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Stray Cats — Rock This Town
Album: Stray Cats
Avg rating:
7.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1844









Released: 1981
Length: 3:23
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Well, my baby and me went out late Saturday night
I had my hair piled high and my baby just looked so right
Well-ell, pick you up at ten, gotta have you home at two
Mama don't know what I got in store for you
But that's all right, 'cause we're looking as cool as can be

Well, we found a little place that really didn't look half bad
I had a whiskey on the rocks, and changed half a dollar for the jukebox
Well-ell, I put a quarter right into that can, but all they played was disco, man
Come on, baby, baby, let's get out of here right away

We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
We're gonna rock this town
Make 'em scream and shout
Let's rock, rock, rock, man, rock
We're gonna rock till we pop
We're gonna rock till we drop
We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
(Rock it, rock right in!)

(Whoa!)
(Whoo!)
(Oh my god)
Whoo!

Well, we're having a ball just a-bopping on the big dance floor
Well, there's a real square cat, he looks a 1974
Well-ell, he looked at me once, he looked at me twice
Look at me again and there's a-gonna be fight
We're gonna rock this town
We're gonna rip this place apart

We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
We're gonna rock this town
Make 'em scream and shout
Let's rock, rock, rock, man, rock
We're gonna rock till we pop
We're gonna rock till we drop
We're gonna rock this town
Rock this place apart

We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
We're gonna rock this town
Make 'em scream and shout
Let's rock, rock, rock, man, rock
We're gonna rock till we pop
We're gonna rock till we drop
We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out

We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
Whoo!
Comments (120)add comment
I always had thought the SC’s were Brits pretending be American😬.  Seems it was the other way around 😁
Posted 2 days ago by ag.postbag1    [ Reply ]
I dig this!
Posted 8 months ago by steviedeant    [ Reply ]
 Rcallinjr wrote:

What a tool you are commenting on someone else opinion. No one gives a shit what YOU think!

Any why the fuck do I care what YOU think dipshit?
Posted 9 months ago by Rcallinjr    [ Reply ]
 joejennings wrote:



Nobody cares what you think, zippy! Hit the SKIP BUTTON and shut up!

What a tool you are commenting on someone else opinion. No one gives a shit what YOU think!
Posted 9 months ago by Rcallinjr    [ Reply ]
It just doesn't get any more rock 'n' roll than this. Here's my 10.
Posted 2 years ago by TallCreative1    [ Reply ]
Robert Gordon. RIP
Posted 2 years ago by volnomad    [ Reply ]
I believe their guitarist just died in the last month. Such a fun rockabilly band.
Posted 2 years ago by volnomad    [ Reply ]
 mdnlsn wrote:

Imagine you'd never heard this before, and it came up on the radio. How could you not say, "Wow, this is kickass!"?




I Agree!  
Posted 2 years ago by eileenomurphy    [ Reply ]
I remember in high school drafting class, late 1982, Tucson.  Our teacher left us alone in class to meet with someone at the front office.  One of the students in our class turned on the radio to liven things up, and this song was on.  He jumped up on the drafting tables and started lip syncing this song, jumping from table to table.  Probably the one time in high school that I felt like I was in an 80s musical or in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Posted 2 years ago by timmus    [ Reply ]
Before this album came out, a friend took me to Max's Kansas City (NYC) on a week night. These guys were playing, and nobody knew who they were. There were only about 12 people in the room, including us. We were 6-8ft from the stage. They kicked ass! The bass player was spinning his upright bass around, while playing. He would also lay the bass on its side and walk on it while playing, without missing a beat! Totally amazing!!! The guitar playing was equally amazing!!! Superb vocals!!! It wasn't until the album came out, that we realized that we had seen the Stray Cats!!! It was A GODLIKE! PERFORMANCE!!!
Posted 2 years ago by eileenomurphy    [ Reply ]
 WannabeBanned wrote:

Hate the Stray Cats.  Not sure what it is, but I HATE THEM!




Nobody cares what you think, zippy! Hit the SKIP BUTTON and shut up!
Posted 2 years ago by joejennings    [ Reply ]
I love that I can still hear this rockabilly jam on RP... Forever reminds me of Annika, the Swedish beauty I knew in Shizuoka '88-'90, and the time we went to some event in Shizuoka-shi where this was playing at maximum volume and we both loved it.  Annika L., how I miss you!
Posted 3 years ago by coloradojohn    [ Reply ]
GREAT TUNE!!! Severely OVERPLAYED when it first came out & I burned out on it, & couldn't stand it anymore! Now I really like it!!! ...especially in FLAC  w/ great studio phones, amp & DAC!!!
Posted 3 years ago by joejennings    [ Reply ]
 

(Banned) wrote:
Hate the Stray Cats. Not sure what it is, but I HATE THEM!

rbrise wrote:

so shut yer yap and hit the skip button ...who gives a fuck


Well said!
Posted 3 years ago by bpemby    [ Reply ]
Bit of talent right there folks 🙌🙌🙌🙌
Posted 3 years ago by Matt_Maurer    [ Reply ]
 curtlichter wrote:

All three A-list players.
And then there was Robert Plant!
Posted 3 years ago by surfrider4life    [ Reply ]
 rhlrstn wrote:

Well, I'm going to get some flak for this comment, but technically it doesn't swing, it's in straight time...

Still a good song though, love me some Stray Cats!
 
They are referring to swing dancing which many do to rockabilly which is what this is.
Posted 3 years ago by SmackDaddy    [ Reply ]
 (Banned) wrote:
Hate the Stray Cats.  Not sure what it is, but I HATE THEM!
 
so shut yer yap and hit the skip button ...who gives a fuck
Posted 3 years ago by rbrise    [ Reply ]
I just turned the sound back on after a very difficult - but successful - meeting! It's time for a little chair-dancing!!
Posted 4 years ago by Mannick    [ Reply ]
Imagine you'd never heard this before, and it came up on the radio. How could you not say, "Wow, this is kickass!"?
Posted 4 years ago by mdnlsn    [ Reply ]
 Thea wrote:
how can you hear this and not want to get up and swing?
 
Well, I'm going to get some flak for this comment, but technically it doesn't swing, it's in straight time...

Still a good song though, love me some Stray Cats!
Posted 4 years ago by rhlrstn    [ Reply ]
Definitely a 7 as long as it's only played once a year.
Posted 4 years ago by The_Enemy    [ Reply ]
I remember when these Cats hit the scene. We knew it was 'old school' style, but it was hot and fresh too. Unlike anything else on the airwaves. Sparked something of a rockabilly revival and interest in the original 'billy artists too. Still fun today.
c.
Posted 4 years ago by cc_rider    [ Reply ]
Hate the Stray Cats.  Not sure what it is, but I HATE THEM!
Posted 4 years ago by WannabeBanned    [ Reply ]
Only RP can provides this sort of sound, thanks 
Posted 4 years ago by sonymagellan    [ Reply ]
Saw them live at the ))& Club on Bond Street in Toronto.  Shakin' Stevens opened up!
Posted 5 years ago by Chongo59    [ Reply ]
#AmazingEnergy
Posted 5 years ago by zepher    [ Reply ]

All three A-list players.
Posted 5 years ago by curtlichter    [ Reply ]
That's two Stray Cats songs in two days!

Well, this, plus Dave Edmunds' The Race is On
Posted 5 years ago by ScottFromWyoming    [ Reply ]
 Laptopdog wrote:
Uh, why does RP show this was released in 1996?! It came out in the 80s. I remember the MTV video well.
 

It's picking up the date of the "Runaway Boys" retrospective LP...
Posted 5 years ago by ScottFromWyoming    [ Reply ]
 Laptopdog wrote:
Uh, why does RP show this was released in 1996?! It came out in the 80s. I remember the MTV video well.
 
The site is referencing the compilation album "Runaway Boys" - which was released in 1996 -  as the source album for this tune.  Yes, this was on their first album, which was released in 1981.
*edit - the date has since been corrected.
Posted 5 years ago by Proclivities    [ Reply ]
 Laptopdog wrote:
Uh, why does RP show this was released in 1996?! It came out in the 80s. I remember the MTV video well.
 

Yeah, it's definitely from 1981. 
Posted 5 years ago by jkamm14    [ Reply ]
Uh, why does RP show this was released in 1996?! It came out in the 80s. I remember the MTV video well.
Posted 6 years ago by Laptopdog    [ Reply ]
rock a billy 2
Posted 7 years ago by baylees    [ Reply ]
I got a drumstick from  Slim Jim Phantom, even used it on stage by accident cause I put it in my stickbag....haha

but really.....here at RP?
Posted 7 years ago by thecdar    [ Reply ]



Posted 8 years ago by VH1    [ Reply ]
{#Bananajam}{#Dancingbanana_2}{#Dancingbanana}{#Drummer}{#Bananajam}
Posted 8 years ago by sunflowerbee    [ Reply ]
{#Bananapiano}
Posted 8 years ago by bm.deavenport613    [ Reply ]
{#Bananasplit}
Posted 8 years ago by kanga311    [ Reply ]
 Alifreckles50 wrote:
these guys were a great Long Island band back in the early 80s. kick ass sound
 
Alec Baldwin Cannes 2012.jpg

Swinging Massapequans (let's go to All American for some sloppy cheeseburgers)!!!
Posted 9 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
That big ol Gretsch 6120 and slap bass sure sounds nice
Posted 9 years ago by thewiseking    [ Reply ]
Completely burned out on this one.....simply cannot hear it anymore....was a good one before it was burned up by radio. PSD
Posted 9 years ago by aspicer    [ Reply ]
Always preferred The Broadcasters, a NYC area band that came out about the same time as the Stray Cats. Deliciously menacing rockabilly.

https://youtu.be/tA89ihe383Y
Posted 9 years ago by wgsu_1978    [ Reply ]
 treatment_bound wrote:




 
How many gallons to the mile, or is that beastie nukular-powered? Love the atmospherics of the pic. 
Posted 9 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
I saw the Stray Cats (before they were popular) at a small venue in about 1981 or so. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G...! Brian Setzer was/is an amazing talent.
Posted 10 years ago by Troutnskibum    [ Reply ]
 morgsy67 wrote:
...first tape I popped into the player when I bought my first car back in '84- my beloved '57 Chevy Bel Air...the car, the music, the memories.
 


Posted 13 years ago by treatment_bound    [ Reply ]
xkolibuul wrote:
All technique and no soul. This is like eating a pop-tart.
But I would think the gooey center of the Pop-Tart would portray depth, and perhaps soul. Pop-Tarts despite their appearance really are 4 layers deep.
Posted 17 years ago by ElSupreme    [ Reply ]
xkolibuul wrote:
All technique and no soul. This is like eating a pop-tart.
always felt that way too. Kind of a gamma irradiated, sterile pop tart.
Posted 17 years ago by Wizzuvvoz    [ Reply ]
xkolibuul wrote:
All technique and no soul. This is like eating a pop-tart.
hey! lets not bring pop-tarts into this.
Posted 17 years ago by themotion    [ Reply ]
serinde wrote:
I can't hear this song without visualizing the Guitar Hero notes streaming down my monitor at me. PLEASE KILL ME.
guitar hero is an abomination.
Posted 17 years ago by themotion    [ Reply ]
how can you hear this and not want to get up and swing?
Posted 17 years ago by Thea    [ Reply ]
xkolibuul wrote:
All technique and no soul. This is like eating a pop-tart.
a stale pop-tart at that.
Posted 17 years ago by felix_the_man    [ Reply ]
A few years back I saw Dead Men Walking, a kind of punk/80s supergroup doing the rounds. The line-up when I saw them was Glen Matlock (Pistols), Mike Peters (Alarm), Bruce Watson (Big Country), and Slim Jim Phantom from Stray Cats on drums. They opened with this one - great stuff. Slim Jim declared at one point that he would rather lose a limb than lose his quiff.
Posted 17 years ago by Pazzat    [ Reply ]
these guys were a great Long Island band back in the early 80s. kick ass sound
Posted 17 years ago by Alifreckles50    [ Reply ]
...first tape I popped into the player when I bought my first car back in '84- my beloved '57 Chevy Bel Air...the car, the music, the memories.
Posted 17 years ago by morgsy67    [ Reply ]
serinde wrote:
I can't hear this song without visualizing the Guitar Hero notes streaming down my monitor at me. PLEASE KILL ME.
Gawd, I'm with you on this one. I can get 5 stars on 'hard' but can't finish on 'expert'. There's some sad insight into my life.
Posted 17 years ago by fingerpin    [ Reply ]
just lots of noise!
Posted 17 years ago by redstorm11    [ Reply ]
Desaeverm wrote:
One of the greatest partyhits there is. For me a big 10
AIN'T IT THE TRUTH?!
Posted 17 years ago by coloradojohn    [ Reply ]
All technique and no soul. This is like eating a pop-tart.
Posted 17 years ago by xkolibuul    [ Reply ]
I can't hear this song without visualizing the Guitar Hero notes streaming down my monitor at me. PLEASE KILL ME.
Posted 17 years ago by serinde    [ Reply ]
whatever- Brian can play a mean guitar-shows up better in his later stuff.
Posted 17 years ago by skyguy    [ Reply ]
Posted 17 years ago by HombreDeMezcal    [ Reply ]
One of the greatest partyhits there is. For me a big 10
Posted 17 years ago by Desaeverm    [ Reply ]
Bill, you are a god among men. B.B. to The Stray Cats. You've made 1:48 AM on a Monday Kentucky morning pretty exciting!
Posted 18 years ago by agnes    [ Reply ]
These guys really suck!
Posted 18 years ago by splooge    [ Reply ]
rockatilwepop, oh yeah!
Posted 18 years ago by enidualc    [ Reply ]
Disliked them in the 80's and *really* don't enjoy them now. They always seemed like a joke to me.
Posted 18 years ago by Tireux_De_Roche    [ Reply ]
Brian Setzer rocks!!!
Posted 18 years ago by junebaby65    [ Reply ]
sweet.
Posted 18 years ago by jubilantme    [ Reply ]
Once I got introduced to "real" Swing, it was tough for me to take the Stray Cats too seriously anymore. But still here I am, tapping the tootsies madly... Setzer et al deserve a lot of credit for popularizing the genre to new generations (and that it's rockabilly swing notwithstanding).
Posted 18 years ago by lmic    [ Reply ]
Unique, fun, but WAY overplayed on commercial radio.... so I am not too sure how I feel about hearing this right now. Although I cannot stop tap, tap, tapping away at my pen on my desk.
Posted 18 years ago by LorraineV1    [ Reply ]
Posted 18 years ago by liser    [ Reply ]
The Cats were so unique for the 80's.....great stuff
Posted 18 years ago by crowhog2000    [ Reply ]
let's go!!
Posted 18 years ago by liser    [ Reply ]
When i was fifteen i have a stray cats t-shirt and i still like it(music).
Posted 18 years ago by jeppefin    [ Reply ]
If you can sit still while this song is playing, you might want to check your pulse. I find it impossible not to boggie around when this comes on! I don't care how many times I've heard it.
Posted 18 years ago by Jacksonstat    [ Reply ]
Brian Setzer is the best guitar player alive today in my humble opinion. One of these days I'll see him in concert. He never plays in Canada unfortunately.
Posted 18 years ago by shockedmonkey    [ Reply ]
man he could and still can play that gee-tar.
Posted 18 years ago by japanmoran    [ Reply ]
Thea wrote:
This. They didn't just rehash-in-hopes-of-cash. Setzer is *still* rockin' the town with this style. Now that's love & respect, baybee.
This is good ol'-fashioned three-piece rockabilly, whereas nowadays Setzer has a full swing band backing him up. Setzer brings rockabilly guitar to the big-band/swing-band genre, and the end result is something quite different than Stray Cats.
Posted 19 years ago by drover    [ Reply ]
Fantastic music. White Stripes take note.
Posted 19 years ago by meloman    [ Reply ]
This is just fun music, it was when I was in High School and it still is fun.
Posted 19 years ago by Jerry_Scott    [ Reply ]
Nuance wrote:
Absolutely. Hardly ever dance anymore. :(
What's stopping you? Wasn't the advice given that we should "dance naked" as adults? I dance when no one's looking...
Posted 19 years ago by Helchat    [ Reply ]
YAY! i am dancing at my desk. more songs like this!
Posted 19 years ago by mrrmt    [ Reply ]
Just talented musicians with a fondness for the great ones. Before they had run their course as a band, they had grown from a genre-playing band to a genre-altering band. No small accomplishment.
This. They didn't just rehash-in-hopes-of-cash. Setzer is *still* rockin' the town with this style. Now that's love & respect, baybee.
Posted 19 years ago by Thea    [ Reply ]
stacadette wrote:
Wasn't this song fun to dance to in the day?......
Absolutely. Hardly ever dance anymore. :(
Posted 19 years ago by Nuance    [ Reply ]
Wasn't this song fun to dance to in the day?......
Posted 19 years ago by stacadette    [ Reply ]
Love it!
Posted 19 years ago by Al_Dente    [ Reply ]
miamizsun wrote:
The Stray Cats are meant to be seen live. I saw them back when they were first getting started in a small bar with the Rockats. They blew the lid off the joint. Got smashed with good friends and danced my ass off.
Oh, yeah. 8) For just three guys on guitar, bass and drums, they put out a lot of great sound! It was a really fun show! :nodhead:
Posted 19 years ago by Jennnn    [ Reply ]
Consider this town ROCKED, baby!
Posted 19 years ago by winter    [ Reply ]
Woo-hoo! Great song to start my morning!
Posted 19 years ago by Jacksonstat    [ Reply ]
AliGator wrote:
Yeah! Fun!
Let's dance!
Posted 19 years ago by n4ku    [ Reply ]
Yeah! Fun!
Posted 19 years ago by AliGator    [ Reply ]
Skeletor wrote:
Don't you know what cherry popping is? See here and here.
Explaining what it is -- as if any junior high school student doesn't know -- still doesn't answer the guy's question.
Posted 19 years ago by drover    [ Reply ]
I miss this band terribly. This cat is awesome!
Posted 19 years ago by Beastie    [ Reply ]
ObsidianInfinity wrote:
why are swing bands obsessed with cherry popping?
Don't you know what cherry popping is? See here and here.
Posted 19 years ago by Skeletor    [ Reply ]
Mugro wrote:
The music snob in me would love to say that I am sick of this song, but the music lover in me just keeps tapping my feet to the beat.....
It still just chugs along. Rocks in fact.
Posted 19 years ago by rayna2928    [ Reply ]
saw these guys in Boulder in '84 (busboys opened). All three of them, not just Setzer, totally rocked. Very memorable show.
Posted 19 years ago by stickittotheman    [ Reply ]
This really did get overplayed when it came out, but I still have to admit that it is very good....
Posted 19 years ago by beelzebubba    [ Reply ]
The music snob in me would love to say that I am sick of this song, but the music lover in me just keeps tapping my feet to the beat.....
Posted 19 years ago by Mugro    [ Reply ]
why are swing bands obsessed with cherry popping?
Posted 19 years ago by ObsidianInfinity    [ Reply ]
that cat is real gone, go man go...
Posted 20 years ago by stratrjb    [ Reply ]
Rock'n'roll forever!
Posted 20 years ago by Karmala    [ Reply ]
One of the best rockin' bands ever, no matter that they are retro.
Posted 20 years ago by Beastie    [ Reply ]
Posted 20 years ago by R_P    [ Reply ]
miamizsun wrote:
The Stray Cats are meant to be seen live. I saw them back when they were first getting started in a small bar with the Rockats. They blew the lid off the joint. Got smashed with good friends and danced my ass off.
The best show of my life was a triple header of Duke Tomato, the Stray Cats and Stevie Ray Vaughn playing clean-up. There was something of an energized numbness that followed.
Posted 20 years ago by bigpomp    [ Reply ]
Businessgypsy wrote:
Hate to be a wet blanket, but this is just 80's rehash of 40's swing, 50's BeBop and 60's Rockabilly. Manufactured amalgam calculated to produce dollars. Nothing old here, sadly. Hey, some folks won't drink coffee without artificial sweetener, but make mine pure cane.
Although the term "Rockabilly" was not coined until the 70s when the genre was sort of rediscovered by certain musicians, it actually describes an era of music from the early to mid 50s. Early Elvis, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc. - basically the white kids who preferred the edgier and wilder black music of the day, combining what they knew of country and rock and roll with the blues. The 60s did see the Bakersfield sound introduced in the country scene, which has become very popular with the neoRockabillies. This "rehash" succeeded in introducing this style of music to a whole new generation of kids and is directly responsible for turning me into the freak I've become today. The Stray Cats started playing in the 70s with little attention paid to them. It was only after a move to England, where the genre was more greatly appreciated that they saw any success. That success was noted by American record execs and they were brought back to native soil. Calculated amalgam, I don't think so. Just talented musicians with a fondness for the great ones. Before they had run their course as a band, they had grown from a genre-playing band to a genre-altering band. No small accomplishment.
Posted 20 years ago by bigpomp    [ Reply ]
The Stray Cats are meant to be seen live. I saw them back when they were first getting started in a small bar with the Rockats. They blew the lid off the joint. Got smashed with good friends and danced my ass off.
Posted 20 years ago by miamizsun    [ Reply ]
Businessgypsy wrote:
Hate to be a wet blanket, but this is just 80's rehash of 40's swing, 50's BeBop and 60's Rockabilly. Manufactured amalgam calculated to produce dollars. Nothing old here, sadly. Hey, some folks won't drink coffee without artificial sweetener, but make mine pure cane.
"Pure cane" was also recorded to produce dollars. The musicians of the 40s, 50s, and 60s all had to eat and feed their addictions somehow.
Posted 20 years ago by nufftin    [ Reply ]
Businessgypsy wrote:
Hate to be a wet blanket, but this is just 80's rehash of 40's swing, 50's BeBop and 60's Rockabilly. Manufactured amalgam calculated to produce dollars. Nothing old here, sadly. Hey, some folks won't drink coffee without artificial sweetener, but make mine pure cane.
Yeah, I am aware of the fact that the Stray Cats are an 80's band. What I meant with "old" was the general sound and attitude of the particular song. I don't really care when a particular piece of music is made, I judge the songs on their own merits, calculated or not. If I tap my foot to it, it is probably because I like it. :)
Posted 20 years ago by Darkmatter    [ Reply ]
Darkmatter wrote:
Good old rock'n'roll fun!!! 8)
Hate to be a wet blanket, but this is just 80's rehash of 40's swing, 50's BeBop and 60's Rockabilly. Manufactured amalgam calculated to produce dollars. Nothing old here, sadly. Hey, some folks won't drink coffee without artificial sweetener, but make mine pure cane.
Posted 20 years ago by Businessgypsy    [ Reply ]
Good old rock'n'roll fun!!! 8) I just could not sit still during this song, I had to dance around the room wailing on my air guitar (and air bass guitar occasionally!). I am a sucker for rhythm, I guess. ;)
Posted 20 years ago by Darkmatter    [ Reply ]
Mot wrote:
Just can't stand the Cats. :(
I hate to be negative so I'll find someone who has already been negative and say: "I agree!"
Posted 20 years ago by rulebritannia    [ Reply ]
rock-a-billy at it's best, I'm a sucker for this stuff
Posted 21 years ago by firm_stool    [ Reply ]
Just can't stand the Cats. :(
Posted 21 years ago by Mot    [ Reply ]
Haven't heard this in years and it sounds pretty good! Wasn't a big fan in the past.
Posted 21 years ago by poodha    [ Reply ]
HBO Video Jukebox !!!!!!
Posted 21 years ago by DavidCarrico    [ Reply ]
I remember when this came out. Small-town, rural folk were in on Bluegrass, and old rock 'n' roll, and the kids finally caught on. Rock man, rock!
Posted 21 years ago by hayesj    [ Reply ]
a fun old jam
Posted 21 years ago by cyndromeda    [ Reply ]
Sounds better now than it did then, but not enough to make it worthwhile.
Posted 21 years ago by Shimmer    [ Reply ]