Our top 10 songs from The Struts introduce us to a band famed for its unique sound that blends hard rock, glam rock, and glam metal. Singer-songwriter Luke Spiller and guitarist Adam Slack spearheaded the formation of The Struts. The Struts came after the bands Luke and Adam were playing with disbanded, having the two connect easily musically. Before the band’s formation, the two spent three years writing and recording music. At this time, they had recruited Rafe Thomas and Jamie Binns to play drums and bass. However, Thomas and Binns would be replaced by drummer Gethin Davies and bassist Jed Elliot in 2012.
The band officially started performing live shows across the UK under the moniker The Struts, a name inspired by an offhand comment made at one of the band’s rehearsals. The Struts recorded its first single, “I Just Know,” under Future Records. The band would strike a recording deal with Virgin EMI with the end of their former record label. The Struts soon released a four-track EP, Kiss This. Kiss This included a cover of “Royals” by Lorde.
The band saw its fan base grow, prompting its members to tour outside England. The Struts performed in Paris, France, in front of eighty thousand music lovers as an opening act for The Rolling Stones. This was a chance of a lifetime having the band open for an act it cited as an influence. Other influences to the band included Queen, Michael Jackson, My Chemical Romance, The Darkness, Aerosmith, and The Killers.
Within no time, the band had a cult following, and their shows were in most cases sold-out. Singer-songwriter Luke Spiller is one of the greatest driving factors to the band’s fame, owing to his natural talent as a mesmerizing vocalist with an excellent range. Spiller also established himself as a captivating entertainer having critics refer to him as the musical love child of Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury. Mike Oldfield recruited The Struts frontman, Luke Spiller, to sing on his album Man on the Rocks in 2014.
The Struts released their debut album Everybody Wants in 2014. Everybody Wants (2014) received positive responses from fans and critics, peaking at number fifty-two on the UK Albums Chart. Since then, the band has released two more albums and two more EPs. The Struts have been constantly on tour, opening for other acts such as The Who, Guns N’ Roses, and Foo Fighters. Here are the top 10 songs from The Struts that exhibit the uniqueness of the band’s art in rock and metal scenes.
#10 – In Love with A Camera
Ushering us to the top 10 songs from The Struts is the hit “In Love with A Camera,” featured on the much-acclaimed sophomore album, Young & Dangerous (2018). The song finds The Struts channeling their distinctive blend of pop and rock. “In Love with A Camera” is a relentless astound attack of transcendent riffs superimposed on appealing sing-along vocals by Luke Spiller. The song had a long incarnation involving five different productions before the band felt satisfied with it.
#9 – Dancing in The Street
“Dancing in The Street” was originally a song penned down by Marvin Gaye, Ivy Jo Hunter, and William Stevenson. The song was first released by Martha and the Vandellas, whose version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Struts put their prints on the song by covering Van Halen’s arrangement. Other artists that covered the song include Myra, David Bowie and Mick Jagger, The Kinks, The Mamas & the Papas, and Little Richard. Singer Luke Spiller revealed that the band’s idea was bringing the best elements from all the versions of “Dancing in The Street.”
#8- Strange Days ft. Robbie Williams
“Strange Days” is an orchestral-based duet between The Struts frontman Luke Spiller and Robbie Williams. This power ballad was featured in the album Strange Days (2020). “Strange Days” was born out of quarantine, having the song offer solace amid the adversities of the COVO-19 pandemic era. Listening to Robbie Williams crooning along with Luke Spiller makes you wish for more collaboration between The Struts and this pop supremo!
#7- One Night Only
“One Night Only” is one of the best songs from The Struts that bring nothing less than entertainment from these natural performers. Watching the band perform this song is enough proof that the band is destined to thrive in the spotlight thanks to theatrics engaged and its guitar-fueled energy. The Struts frontman revealed that the song alludes to a relationship between an artist and his/her audience. He continued to quote that the band felt obligated to give its fans more in terms of performances after developing a strong relationship with the fans during tours.
#6- Pegasus Seiya
Number six on our top 10 songs from The Struts is the hit “Pegasus Seiya.” The song was used as the theme song for the Netflix anime series Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac. “Pegasus Seiya” is an anthemic rock ballad that suits The Struts’ performance energy. The song was an English cover version of an original release by MAKE-UP, a Japanese hard rock, and heavy metal band.
#5- Primadonna Like Me
“Primadonna Like Me” finds The Struts embracing the glorious ego-driven merriment of rock and roll. The band delivers this glittery track in a perfect instrumentation arrangement, with Luke Spiller pushing his vocals to the limits. Luke penned down this song about his stage character allowing him to embrace his swaggering stage persona. The song was featured on the band’s album Young & Dangerous (2018).
#4- Put Your Money On Me
The song “Put Your Money On Me” takes us back to the band’s debut album Everybody Wants (2014). “Put Your Money On Me” is a love song that has Luke’s energy in its performance likened to Freddie Mercury. It is quite amazing how the video was shot in slow motion but retained the lip sync in real-time. That was probably achieved by having the band sing to the song’s sped-up version. Arcade Fire released a song with a similar title (but different lyrics) that finds the band’s lead artist singing about a troubled relationship.
#3- Kiss This
Yet another single from the band’s debut album is the hit “Kiss This.” The song finds frontman Luke Spiller singing about a girlfriend who cheated on him with a close friend. “Kiss This” reveals how Luke rose to the occasion and chose to forget about the two, moving on like this wasn’t much to handle. Luke discloses that the consequence of the girlfriend’s action was a fallout between the trio. “Kiss This” has its chorus showcase a running commentary on Luke Spiller’s newfound self-worth.
#2- Could Have Been Me
“Could Have Been Me” is the best song from The Struts’ album Everybody Wants (2014). The song finds the singer hearing his thoughts provoke him to live his life to the fullest by doing everything he wishes. “Could Have Been Me” was inspired by the time The Struts had issues with their first record label that wanted the band to alter its sound and frontman Luke Spiller’s look. However, the band chose to follow its own course, and it seems that this has paid off so far.
#1- Body Talks ft. Kesha
Number one on our top 10 songs from The Struts list is the outstanding hit “Body Talks.” The band recruited Kesha, a reputable pop artist, and a longtime fan, to add some bubbliness to the band’s original version of the song “Body Talks.” Kesha adds glamour to the song with her speak-singing making the song one of the greatest collaborations in the glam rock scene. Frontman Luke Spiller and guitarist Adam Slack penned the lyrics to the song. Both versions of the song are featured on the band’s sophomore studio album Young & Dangerous (2018).
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Top 10 The Struts Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2021
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