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.
Storm the Embassy
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Scorchin' sun beaming down onto miles and miles of sand
A mideast country being ruled
By a man who thinks it's fun
To hold our people in return
For a sjah that's on the run
I think it's funny
It's a heartache and it's hard luck
Well that's tough shit
Man it's no fun
Storm the Iranian embassy
Before they start shootin' down you and me
Scourge of suits in control
Of the diplomaticness
While the nations of the world
Look on and they care less
The Soviet Union won't agree
To an economic plan
And then they laugh and march their troops into Afghanistan
Orders from Moscow
Invade Teheran now
It's a heartache and it's hard luck
Well that's tough shit
Man it's no fun
Storm the Iranian embassy
Before they start shootin' at you and me
A nation worries and reads the papers
Hoping that no-one has died
Hearin' rumours that the hostages
Will soon be tried as spies
Demonstrations on the street
Saying that the end is near
The man from New York Times on vacation
Wants to know what happened here
aggressive acts now
We want the best now
Fifteen moms crying
Is my son dying ?
It's a heartache and it's hard luck
Well that's tough shit
Man it's no fun
Storm the Iranian embassy
Before they start shootin' at you and me
The song "Storm the Embassy" by Stray Cats is a commentary on the Iran Hostage Crisis that happened in 1979-1981 where 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage by students and militants in the US embassy in Tehran. The first verse describes the situation of fifteen American men who are being held captive in a foreign country ruled by a dictator who is using them as a bargaining chip in exchange for a shah who is on the run. The singer is critical of how freedom takes money, implying that the US is not doing enough to free their citizens. The chorus suggests that the only solution is to storm the embassy before it was too late.
The second verse references the diplomatic tensions between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, with the USSR invading Afghanistan at the same time as the Iran Hostage Crisis was happening. The nations of the world are depicted as not caring about the hostages, with the singer calling for immediate action. The chorus repeats the call to storm the embassy, with the final verse illustrating the emotional toll the crisis is taking on families back home. The singer expresses the urgency of the situation, wondering if they will be able to get to the embassy in time to save the hostages.
Line by Line Meaning
Fifteen man taken captive in a hostile foreign land
Fifteen men have been taken as prisoners in a place that is dangerous and potentially harmful for them.
Scorchin' sun beaming down onto miles and miles of sand
The environment is hot and there's a vast desert stretching out for miles and miles.
A mideast country being ruled
The location of the prisoners is a Middle Eastern country governed by its leaders.
By a man who thinks it's fun
The person in charge of the country finds pleasure in his actions that led to the detainment of the prisoners.
To hold our people in return
To keep hostages as a bargaining chip for political purposes.
For a sjah that's on the run
These people are being held because their captors want something from their government. The Shah of Iran is on the run, so he cannot help these captives.
I think it's funny
The captor finds amusement in holding these people hostage.
Freedom takes money
Obtaining freedom requires payment or a ransom of some kind.
It's a heartache and it's hard luck
This situation is difficult and painful for everyone involved.
Well that's tough shit
This expression is used to communicate the level of difficulty or negativity in the situation.
Man it's no fun
This means that the situation is not enjoyable for anyone involved.
Storm the Iranian embassy
They want to take immediate action against the embassy.
Before they start shootin' down you and me
They want to act fast before any harm is done to anyone.
Scourge of suits in control
A negative impact of politics ruining diplomacy.
Of the diplomaticness
A play on words, means a diplomatic nation compared to diplomaticness.
While the nations of the world
While other political countries in the world.
Look on and they care less
The other countries don't care enough to help the situation.
The Soviet Union won't agree
The Soviet Union is reluctant about supporting the situation and won't agree on an economic plan.
To an economic plan
To a solution that involves economics.
And then they laugh and march their troops into Afghanistan
They laughed and then went on to take military action in Afghanistan.
Orders from Moscow
An order from the Soviet Union counsel.
Invade Teheran now
To take immediate action and invade Teheran.
A nation worries and reads the papers
This refers to people reading newspapers and worrying about the safety of their fellow citizens.
Hoping that no-one has died
People hope that the hostages are still alive.
Hearin' rumours that the hostages
There are rumors that are circulating around hostages.
Will soon be tried as spies
There may be plans to try the hostages as spies.
Demonstrations on the street
Protesters are taking to the streets to speak out against the situation.
Saying that the end is near
People are concerned that this situation may not be resolved peacefully, and things may get worse.
The man from New York Times on vacation
A journalist from the New York Times who is on vacation.
Wants to know what happened here
The journalist wants to know what is happening and why.
aggressive acts now
They need to take aggressive actions to resolve the situation.
We want the best now
They want the best solution or outcome right now.
Fifteen moms crying
The mothers of the fifteen hostages are crying over the detention of their children.
Is my son dying ?
The mothers are worried about the safety of their children and ask the question of whether they are dying.
Before they start shootin' at you and me
They want to take action before any shooting starts and people start to get hurt or killed.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN SETZER, JAMES MC DONNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Maverick4023
The seriousness of this compared to all their other songs is haunting. Fair play to them for doing this song about something they were obviously so passionate about. It's still as always an arse-kicking song from the Stray Cats!
@AnitaVickers-ey2nw
What can I say about the kings of rockabilly the whole package no competition. The legendary Stray Cats. ❤ u still in 2023 and beyond.
@mcdanoldsman679
I love Stray Cats. Also this song will live inside me forever.
@awarti
Me too 👌
@user-iy6gv6hs3q
This band is the bomb! Rockabilly stirs a person's inner child to rock out! Love Stray Cats slways! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@markkusiira3766
We were 10 years old (1980) and a local teen magazine showed pictures of these cats... We hated those. Then it took 2 or 3 weeks and the radio started to play SC. We were sold! Those stupid memories... .
@TheSnoge
One of the BEST of the Stray Cats...and just plain REAL Truth!
@Spaetza
I love this song. One of my favorites of Stray Cats'.
@stevemorell6524
Guess, this song is currently probably the most relevant to listen up and down. It should be played on the nowadays demonstrations around the world up and down! So ahead of its time !!!
@SomeoneYouHate
I don't think so.
This song is based on real events of 1979's iranian hostage crisis and soviet afghan war.
As the song mention the american embassy in iran got stormed by students to protest against american rulling iran, they wanted previous iranian leader back.
So I don't think it is as fitting tbh.