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.
Give It to Me
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna give it to you, give it to me
Oh give your love to me, give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you
There's no such thing as love for jealous fools
And I'm the biggest fool, I think I oughta know
Now you've got a brand new set of rules that I can't play by
Give it to me, give it to me, why don't you give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you, give it to me
Oh give your love to me, give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you
A love so hot it burns to touch a love so hot you're too much
To hold onto
By the way that's a cute smile you've got
And I can't believe I'm not laying next to you tonight
Give it to me, give it to me, why don't you give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you, give it to me
Oh give your love to me, give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you
Give it to me, give it to me, why don't you give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you, give it to me
Oh give your love to me, give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you
Hurry up, come out and see the stars tonight
They're spelling out your name in violet shades of white
When your name appears, they say
There's no way you can turn away
Don't turn away from me tonight
Give it to me, give it to me, why don't you give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you, give it to me
Oh give your love to me, give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you
Give it to me, give it to me, why don't you give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you, give it to me
Oh give your love to me, give it to me
I'm gonna give it to you
The song "Give It to Me" by Stray Cats is about the desire and pursuit of love. The singer is asking his love interest to give him her love, and in return, he promises to give his love to her. The lyrics depict a sense of urgency and impatience, indicating that the singer cannot wait any longer and wants his love interest's affection.
The lyrics mention that there is no such thing as love for jealous fools, suggesting that the singer may have been jealous in the past, leading to his failed attempts at love. There are also references to a new set of rules that the singer cannot play by, indicating that his love interest may have certain expectations or demands from the relationship. Despite these challenges, the singer is determined to win over her heart.
The tone of the song is upbeat and energetic, with rockabilly elements that characterize Stray Cats' signature sound. The chorus repeats the phrase "give it to me" several times, emphasizing the singer's desire and determination to obtain his love interest's affection.
Overall, "Give It to Me" is an optimistic and enthusiastic song that showcases Stray Cats' distinct style and sound.
Line by Line Meaning
Give it to me, give it to me, why don't you give it to me
The singer is asking for something they desire.
I'm gonna give it to you, give it to me
The singer is willing to reciprocate the desired item or feeling.
Oh give your love to me, give it to me
The singer is specifically asking for love from the other person.
There's no such thing as love for jealous fools
The singer acknowledges that jealousy is a hindrance to love.
And I'm the biggest fool, I think I oughta know
The singer recognizes their own tendency towards jealousy, highlighting their own shortcomings in love.
Now you've got a brand new set of rules that I can't play by
The other person has changed the dynamics of the relationship and the singer is struggling to adapt to these changes.
Oh, all of a sudden everyone else knows everything
The singer feels isolated and out of the loop as people around them seem to be aware of the changes the other person has made, while the singer is left in the dark.
A love so hot it burns to touch a love so hot you're too much
The love the singer has for the other person is intense and all-consuming.
To hold onto
The singer is struggling to maintain the relationship.
By the way that's a cute smile you've got
The singer is admiring a physical trait of the other person.
And I can't believe I'm not laying next to you tonight
The singer wants to be physically close to the other person.
Hurry up, come out and see the stars tonight
The singer is asking the other person to spend time with them under the stars.
They're spelling out your name in violet shades of white
The singer sees the stars as a symbol of their love for the other person.
When your name appears, they say
The singer sees the stars as a sign that the other person is meant to be with them.
There's no way you can turn away
The singer believes that the other person feels the same way about their relationship.
Don't turn away from me tonight
The singer is asking the other person not to reject them or the relationship.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
THE REVENANT
Probably The best guitar solo ever made. It’s just... perfect. Well done!
beseeingyou6
love this band!
goncas rc
Brian Setzer is an outstanding guitarrist like wtf
Pascal Duchene
Great great band
ダンゴダンゴ
これを聞くと高校時代に戻れる☝️
J a c
adoroooo
layde1
You don't have to ask, Brian.❤
Sarah Dee
Brian can give it to me anyday
mel grant
Brian❤❤
mel grant
I'm ready and waiting bri❤❤❤