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.
Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie
Stray Cats Lyrics
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Well, there's a real wild party and the booze is free
First we'll fuck
Yeah, yeah, yeah tough luck
Yeah, yeah, yeah then we'll rock
We'll rock and roll, well, do what you're told
Well I live in Bellmore USA
Where we rock all night and we sleep all day
First we'll fuck
Yeah, yeah, yeah tough luck
Yeah, yeah, yeah then we'll rock
We'll rock and roll, well, do what you're told
Baby, baby you will have to wait
I'll be ready at eight
I keep a knockin' at your front door
I wanted you alone 'til I get some more
Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie got my blue suede shoes on
Got a pink carnation and my black slacks too
First we'll fuck
Yeah, yeah, yeah tough luck
Yeah, yeah, yeah then we'll rock
We'll rock and roll, well, do what you're told
Baby, baby you will have to wait
I'll be ready at eight
I keep a knockin' at your front door
I wanted you alone 'til I get some more
Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie come and dance with me
Oh, there's a real wild party, and the booze is free
First we'll fuck
Yeah, yeah, yeah tough luck
Yeah, yeah, yeah then we'll rock
We'll rock and roll, well, do what you're told
The lyrics to Stray Cats' song Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie are essentially an invitation to a wild party. The singer invites a girl named Jeanie to come dance with him at a party where the booze is free. The lyrics are unapologetically crude and sexual, with the singer suggesting that they will "fuck" before "rocking and rolling". The lyrics suggest a sense of rebellion and disregard for societal norms, as the singer claims to "rock all night and sleep all day" in his hometown of Bellmore, USA.
Despite the crassness of the lyrics, the song is ultimately a fun and upbeat celebration of youth and partying. The repetition of the phrase "Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie" creates a catchy and infectious hook, while the rockabilly-inspired instrumentation adds to the energetic and lively tone of the song.
Overall, Stray Cats' Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie is a classic rock and roll party anthem that captures the youthful rebellious spirit of the genre in its rawest form.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie come and dance with me
The singer is inviting Jeanie to dance with him.
Well, there's a real wild party and the booze is free
The party the singer is at is wild and there are free drinks.
First we'll fuck
Yeah, yeah, yeah tough luck
Yeah, yeah, yeah then we'll rock
We'll rock and roll, well, do what you're told
The singer is telling Jeanie they will have sex first, then they can party and do as he says.
Well I live in Bellmore USA
Where we rock all night and we sleep all day
The artist lives in Bellmore, where they party all night and sleep during the day.
Baby, baby you will have to wait
I'll be ready at eight
I keep a knockin' at your front door
I wanted you alone 'til I get some more
The artist tells Jeanie to wait until he is ready at 8, he keeps knocking on her door and wants to spend time alone with her before having sex again.
Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie got my blue suede shoes on
Got a pink carnation and my black slacks too
The singer is describing what Jeanie is wearing - blue suede shoes, a pink carnation, and black slacks.
Lyrics © JAMIE MUSIC PUBLISHING CO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: George Mottola, Ricki Page
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind