Top 10 Stray Cats Songs

Photo: Masao Nakagami, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Top 10 Stray Cats Songs list looks back on the career of a Long Island rockabilly band that achieved great success with the genre on a mass-cultural scale. While the band had only a handful of hits in the U.S., they quickly became one of the most loved bands of the 1980s with their signature retro sound and modern flair. Band leader Brian Setzer’s songwriting skills fueled the band.

The bandleader’s signature guitar playing and vocals defined the band’s core sound. However, musicians Slim Jim Phantom on drums and Lee Rocker on bass also contributed mightily to the band’s sound and style. As a trio, the Stray Cats were one of the most exciting groups to hit the scene in the early 1980s. For a while, they were a favorite of MTV, which also helped ignite the band’s popularity. Below are 10 of our favorite Stray Cats songs. This was a fun one to do.

The Stray Cats released their first album in 1981, entitled simply Stray Cats. The album instantly broke the band, as it included two of what would become their most famous songs: “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut.” The group followed up their debut album in 1981 with the release of Gonna Ball. In 1983, the band came roaring back with another hit album called Rant n’ Rave with the Stray Cats. The album contained the hit “(She’s) Sexy + 17.”

After the band’s third album, Brian Setzer released his first solo album, The Knife Feels Like Justice. The album was a complete departure from Brian Setzer’s rockabilly sound. It sounded more like a Bruce Springsteen album than a Stary Cats album, which seemed to be the intent. The Stay Cats would reunite in 1986 and release the album Rock Therapy. That album was followed three years later, in 1989, by the Blast Off album. One year later, the Stray Cats released the Let’s Go Faster record.

In 1992, the band released one of the best albums of their career, Choo Choo Hot Fish. In 1993, the Stray Cats released Original Cool. The Stray Cats broke up in the early ’90s, and Brian Setzer went on to form the Brian Setzer Orchestra, which had great success, especially during the Christmas season. However, in 2019, the Stray Cats reunited once again and released the album 40.

# 10 – Cross Of Love

We open our top 10 Stray Cats songs list with this very moody cinematic song, “Cross Of Love.” This is a great one. Listen to Brian Setzer’s smoking guitar solo. The song was released on the album Choo Choo Hot Fish. The record was released in 1992. The song “Cross of Love” was written by Brian Setzer and Larson Paine. The song, as well as the entire album, was produced by Dave Edmunds. One can easily hear Dave Edmunds’s influence on this recording. The pairing of Dave Edmunds and the Stray Cats made perfect sense.

# 9 – Bring It Back Again

Continuing with our Top 10 Stray Cats songs list, we go back a few years to 1989. The song “Bring It Back Again” was released on the album Blast Off. The band reunited for this great record and went on tour with Stevie Ray Vaughan. While the album did not spawn any hit singles, it was filled with great new Stray Cats songs that made fans of the band very happy. There’s a bit of Elvis Presley in this one. You can hear that legendary Brian Setzer guitar strumming at the opening of this very cool song.

# 8 – Cry Baby

In the number eight slot on this top 10 Stray Cats songs list, we present the third song from the great album Choo Choo Hot Fish: “Cry Baby.” The song was written by Michael Lanning and Rick Bell. The legendary Dave Edmunds played guitar and added vocals on the track. We really dig that riff that Brian Setzer, Dave Edmunds, and Lee Rocker play together in unison.

# 7 – Cat Fight (Over a Dog Like Me)

Our Top 10 Stray Cats songs list includes two tracks from the most recent album entitled 40. Not many people were expecting a new Stray Cats album in 2019, but that’s what rock and roll fans were happy to get. This one contains some of those great signature Brian Setzer guitar licks. I just love this one. The song “Cat Fight (Over a Dog Like Me)” was released as the album’s only single but did not chart.

# 6 – (She’s) Sexy + 17

We all know this one, right, Daddy Oh! The Stray Cats’ cool song “(She’s) Sexy + 17” was released in 1983 on the band’s fourth album entitled Rant n’ Rave with the Stray Cats. It would become the band’s third Platinum selling album. The song “(She’s) Sexy + 17” became the band’s second biggest-selling song of their career. “(She’s) Sexy + 17” hit number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. Only their song “Stray Cat Strut” reached higher than that. “(She’s) Sexy + 17” also just missed the number one spot on the Billboard Rock Tracks charts peaking at number two.

# 5 – Built For Speed

“Built For Speed” was the title track to the Stray Cats United States debut album Built For Speed. It was one of the only new songs released on the album that was not taken from their first two UK albums. The song’s raw production value makes it so endearing to fans of 50s rock and roll. Brian Setzer wrote the song.

# 4 -Runaway Boys

The great Stray Cats album Built For Speed featured so many killer tracks. “Runaway Boys” was one of the album’s greatest tracks. Music fans in the UK remember this one well as it was the band’s first single release in their career. It did not chart in the US, but it was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom. The song hit number one in Finland, making it the band’s only number-one single. Listen to Slim Jim Phantom’s drums on this one. Just stunning! “Runaway Boys” was written by Brian Setzer and Jimmy McDonnell.

# 3 – Cry Danger

This captivating song jettisoned the return of the Stray Cats in 2016, fueled with a to-die-for opening guitar lick. The song ” Cry Danger“ was released on the Stray Cats album 40. The album was the Stray Cats’ first release in over twenty-six years. The song “Cry Danger” was written by Brian Setzer, Mike Himelstein, and Mike Campbell. Brian Setzer’s maturity as a songwriter and musician after a forty-plus-year career shines on this one.

# 2 – Stray Cat Strut

At number two on our top 10 Stray Cats songs list is the band’s highest-charting single of their career. It was the third time the charm for the great single “Stray Cat Strut.” The song was released as a single from the band’s UK debut, Stray Cats, in 1981. A year later, it was released as a single in the U.S., while the US debut album Built For Speed was released. After the great single entitled “Rock This Town” from the album Built For Speed became a hit, EMI Records rereleased “Stray Cat Strut” as a single one more time. With heavy rotation on MTV, “Stray Cat Strut” hit number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 1 – Rock This Town

We close out our top 10 Stray Cats songs list with the legendary recording “Rock This Town.” The song was released on the band’s first UK album entitled Stray Cats. The album was released in the UK in 1981. The song finally made it to the United States shores in 1983, when it was released on their U.S. debut album, Built For Speed. While “Rock This Town” may not have charted as high as “Stray Cat Strut” in the U.S., the song has proven far more popular over time.

“Rock This Town” remains the band’s signature song and was performed by Brian Setzer throughout his solo career, including his big band performances. When it was released in 1983, it became a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine. The song was written by Brian Setzer. In many ways, it set the standard for modern rock and roll rockabilly.