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.
Double Talkin' Baby
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No puedo ahogar lo que a tu alma pertenece
Why así olvidar
Día a día me despierto creyendo oír tu voz
Día a día, todavía, me duele nuestro adiós
Quien no se ha equivocado, no trató
Quien nunca ha perdonado, nunca amó
Día a día la nostalgia me impulsa a continuar
Día a día la distancia me aconseja olvidar
Tú why yo con un pedazo de razón
Why compartiendo el mismo corazón
Que hemos partido en dos
Día a día
Sueño con tu amor
Día a día
Necesito tu calor
Aunque lo intente mil veces
No puedo ahogar
Lo que a tu alma pertenece
Me va a matar
Te importa que yo quiera así
Si en el fondo no me quieres más
Día a día
Sueño con tu amor
Día a día
Necesito tu calor
Ya no se puede aguantar
Why que no te acuerdes de mí
Tú quieres estar con otro
Que yo me muera por ti
Aunque lo intente mil veces
No puedo ahogar
Lo que a tu alma pertenece
Why así olvidar
The lyrics to "Double Talkin' Baby" by Stray Cats express the turmoil of a heartbroken lover who still holds strong feelings for their ex-partner despite their separation. They begin by admitting their inability to forget their old flame, no matter how many times they try. The lines "Aunque lo intente mil veces/ No puedo ahogar lo que a tu alma pertenece/ Why así olvidar" (Even though I try a thousand times / I can't drown what belongs to your soul / And forget like that) showcase the singer's helplessness and desperation to move on.
The song goes on to describe how the singer wakes up every day, hoping to hear their ex's voice, but instead, they only experience the pain of their goodbye. The following lines, "Quien no se ha equivocado, no trató / Quien nunca ha perdonado, nunca amó / Why quien jamás pecó, jamás vivió" (Whoever has not made mistakes, has not tried / Whoever has never forgiven, has never loved / And whoever has never sinned, has never lived) provide philosophical insights into the singer's state of mind.
In the chorus, the singer confesses that they dream of their ex's love every day and crave their warmth. Despite their longing, they cannot drown the memories that belong to their ex's soul. The last verse represents the singer's desperation as they plead with their ex to acknowledge their love, even though they know deep down that their feelings are no longer reciprocated.
Line by Line Meaning
Aunque lo intente mil veces
Despite my persistent efforts
No puedo ahogar lo que a tu alma pertenece
I cannot suppress what belongs to your soul
Why así olvidar
And forget like that
Día a día me despierto creyendo oír tu voz
Every day I wake up thinking I hear your voice
Día a día, todavía, me duele nuestro adiós
Every day, still, our goodbye hurts me
Quien no se ha equivocado, no trató
Whoever has not made a mistake, has not tried
Quien nunca ha perdonado, nunca amó
Whoever has never forgiven, has never loved
Why quien jamás pecó, jamás vivió
And whoever has never sinned has never truly lived
Día a día la nostalgia me impulsa a continuar
Every day, nostalgia drives me to keep going
Día a día la distancia me aconseja olvidar
Every day, distance advises me to forget
Tú why yo con un pedazo de razón
You and I, each holding a piece of the truth
Why compartiendo el mismo corazón
And sharing the same heart
Que hemos partido en dos
That we have split in two
Sueño con tu amor
I dream of your love
Necesito tu calor
I need your warmth
Me va a matar
It's going to kill me
Te importa que yo quiera así
Do you care that I want it that way
Si en el fondo no me quieres más
If deep down you don't love me anymore
Ya no se puede aguantar
I can't take it anymore
Why que no te acuerdes de mí
And you don't remember me
Tú quieres estar con otro
You want to be with someone else
Que yo me muera por ti
While I die for you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANNY WOLFE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind