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.
Rumble in Brighton
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With their pomps real high
Wearin' black drape coats
All real gone guys
Cool skinheads with their rolled up jeans
Lookin' real rough and mighty mean
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
The sew fishhooks under their collars
They got razors in their shoes
I said "Go cat, go" their battle cry
World War 3 is starting to brew
Now the skinheads are all using blackjacks
And they're looking mighty mean
They got chains wrapped around their fingers
And their heads are all shaven clean
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Well, there ain't a man left standing
So let's all go get a beer
No team is the winner
So we'll see you all next year
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble on the beach tonight
Rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble on the beach tonight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
Line right up for the sideline view
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
"Rumble in Brighton" by Stray Cats is a descriptive narrative of a street fight that takes place in Brighton, a seaside town in southern England known for its vibrant nightlife and music scene. The song provides detailed descriptions of the different factions of youth culture that are present in Brighton at the time - the rockabilly cats with their pompadours and black drape coats, the cool skinheads with their rolled-up jeans, and the tough guys who wear fishhooks and razor blades as accessories.
The song builds up to the climax of the street fight, which is vividly depicted using violent imagery. The skinheads are described as using blackjacks and chains wrapped around their fingers while their heads are shaven clean, signifying their aggression and intent. The lyrics also suggest that the fight was planned in advance and had a certain level of camaraderie, with a battle cry of "Go cat, go" and the reference to World War III starting to brew.
The chorus of the song, which repeats throughout, emphasizes the futility of the police to intervene in these street fights that are part of the youth subculture of the time. The song ends on a casual note with the suggestion to go get a beer, implying that the fight was just a part of the town's nightlife and would happen again next year.
Line by Line Meaning
There's the Rockabilly Cats
With their pomps real high
Wearin' black drape coats
All real gone guys
Cool skinheads with their rolled up jeans
Lookin' real rough and mighty mean
The Rockabilly Cats with their high pompadours, black drape coats, cool skinheads with rolled up jeans, and a rough and tough appearance are gathered in Brighton tonight.
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
There is a big fight happening tonight in Brighton, with the spectators having front-row seats, and even if the police try their best, they cannot stop the rumble from happening.
The sew fishhooks under their collars
They got razors in their shoes
I said "Go cat, go" their battle cry
World War 3 is starting to brew
Some of the fighters have sewn fishhooks under their collars and keep razors in their shoes. The battle cry is 'Go cat, go,' and the tension is so high that it feels like World War III might break out any moment.
Now the skinheads are all using blackjacks
And they're looking mighty mean
They got chains wrapped around their fingers
And their heads are all shaven clean
Now the skinheads of Brighton have started using blackjacks, have chains wrapped around their fingers, and with their heads shaven, they look mighty sinister in the fight.
Well, there ain't a man left standing
So let's all go get a beer
No team is the winner
So we'll see you all next year
After the rumble and scuffle, not a single fighter was left standing, and everyone decided to visit the pub to have a cold beer. There was no winner, no loser, and everyone agreed to plan to see each other the next year.
Rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble on the beach tonight
Rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble on the beach tonight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
Line right up for the sideline view
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
There is a massive fight happening in Brighton, on the beach that even the police cannot stop. People can line up for a good view from the sidelines, and spectators have ringside seats to witness the neighborhood brawl. The rumble is getting more intense as the night progresses.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN SETZER, JAMES MC DONNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@smokinjz
There's the Rockabilly Cats
With their pomps real high
Wearin' black drape coats
All real gone guys
Cool skinheads with their rolled up jeans
Lookin' real rough and mighty mean
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
The sew fishhooks under their collars
They got razors in their shoes
I said "Go cat, go" their battle cry
World War 3 is starting to brew
Now the skinheads are all using blackjacks
And they're looking mighty mean
They got chains wrapped around their fingers
And their heads are all shaven clean
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Well, there ain't a man left standing
So let's all go get a beer
No team is the winner
So we'll see you all next year
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble on the beach tonight
Rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble on the beach tonight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
Line right up for the sideline view
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
@joshualaskowski8939
I coach lacrosse at Brighton high school, this is our theme song for the season.
Perfect!
@fernandomaron87
How come there's only 3 guys, a Gretsch guitar, a big bass and a small drum kit, doing this massive sound? Simply amazing.
@eightieslivenow7579
because it's the stray cats
@alexasaltz4229
Brian Seltzer is an amazing guitarist! I saw the Stray Cats in the early 80's in Europe. I was at the US Festival in '83 before they made it big in the US. The crowd at first was unsure if what they were hearing, by the sets end the crowd was going wild!
@kristianyrjola
YES IT IS!!!
@randybackgammon890
Production and overdubbing....good band though
@amyhulvey5534
Cuz its massive
@babyjesus2025
Coolest band ever😜👈
@Mickm0j0green
1982 San Diego seen these guys. It’s 2023 and Brian is still playing rockabilly! Says something.
@smokinjz
There's the Rockabilly Cats
With their pomps real high
Wearin' black drape coats
All real gone guys
Cool skinheads with their rolled up jeans
Lookin' real rough and mighty mean
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
The sew fishhooks under their collars
They got razors in their shoes
I said "Go cat, go" their battle cry
World War 3 is starting to brew
Now the skinheads are all using blackjacks
And they're looking mighty mean
They got chains wrapped around their fingers
And their heads are all shaven clean
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Well, there ain't a man left standing
So let's all go get a beer
No team is the winner
So we'll see you all next year
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble on the beach tonight
Rumble in Brighton tonight
Rumble on the beach tonight
There ain't a damn thing that the cops can do
Line right up for the sideline view
Ringside seats for the neighborhood fight
There's a rumble in Brighton tonight