The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia, Canada and the U.S. including "Stray Cat Strut", "(She's) Sexy + 17", "Look at That Cadillac," "I Won't Stand in Your Way", "Bring it Back Again", and "Rock This Town", which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has listed as one of the 500 most important songs in the history of rock and roll.[1]
History Formation and move to UK
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.
The band playing in Gijon.
The band first appeared in the middle of 1979 performing under a number of names including the Tomcats, the Teds, and Bryan and the Tom Cats. In 1982 they joined The Rolling Stones' US-tour as an opening act called "The Stray Cats". Since 1983 they have used only "Stray Cats" as their name. The band name "Stray Cats" had already earlier appeared in the 1973 rock 'n' roll film That'll Be the Day and its 1974 sequel Stardust.
In the middle of 1980 the Cats found themselves being courted by record labels 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 Britain 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 were 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 No. 2 record on the Billboard album charts for 26 weeks. This was confirmed by Lee Rocker live in concert on 9/27/2014 in Klamath Falls, Oregon.[citation needed]
Breakup and reunions
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) whose debut album contained the single "Men Without Shame"; guest musicians on this record included both Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and pianist Nicky Hopkins. 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 the cover album 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.
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.
Band members' follow-up careers
Brian Setzer at a concert.
The Stray Cats have reunited periodically for live performances. Setzer is still part of his 1990s swing-revival band The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Rocker continued recording and touring throughout the 1990s and on to today. His albums include Black Cat Bone and Racin' the Devil on Alligator records as well as Bulletproof.
In addition to the Stray Cats, Rocker has recorded or performed with Carl Perkins, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, Scotty Moore, Keith Richards and numerous others. Slim Jim Phantom plays the drums in another rockabilly band, 13 Cats, as well as the Rock and Roll band The Head Cat with Lemmy (Motörhead) and Danny B. Harvey (13 Cats, RocKats). He is also an active member of the Love Hope Strength Foundation, a charitable organization which was co-founded by Mike Peters of The Alarm, and which raises funds for cancer units.
The band was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame[2] on October 15, 2006.
In 2007, Slim Jim Phantom formed Kat Men with Imelda May guitarist Darrel Higham.
Members
Brian Setzer – lead guitar, lead vocals, percussion (1979–1984, 1986–1993, 2004–2009)
Lee Rocker – double bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (1979–1984, 1986–1993, 2004–2009)
Slim Jim Phantom – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1979–1984, 1986–1993, 2004–2009)
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stray_Cats
You Can't Hurry Love
The Stray Cats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need to find, find someone to call mine,
But mama said you can't hurry love,
No you just have to wait,
She said love don't come easy,
It's a game of give and take.
You can't hurry love,
No, you just have to wait,
No matter how long it takes;
But how many heartaches must I stand
Before I find a love to let me live again.
Right now the only thing that keeps me hanging on,
When I feel my strength, yeah, it's almost gone,
I remember mama said,
You can't hurry love,
No you just have to wait,
She said love don't come easy,
It's a game of give and take.
How long must I wait how much more can I take,
Before loneliness will 'cause my heart, heart to break?
No, I can't bear to live my life alone.
I grow impatient for a love to call my own,
But when I feel that I, I can't go on,
These precious words keeps me hanging on,
I remember mama said,
Can't hurry love,
No you just have to wait,
She said love don't come easy,
it's a game of give and take.
You can't hurry love,
No you just have to wait,
She said love don't come easy,
It's a game of give and take
No matter how long it takes.
No love, love don't come easy,
But I keep on waiting, anticipating for that
Soft voice to talk to me at night,
For some tender arms to hold me tight.
I keep waiting; I keep on waiting,
But it ain't easy, it ain't easy when mama said
You can't hurry love no,
You just have to wait,
She said trust, give it time
No matter how long it takes.
You can't hurry love
You just have to wait,
She said love don't come easy
It's a game of give and take.
The Stray Cats's song "You Can't Hurry Love" is a soulful tune that speaks about the longing for love and the patience required to find it. The lyrics paint a picture of someone who is desperately searching for love and is willing to wait for it, despite the heartaches they may experience along the way. The singer of the song is seeking love to ease their mind and someone to call their own. However, the singer’s mother advises that love can’t be hurried and there’s no shortcut. It’s a game of give and take and requires trust and patience.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the message of the lyrics - that love can't be rushed but needs time to grow. The repetition of "You can't hurry love, no you just have to wait" emphasizes the idea that love requires patience and trust. The bridge also highlights the struggle of waiting for love to arrive, and the fear of loneliness that comes with it. The singer wonders how many heartaches they must endure before finding a love that will let them live again.
In the end, the singer keeps waiting and trusting in the advice of their mother, that love may take time but will be worth it in the end. The lyrics of the song and the message of patience in love have resonated with many people since the song's release in the 1980s.
Line by Line Meaning
I need love, love to ease my mind,
The singer feels overwhelmed and seeks an emotional connection to bring them peace.
I need to find, find someone to call mine,
The singer desires a committed romantic relationship.
But mama said you can't hurry love,
The singer's mother warned against rushing into love with a wise saying.
No you just have to wait,
The artist must exercise patience in their pursuit of love.
She said love don't come easy,
Love is challenging to attain and maintain, according to the artist's mother.
It's a game of give and take.
Maintaining a loving relationship requires effort from both parties.
But how many heartaches must I stand
The singer has experienced heartbreak and questions how much more they can endure.
Before I find a love to let me live again.
The artist believes love is necessary for their emotional wellbeing.
Right now the only thing that keeps me hanging on,
The artist is struggling and finds hope in the idea of finding love.
When I feel my strength, yeah, it's almost gone,
The artist is close to giving up.
I remember mama said,
The singer recalls their mother's advice.
How long must I wait how much more can I take,
The artist is growing impatient and feels weighed down by their struggle.
Before loneliness will 'cause my heart, heart to break?
The singer fears that their loneliness will cause emotional damage.
No, I can't bear to live my life alone.
The singer has a strong desire for companionship.
I grow impatient for a love to call my own,
The singer is eager to establish a romantic relationship.
But when I feel that I, I can't go on,
The artist experiences moments of hopelessness.
These precious words keeps me hanging on,
The artist finds comfort in their mother's advice.
No love, love don't come easy,
The singer acknowledges that finding love is difficult.
But I keep on waiting, anticipating for that
Despite the difficulty, the singer remains hopeful.
Soft voice to talk to me at night,
The artist craves a loving and comforting partner.
For some tender arms to hold me tight.
The artist desires physical intimacy and affection.
I keep waiting; I keep on waiting,
The artist remains determined.
But it ain't easy, it ain't easy when mama said
The singer acknowledges that the journey to find love is difficult, as their mother warned.
She said trust, give it time
The artist's mother advised them to have faith and be patient.
No matter how long it takes.
The singer should not give up on love, regardless of how long it takes to find.
You can't hurry love
Love cannot be rushed or forced.
She said love don't come easy
The singer's mother reiterated that finding love is difficult.
It's a game of give and take.
Maintaining love requires effort and compromise from both parties.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN HOLLAND, EDWARD HOLLAND, EDWARD JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, LAMONT HERBERT DOZIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind