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.
Cryin' Shame
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I do declare it's a cryin' shame
Well, I'm in love with you, baby
And I do declare it's a cryin' shame
When I woke up last night
And you called me by another man's name
Well, I'm sending you right back homeLet your mother take care of you
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm sending you right back home to New York
Let your mother take care of you
Well, I've got lots of things to see
Too many things I've gotta do
Well, I miss you, girl, and I love you, love
And I hope you're doin' fine
Just leave me alone, darling
Stop sniffin' around my door
Or else I'm gonna leave you behind
I'm in love with you, baby
And I do declare it's a cryin' shame
Yeah, heh, heh, I'm in love with you, baby
And I do declare it's a cryin' shame
When I woke up late last night
And you called me by another man's name
Out the door
Well, I miss you, girl, and I love you, love
And I hope you're doin' fine
Just leave me alone, darling
Stop sniffin' around my door
I'm sending you right back home
Let your mother take care of you
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm sending you right back home
Let your mother take care of you
I've got lots of things to see
Too many things I've gotta do, yeah
I love you all night long
What else is there that I can do?
I love you all night long, darling
What else is there that I can do?
The Stray Cats' song "Cryin" is a classic rock and roll song that highlights the singer's frustration with a woman he loves, who isn't behaving herself. The song emphasizes his love for this woman, but he states that it's a crying shame because she is not reciprocal with her love for him. He is torn between loving her and realizing that things will never work out, especially after she calls him by another man's name.
The singer alludes to the idea that he is about to leave her by sending her back to New York to her mother. The singer would rather explore other activities while she is away instead of being stuck trying to cater to her every whim. He explains that he has many other things he wants to see and do, and he misses her, but he hopes she is doing fine without him.
The singer emphasizes that the woman needs to stop trying to win him back and leave him alone. He feels trapped, and if she doesn't stop, he will leave her behind, regardless of their love. The Stray Cats' song "Cryin" highlights the struggles of relationships and the questioning of love when it's not reciprocated.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'm in love with you, baby
The singer is professing their love for someone.
And I do declare it's a cryin' shame
The singer thinks it's unfortunate that they are in love with the person.
When I woke up last night
The singer is recalling a recent event.
And you called me by another man's name
The person the artist loves mistakenly referred to the artist as someone else.
Well, I'm sending you right back home
The artist wants the person to leave and go home.
Let your mother take care of you
The singer thinks the person needs their mother's care and attention.
I've got lots of things to see
The singer has many things to do and adventures to embark on.
Too many things I've gotta do
The artist is very busy and overwhelmed with responsibilities.
Well, I miss you, girl, and I love you, love
Despite wanting the person to leave, the artist still loves and misses them.
And I hope you're doin' fine
The artist is concerned about the person's well-being.
Just leave me alone, darling
The singer wants the person to stop bothering them.
Stop sniffin' around my door
The artist thinks the person is being nosy and invasive.
Or else I'm gonna leave you behind
If the person doesn't stop bothering the singer, the singer will leave them.
Out the door
The singer wants the person to leave immediately.
I love you all night long
The singer has strong feelings of love for the person.
What else is there that I can do?
The artist is asking if there is anything else they can do to show their love for the person.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN SETZER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ryanlehning556
His guitar playing just has so much personality!! It really brings so much to these songs
@HubMeunier
One of the most under-rated record I've ever heard !!!
Thanks a lot for this killing blues...
@twotone43
1983 : ' was 12 maybe 13 years old when i heard this band. Loved at first listening. It was before discovering metal and ska music.
Anyway this band got a special place in my heart !
@allenwalker314
Takes you back to the freedom days 70 to80s good times flowing
@TheSnoge
GREAT tune...thanks!
@frank.w.buchanan4076
preteen asked for this for xmas when it 1st came out back in the early 80s and still luvs 💪😎
@kris555f
it's really music :D
@verdecolor6
Incredible Harp solo!!!!!!!Tell your mother take care of you :D
@allenwalker314
Excellence 🇳🇿
@williamleahy1377
crackin song
Cracking song