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.
I Fought the Law
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
Well I needed money 'cause I had none
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
Well I miss my baby and I feel so bad
She's the best friend I ever had
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
Well I'm robbin' people with a six gun
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
Well I miss my baby and the good fun
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
Well I miss my baby and I feel so bad
I guess my race is run
She's the best friend I ever had
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
The lyrics of "I Fought the Law" by Stray Cats tell the story of a man who breaks rocks in the hot sun and robs people with a six-gun. He does these things because he needs money and misses his baby, who is the best friend he's ever had. The man fights against the law, but ultimately loses and feels bad because his race is run. Despite his struggles, he repeats the line "I fought the law and the law won" multiple times throughout the song.
This song speaks to the idea of rebellion against authority and the consequences that come with it. The man in the song feels he has no other option but to turn to crime to survive, but ultimately realizes that he cannot win against the law. This story is relatable to many people who may feel like they are fighting against an unjust system, but cannot overcome its power. The repetition of the line "I fought the law and the law won" emphasizes the inevitable outcome of breaking the law.
Line by Line Meaning
Breaking rocks in the hot sun
I was doing hard manual labor in the scorching heat
I fought the law and the law won
I tried to go against the rules and regulations put in place by the authorities, but they caught me and punished me accordingly
I fought the law and the law won
I repeated this previous line again to emphasize how much power and authority the law has
Well I needed money 'cause I had none
I was desperate for money because I didn't have any
Well I miss my baby and I feel so bad
I'm sad and longing for my significant other who I am separated from
I guess my race is run
I have come to the end of my journey, either in a literal or figurative sense
She's the best friend I ever had
My significant other is my closest and most loyal companion
Well I'm robbin' people with a six gun
I'm using a firearm to steal from innocent people
Well I miss my baby and the good fun
I miss both my significant other and the enjoyable and carefree times we used to have together
I fought the law and the law won
I got into trouble with the law again and this time it was not in my favor
I fought the law and the law won
I recite this line again to reiterate the power the law holds and how I was unable to defy it
I fought the law and the law won
Again, I mention how I fought against the law and lost, emphasizing the strength and authority the legal system has
I fought the law and the law won
I repeat this statement one last time to drive home the fact that I was no match for the law
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sonny Curtis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@63DW89A
While the Bobby Fuller Four recording remains the definitive version, this Stray Cats version is second ONLY to the Bobby Fuller Four! 5 Stars full for the Stray Cats!
@MrMViceroy
My favourite version, it combines the better musical elements of the Bobby Fuller Four's version with the faster pace of The Clash's version.
@ibuprofen303
+MrMViceroy
Yeah well said, man. You nailed it.
@flabbybum9562
Agreed. Best version out there.
@uberschnilthegreat22
@Greg Hubbard a bit extreme but ok.
@stephanoconnor4823
Buddy holly and clash is a great version
@graemesmellie5223
Wow bloody hell absolutely amazing brilliant love the Stray Cats and this has got to be the best version of this song EVER
@AnitaVickers-ey2nw
Go go Stray Cats this version is great . You can't beat the best rockabilly band in the world yesss Stray Cats.
@AmericanSoldierSioux1969
What a great cover version of this classic Bobby Fuller Four song! Love it!
And all I thought Stray Cats accomplished was Stray Cat Strut and Rock This Town but never knew of this one. And yes, I'm aware Stray Cats had a lot of hits, but my favorites were the two I mentioned.
@jartsipeksi2131
Actually Buddy Holly did this at first