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.
Rock This Town
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, My baby and me went out late Saturday night
I had my hair piled high and my baby just looked so right
Well, pick you up at ten, gotta have you home at two
Mama don't know what I catched off of you
But that's all right cause we're looking as cool as can be
Well, we found a little place that really didn't lood half bad
And change of a dollar for the jukebox
Well, I put the cold rock into that can
But all they played was disco, man
Come on, baby, baby, let's get out of here right away
We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
We're gonna rock this town
Make'em scream and shout
Let's rock, rock, rock, man, rock
We're gonna rock till you pop
We're gonna rock till you drop
We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
Well, we're having a ball just 'a bopping on the big dance floor
Well, there's a real square cat, he looks a 1974
Well, he looked at me once, he looked at me twice
Look at me again and there's gonna be fight
We're gonna rock this town
We're gonna rip this place apart
We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
We're gonna rock this town
Make'em scream and shout
Let's rock, rock, rock, man, rock
We're gonna rock till you pop
We're gonna rock till you drop
We're gonna rock this town
Rock this place apart
"Rock This Town" by the Stray Cats is a high-energy rockabilly song that tells the story of a night out on the town with a loved one. The lyrics describe the excitement of getting dressed up - with the singer even having "my hair piled high" - and the thrill of going out to find a place to have some fun. The singer has a specific time frame in mind: "Pick you up at ten, gotta have you home at two." However, the night takes some unexpected turns when they find a bar that wasn't quite what they were looking for. The jukebox only played disco, which is disappointing. But the couple doesn't let that stop them from having a good time, deciding to leave and find a better place to rock out.
As the song progresses, the sense of energy only increases. The singer and their partner dance to the music on the big dance floor, having a great time - until they encounter a "square cat" who takes issue with their dance moves. The confrontation ends with a promise to "rip this place apart," indicating a rebellious nature that is typical of the rockabilly genre. The chorus reinforces the song's overall message: "We're gonna rock this town, make 'em scream and shout/ Let's rock, rock, rock, man, rock/ We're gonna rock till you pop/ We're gonna rock till you drop/ We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out."
Overall, "Rock This Town" is a celebration of letting loose, having fun, and rebelling against any establishment that tries to keep you down. The song's high energy and infectious melody have made it a classic rockabilly staple that has stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, my baby and me went out late Saturday night
My significant other and I went out for some fun on a Saturday night.
I had my hair piled high and my baby just looked so right
I had a stylish hairdo, and my partner looked attractive.
Well, pick you up at ten, gotta have you home at two
I promised to have my partner home by two in the morning.
Mama don't know what I catched off of you
My mom doesn't know what I caught from you.
But that's all right 'cause we're looking as cool as can be
It doesn't matter because we look great anyway.
Well, we found a little place that really didn't look that bad
We stumbled upon a place that looked alright.
I had a whisky on the rocks
I ordered a drink of whisky with ice.
And change of a dollar for the jukebox
I had a dollar to play music on the jukebox.
Well, I put the cold rock into that can
I put money into the jukebox.
But all they played was disco, man
Disco music was the only thing played on the jukebox.
Come on, baby, baby, let's get out of here right away
Let's leave this place right now, baby.
Well, we're having a ball just 'a bopping on the big dance floor
We're having a great time dancing on the large dance floor.
Well, there's a real square cat, he looks a 1974
There's a person who looks out of date and boring, like they're from 1974.
Well, he looked at me once, he looked at me twice
He glanced at me, then looked again.
Look at me again and there's gonna be fight
If he keeps looking at me, there will be a fight.
We're gonna rock this town
We are going to make this town lively and exciting.
We're gonna rip this place apart
We will make this place unforgettable and exciting.
Rock it inside out
Rock the town so thoroughly that it turns inside out.
Make'em scream and shout
Make the people scream and shout with excitement.
Let's rock, rock, rock, man, rock
Let's rock the town and enjoy ourselves to the fullest.
We're gonna rock till you pop
We will keep rocking until you can't take it anymore.
We're gonna rock till you drop
We're going to rock until you are exhausted.
Rock this place apart
We will make this place shake and vibrate with our rocking music.
Rock it inside out
We will rock this town so hard that it will turn inside out.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN SETZER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kurtb8474
My wife, daughter and I saw Brian in concert a few days ago. The man will be 65 in a few months and, although he can't dance around like he did here, his performance impeccable. Unforgettable.
@dmccoy117
Where?
@joebisaillon4395
the world needs more rockabilly and stray cats right now
@jackoakley8761
Listen to "three on the tree"
@judynelson6005
Yessss
@davidwaheem6617
Unfortunately rock is dead
@Space.Ghost.
@@davidwaheem6617tell that to Greta Van Fleet.
@freedomtobeintheknow-kryst9705
Thanks for this
@zackman1615
Brian Setzer is underrated as a guitar player. The Stray Cats are 3 solid musicians. Love their Stray Cats 40 CD. Worth every penny
@philorona1869
hes a bad ass maybe one of the top ten in the world