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.
Race With the Devil
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'll hide from the devil on judgement day, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
Well me and the devil, at a stop light
He started rollin', I was out of sight, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
Well, goin' pretty fast, looked behind
A-hear come the the devil doin' ninety-nine, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
Well thought I was smart, the race was won
A-hear come the devil doin' a-hundred and one
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line
Well, goin' pretty fast, looked behind
A-hear come the the devil doin' ninety-nine, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah!
Well I've led an evil life, so they say
But I'll hide from the devil on judgement day, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line.
The lyrics to Stray Cats's song "Race With the Devil" describe a thrilling and dangerous car race between the singer and the devil himself. The singer admits to leading an "evil life" but hopes to hide from judgement on the day of reckoning. The recurring phrase "move, hot-rod, move man" is a plea to the singer's vehicle to continue pushing faster and harder against the devil's car. Despite initially beating the devil in the race, the singer is eventually overtaken as the devil reaches a speed of "a-hundred and one."
The song's lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways. On one hand, it's a classic story of good vs. evil, where the singer represents the side of good and the devil represents the side of evil. The car race is a metaphor for life's struggles, where we must constantly fight against the temptations and evils that threaten to overtake us. On the other hand, the song can also be interpreted as a celebration of reckless abandon and living life to the fullest. The singer knows he's led an "evil life" but he's going to keep on racing anyway, consequences be damned.
"Race With the Devil" was first released in 1981 and was a hit for the Stray Cats. The trio, consisting of Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, and Slim Jim Phantom, were known for their unique blend of rockabilly and punk rock, which helped them stand out in the crowded music scene of the early 80s.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I've led an evil life, so they say
I've lived life on my own terms, that others may perceive as wrong.
But I'll hide from the devil on judgement day, I said
I may have lived a questionable life, but ultimately, I hope to avoid the consequences of my actions.
Move, hot-rod, move man
I urge my vehicle to go faster.
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
I want my vehicle to keep moving down the road.
Well me and the devil, at a stop light
I had an encounter with the devil while waiting at a stop light.
He started rollin', I was out of sight, I said
The devil started moving, but I tried to outpace him.
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
I ask my vehicle to keep moving and not get caught at the stop light.
Well, goin' pretty fast, looked behind
I was driving quickly and checked my rearview mirror.
A-hear come the the devil doin' ninety-nine, I said
I saw the devil catching up to me and asked my vehicle to go even faster.
Well thought I was smart, the race was won
For a moment, I thought I had outsmarted the devil and won the race.
A-hear come the devil doin' a-hundred and one
But then, the devil came speeding past me, going even faster than before.
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line
Even though I had lost the race, I still wanted to keep moving forward.
Well I've led an evil life, so they say
I reflect on my past actions and reputation.
But I'll hide from the devil on judgement day, I said
Despite my past, I hope to escape judgement and punishment in the afterlife.
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line
I repeat my previous urgency to keep moving forward.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Paul Anthony Gurvitz, Adrian Israel Gurvitz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marco Peña
Well I've led an evil life, so they say
But I'll hide from the devil on judgement day, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
Well me and the devil, at a stop light
He started rollin', I was out of sight, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
Well, goin' pretty fast, looked behind
A-hear come the the devil doin' ninety-nine, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
Well thought I was smart, the race was won
A-hear come the devil doin' a-hundred and one
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line
Well, goin' pretty fast, looked behind
A-hear come the the devil doin' ninety-nine, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah!
Well I've led an evil life, so they say
But I'll hide from the devil on judgement day, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line.
Stevie dit le wonder
The best version of this song after the original. Great💪💪💪
spicychicknballz
OMG! It sounds so much like the original. Brian Setzer mastered the Gene Vincent voice on this :D
Fiama Soto
Damn, Setzer is Gene Vicent and Cliff Gallup rolled into one
Awrench Productions
Love this song. Great clip! Thanks for sharing :)
Rockabilly Rebel
I'm thirteen and I love rockabilly and the 50s. I guess I'm a bit of a greaser.
Sven ?
Im 16 now huge fan of rockabilly
Sp Julyer
I assume ur 20 now. Are u still a greaser?
City Rocker
Love this band
Brenda Cervera
I can't stop dancing!
bigarnie41
you got that right! I was a teenager in the mid 50's and there is darn few covers of songs from that era that even come close I got to go tlay this again!