, I find before it's way too late, rock
I'm hoping to find my girlfriend before it's too late to make things right, and to the beat of music (rock)
I'm cruisin' for to bruise him bad
I'm so angry that I want to hurt the man who is with my girlfriend
Cruisin', cruisin', cruisin', cruisin'
I'm driving around aimlessly, searching for my girlfriend
Cruisin', cruisin', I'm cruisin'
I'm continuing to drive around, still searching for my girlfriend
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARC ANTOINE VOUILLOUX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind