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.
Twenty Flight Rock
Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When it comes to rocking she's a queen
We love to dance on Saturday night
All alone I can hold her tight
But she lives on the 20th floor uptown
The elevator's broken down
So I walk 1, 2 flight, 3 flight4, 5, 6, 7 flight, 8 flight more
Up on the 12th floor starting to drag
15th floor I' m a ready to sag
Get to the top, I' m too tired to rock
Well she calls me up on the telephone says
"Come on over, honey I' m all alone"
I said "Baby, you' re mighty sweet
But I'm in bed with aching feet"
This went on for a couple of days
But I couldn't stay away
I walk 1, 2 flight, 3 flight
4, 5, 6, 7 flight, 8 flight more
Up on the 12th floor starting to drag
15th floor I' m ready to sag
Get to the top, I' m too tired to rock
Well, they sent it to Chicago for repairs
Till it gets fixed I'm using the stairs
I hope they hurry before it's too late
I want my baby too much to wait
All this a climbing is getting' me down
They' ll find my corpse draped over a rail
I walk 1, 2 flight, 3 flight4, 5, 6, 7 flight, 8 flight more
Up on the 12th floor starting to drag
15th floor I' m a ready to sag
Get to the top, I' m too tired to rock
The song is about a man who is in love with a woman who lives on the 20th floor uptown. He walks up the stairs because the elevator is broken and he loves dancing with her on Saturday nights. The first stanza talks about how much he loves dancing with her, but now that the elevator is broken he has to walk up to the 20th floor. As he walks up the stairs, he gets tired and by the time he gets to the top, he's too tired to rock. The second stanza talks about how the woman calls him up on the telephone to come over. He wants to see her, but he's too tired from climbing the stairs so he declines her invitation. However, he can't stay away from her for too long, and he ends up walking up the stairs again. In the last stanza, he hopes they fix the elevator soon because all this climbing is getting him down. He wants his baby too much to wait, and he fears they will find his corpse draped over a rail.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I got a gal with a record machine
I have a girlfriend who has a record player and loves to listen to rock music.
When it comes to rocking she's a queen
She is an expert at dancing to rock music.
We love to dance on Saturday night
We enjoy dancing together on weekends.
All alone I can hold her tight
When we are alone, we enjoy cuddling and showing affection towards each other.
But she lives on the 20th floor uptown
My girlfriend resides on the 20th floor of an uptown building.
The elevator's broken down
Unfortunately, the elevator is in disrepair.
So I walk 1, 2 flight, 3 flight
Due to the broken elevator, I am forced to walk up flights of stairs.
4, 5, 6, 7 flight, 8 flight more
I keep climbing more flights of stairs.
Up on the 12th floor starting to drag
When I reach the 12th floor, I begin to feel exhausted.
15th floor I'm a ready to sag
At the 15th floor, my energy is depleted, and I am barely keeping up.
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
By the time I reach the top, I am too tired to enjoy dancing and rocking out with my girlfriend.
Well she calls me up on the telephone says
My girlfriend calls me up and says
"Come on over, honey I'm all alone"
"Please come over, darling, I'm alone and need company"
I said "Baby, you're mighty sweet
I replied, "That's incredibly sweet of you
But I'm in bed with aching feet"
But I am unable to come as my feet hurt and I am too tired.
This went on for a couple of days
This situation persisted for several days.
But I couldn't stay away
However, my love for my girlfriend pushes me to visit her again.
Well, they sent it to Chicago for repairs
They sent the elevator away for repairs in Chicago.
Till it gets fixed I'm using the stairs
While the elevator is being repaired, I will be using the stairs to climb up the building.
I hope they hurry before it's too late
I hope the elevator is repaired soon before I collapse from exhaustion.
I want my baby too much to wait
I am longing to see my girlfriend and cannot wait for the elevator to be fixed.
All this a climbing is getting' me down
All this non-stop climbing is wearing me down and making me feel low.
They'll find my corpse draped over a rail
If I keep climbing like this, I might collapse and die.
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
By the time I reach the top, I am too tired to enjoy dancing and rocking out with my girlfriend.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Cochran, Ned Fairchild
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paolamariefuchsstitelmann7458
Oh well, I've got a girl with a record machine
When it comes to rockin' she's the queen ....
We love to dance on a Saturday night
All alone, I can hold her tight
But she lives in a twentieth floor up town
The elevator's broken down
So I walked one, two flight, three flight, four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
Up on the twelfth I started to drag
Fifteenth floor I'm ready to sag
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
When she calles me up on the telephone
Said c'mon over honey, I'm all alone
I said baby, you're mighty sweet
But I'm in the bed with a achin' feet
This went on for a couple of days
But I couldn't stay away
So I walked one, two flight, three flight, four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
Up on the twelfth I'm ready to drag
Fifteenth floor I started to sag
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
(Guitar solo)
Well, they sent to Chicago for repairs
'Till it's a-fixed I'm using the stairs
Hope they hurry up before it's too late
Want my baby too much to wait
All this climbin' is gettin' me down
They'll find my corpse draped over a rail
But I climbed one, two flight, three flight, four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
Up on the twelfth I'm ready to drag
Fifteenth floor I started to sag
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
Eddie Cochran - 1958
@kenlakier820
I was in an airport somewhere. Don't know where, but there was this guy on the floor sitting on the floor against the glass near the terminal. This cat was Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats, cool as can be, alone, sitting on the floor. It impressed me so much and I have been a big and life long fan ever since.
@GrtSatan
Setzer displays such effortless virtuosity. His singing and playing are absolutely flawless.
@rockingphil58
Love it only the Stray Cats could cover this great Eddie Cochran classic so good as this
@gemmavansteen8342
A fantastic homage to the original
@debraparry8085
Setzer is a modern eddie Cochran both rockabilly kings different generations
@colinclarke4285
Amen to that...he even appeared as Eddie in the buddy holly story movie
@stoutjudas9868
@@colinclarke4285 You're thinking about La Bamba. It's about Ritchie Valens.
@HubMeunier
All Brian on this two killin' solos : the first on Rockabilly and the second more Jazzy.
@paolamariefuchsstitelmann7458
Oh well, I've got a girl with a record machine
When it comes to rockin' she's the queen ....
We love to dance on a Saturday night
All alone, I can hold her tight
But she lives in a twentieth floor up town
The elevator's broken down
So I walked one, two flight, three flight, four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
Up on the twelfth I started to drag
Fifteenth floor I'm ready to sag
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
When she calles me up on the telephone
Said c'mon over honey, I'm all alone
I said baby, you're mighty sweet
But I'm in the bed with a achin' feet
This went on for a couple of days
But I couldn't stay away
So I walked one, two flight, three flight, four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
Up on the twelfth I'm ready to drag
Fifteenth floor I started to sag
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
(Guitar solo)
Well, they sent to Chicago for repairs
'Till it's a-fixed I'm using the stairs
Hope they hurry up before it's too late
Want my baby too much to wait
All this climbin' is gettin' me down
They'll find my corpse draped over a rail
But I climbed one, two flight, three flight, four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
Up on the twelfth I'm ready to drag
Fifteenth floor I started to sag
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
Eddie Cochran - 1958
@siljenilsson2533
Me and my dad used to listen to this all the time