Stray Cats is a rockabilly band which formed in 1979 in Massapequa, New Yor… Read Full Bio ↴Stray Cats is a rockabilly band which formed in 1979 in Massapequa, New York, United States. The band consists of Brian Setzer (vocals, guitar), Lee Rocker (bass) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums). The band released two successful albums in the United Kingdom in 1981 before releasing their American debut album "Built for Speed" the following year. The band's singles "Stray Cat Strut" and "Rock This Town" were successful in multiple countries.

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.

Too Hip Gotta Go
Stray Cats Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well love is not for me
And there's a hole new world to see
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day

Too hip, gotta go
Too hip, gotta go
You ain't running my life no more

Too hip, gotta go
Too hip, gotta go
When I step foot out of this door

I won't even bother to pack
I'm gonna leave you sugar, never come back
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day
Gotta go

Too hip, gotta go
Too hip, gotta go
You ain't running my life no more

Too hip, gotta go
Too hip, gotta go
When I step foot out of this door

I won't even bother to pack
I'm gonna leave you sugar, never come back
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day

Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Too Hip Gotta Go" by the Stray Cats tell the story of a man who has been living in a small town for too long and has had his fair share of failed relationships. He acknowledges that he is not interested in love but lust and that there's a new world waiting for him. He's decided to leave without any hesitation or second thoughts and never come back. The use of repetition in the lyrics, "too hip gotta go," emphasizes his conviction and determination to move on.

The song is about breaking free from the ties that hold you down and starting over fresh. The repetitive chorus serves as a reminder to the listener that it's important to recognize when something is not working in your life and take action. The Stray Cats' use of rockabilly music with a heavy bass line and guitar riffs give the song a rebellious attitude. The overall upbeat tone and lyrics inspire the listener to be confident in their decisions and take control of their life.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I've been hanging around this town too long
I've been here for a while now and it's time for me to leave

And it seems like every woman done me wrong
I've had bad experiences with women in this town

She's in love, but I'm in lust
I'm not looking for a serious relationship, just physical attraction

Well the suitcases gatherin' dust
I haven't used my suitcase in a while, but it's time to do so now

Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day
I may come back to this town one day, but not anytime soon

There ain't nothing good coming out of this situation
This situation isn't going to end well for me

And if this is any kind of indication
If this is a sign of what's to come

Well love is not for me
I'm not interested in love right now

And there's a hole new world to see
I want to explore new things and new places

Too hip, gotta go
I'm too cool to stick around in this town

You ain't running my life no more
No one is going to control my life anymore

When I step foot out of this door
As soon as I leave this place

I won't even bother to pack
I don't need any of my stuff from this town

I'm gonna leave you sugar, never come back
I'm leaving and I'm not planning on ever returning

Gotta go
I need to leave now

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN SETZER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@JesusOrquidea

4y↑6

Well I've been hanging around this town too long
And it seems like every woman done me wrong
She's in love, but I'm in lust
Well the suitcases gatherin' dust
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day

There ain't nothing good coming out of this situation
And if this is any kind of indication
Well love is not for me
And there's a hole new world to see
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day

Too hip, gotta go
Too hip, gotta go
You ain't running my life no more

Too hip, gotta go
Too hip, gotta go
When I step foot out of this door

I won't even bother to pack
I'm gonna leave you sugar, never come back
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day
Gotta go

Too hip, gotta go
Too hip, gotta go
You ain't running my life no more

Too hip, gotta go
Too hip, gotta go
When I step foot out of this door

I won't even bother to pack
I'm gonna leave you sugar, never come back
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day
Baby, baby, baby, I'll see you some day

All comments from YouTube:

@ewanbuchan5087

2y↑4

The boys are on fire with this track, absolute masterpiece.

@bookkeeper9551

5y↑8

I love this tune! Its gotta be state mandated to hear Stray Cats everyday!

@joemizz11

11y↑7

One of the Coolest Cat Tunes can't evet get enough !!!

@user-yd3dx3vh2u

41w↑1

best Stray Cats tune ever. little fun fact for the guitar nerds - that final lick Brian plays at the end of the song was taken from Jeff's Boogie by the Yardbirds