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 Brianâs 50th birthday at the Fine Line Music CafĂ© in Minneapolis, MN.
Mystery Train
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Train arrived sixteen coaches long
Well that long black train
It's got my baby and gone
Train train comin' around the bend
Train train comin' around the bend
Train train comin' around the bend
Train train comin' around the bend
But it never will again
Train train comin' around the bend
Train train comin' around the bend
Well it took my baby
But it never will again
The Stray Cats' song Mystery Train reflects on the emotions of heartbreak and disappointment when one's lover leaves them. The usage of a train as a metaphorical device is cleverly utilized. Trains have been a popular songwriting subject for a long time. The sound of a train horn and its cars clanging creates a sense of longing, mystery, and sadness. It is also a metaphor for progress, journey, and endless possibility. In the song, the sixteen-coach long train is described as a "long black train," which is a nod to the freight trains that pass through Memphis, the city of the song's origin.
The lyrics imply that the train is taking away the singer's lover or ex-lover, meaning he has been left brokenhearted. The repetitiveness tone in the chorus indicates that although the train has taken his lover, he looks forward to the day he finds solace in his heart again, and he will never allow himself to go through the pain and heartbreak again as he sings, "Well, it took my baby, but it never will again." The metaphors in the lyrics emphasize the heaviness of heartbreak as if he lost everything, and it will never return.
Line by Line Meaning
Train arrived sixteen coaches long
A long train with sixteen coaches arrived
Well that long black train
Referring to the long black train that arrived
It's got my baby and gone
The train took the singer's loved one away
Train train comin' around the bend
Another train coming around the bend
Well it took my baby
The previous train took the artist's loved one
But it never will again
The singer will never let their loved one be taken by a train again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Sentric Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Herman Parker Jr., Sam Phillips
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AnitaVickers-ey2nw
Stray cats will always have raw talent plus they are legendary in 2023. Go get on the mystery train man. Love you Brian Lee and Slim Jim.
@Jigaboo123456
One drummer who hasn't even got a seat, one double bass, one guitar-playing singer and they can put on a show like THAT!!!?
Holy shit, that's TALENT!
@EL-sp5zi
Brian Setzer is probably the most underrated guitar player out there, by far...
@Jigaboo123456
I was in my late 20s when Stray Cats were formed. I never thought much about them, but after seeing them perform " I fought The Law" and this knockout performance of Mystery Train is enough to convince me that I seriously underestimated their talent.
@franksantos3418
Elvis and Scotty would be very proud. The Cats are awesome.
@dixieboy5689
Nothing but LOVE for these world class rockers. Brian Setzer aint fooling around.
He will kick it all day and night. respect from MAINE USA
@chrisb1953
I love Elvis & Scotty's classic version of this song but here's Setzer managing to cover both their roles. A genius!
@Hokyoplasmicwaffle
Scotty Mooreâs protege at it again!!!! Fantastic Brian and the Cats!!! One of the greatest rock n roll rockabilly groups of all time. Top 5.
@MrTingrag
What a guitarist setzer is!
@tizaniceday9249
One of the best live versions of any song by any band. Classy rhythm section.Guys who are brilliant guitarists and great singers are very rare.John Fogarty, Peter Green, Chuck Berry - and definitely Brian Setzer.