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.
Gene and Eddie
Stray Cats Lyrics
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Well be bop a lula summertime blues
Well it's something else man and you can't lose
I'm gonna race with the devil and maybe I'll win
And I'm gonna dance with skinny Jim
Well hang on tight you better get ready
We're gonna rock with Gene and Eddie
Halleluja I love her so
Bee I bickey bop bo bo go
Cut across shorty you can't fail
She got a red blue jeans and a pony tail
Well hang on tight man you better get ready
'Cause we're gonna rock with Gene and Eddie
Well come on everybody let's get together tonight
Say mama can I go out tonight
Well I sure miss you and the twenty flight rock
Get your dungarees on let's a blue jean bop
Well hang on tight you better get ready
'Cause we're gonna rock with Gene and Eddie
Well hang on tight boys you better get ready
We're gonna rock with Gene and Eddie
Well hang on tight you better get ready
We're gonna rock with Gene and Eddie
The Stray Cats' "Gene and Eddie" is a rock and roll ode to two influential musicians of the 1950s, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran. The song's lyrics pay tribute to their music and the era of rock and roll they helped create. The band opens with the classic line "Be Bop a Lula, she's my baby," which was the title of Eddie Cochran's first big hit.
The song mentions several other famous songs of the era, including "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran and "Race with the Devil" by Gene Vincent. The lyrics also reference other rock and roll icons such as "Skinny Jim," who was a character in a song by Eddie Cochran. The song encourages listeners to "hang on tight" and get ready to "rock with Gene and Eddie," capturing the spirit of the 1950s rock and roll scene when fans would flock to concerts and dance halls to hear their favorite musicians perform.
Line by Line Meaning
Well be bop a lula she's my baby
My lover is the most important thing in my life and I hold her dear.
Well be bop a lula summertime blues
Life gets difficult sometimes and it's hard to cope.
Well it's something else man and you can't lose
This experience is truly unique and unforgettable.
I'm gonna race with the devil and maybe I'll win
I'm challenging myself and hoping to come out on top.
And I'm gonna dance with skinny Jim
I'm going to enjoy this moment and have fun with my friends.
Well hang on tight you better get ready
Hold on tight because this is going to be a wild ride.
We're gonna rock with Gene and Eddie
We're going to have a great time enjoying rock and roll music from Gene and Eddie.
Halleluja I love her so
My love for her is so strong that it's praiseworthy.
Bee I bickey bop bo bo go
Expressing joy and dancing to the music.
Cut across shorty you can't fail
Take a shortcut and success is guaranteed.
She got a red blue jeans and a pony tail
She's got style and is attractive to me.
Well come on everybody let's get together tonight
Let's all meet up and enjoy each other's company tonight.
Say mama can I go out tonight
Asking permission to go out and have fun.
Well I sure miss you and the twenty flight rock
I miss my lover and the fun times we had listening to music from Twenty Flight Rock.
Get your dungarees on let's a blue jean bop
Put on your jeans and let's dance.
Well hang on tight boys you better get ready
Hold on tight because we're about to have a great time with Gene and Eddie.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN SETZER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind