Rock This Town: Music Video

This article is a collaborative effort, crafted and edited by a team of dedicated professionals.

Contributors: Andranick Tanguiane, Fred Lerdahl,

Rock This Town is a popular song by The Stray Cats. It was released in June 1981 as the lead single from their 1981 album Built for Speed. The song peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

The music video for Rock This Town by The Stray Cats

The Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band founded in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the early 1980s including “Rock This Town”, “Stray Cat Strut”, and “Sexy + 17”. The songs were noted for their mastery of 1950s rock and roll conventions, combined with a 1980s punk rock attitude.

The Stray Cats’ music video for their song “Rock This Town” was released in 1982 and was directed by David Mallet. The video features the band performing the song in a small club. The footage is intercut with black-and-white clips of people strutting down city streets. The video was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards in 1983.

The history of the song and its place in rockabilly culture

The history of the song and its place in rockabilly culture

“Rock This Town” is a song by Brian Setzer and his band The Stray Cats. It was originally released in 1981 on their album Built for Speed, and it quickly became a rockabilly classic. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, and it remains an important part of rockabilly culture.

The Stray Cats were a rockabilly revival band, and “Rock This Town” was one of their most popular songs. The song is about a group of friends who just want to have a good time, and it captures the energy and spirit of rockabilly music. Rockabilly is a type of music that combines elements of country, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s often considered to be the first type of rock ‘n’ roll music, and it was very popular in the 1950s.

Rockabilly culture is still alive and well today, and “Rock This Town” is one of its most iconic songs. If you’re interested in learning more about rockabilly music, check out this video from Setzer himself.

The making of the music video, from conception to execution

It’s been a long time coming, but the wait is finally over! The highlyanticipated music video for Rock This Town is now available to view online.

The video was filmed over the course of two days in various locations around Los Angeles. The concept for the video was conceived by the band and their team, with the aim of creating something that would visually represent the song’s energy and vibrancy.

After months of planning and preparation, the shoot went off without a hitch and the result is a fast-paced, action-packed music video that perfectly captures the spirit of the song.

We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it!

The Stray Cats’ career leading up to the release of Rock This Town

The Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia, Canada and the US. The Stray Cats gained popularity during the early 1980s with their rockabilly revival style.

The band’s first album, 1981’s Built for Speed, included the hits “Rock This Town”, “Stray Cat Strut” and “Runaway Boys”, which all reached the top ten in the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up album, Gonna Ball (1982), included three top 40 singles in Australia and the UK: “Bring It Back Again”, “Sexy + 17” and “(She’s) Sexy + 17”. The band’s third album Rant n’ Rave with the Stray Cats was released in 1983 and was certified Gold in France. The album featured three more top 40 singles: “I Won’t Stand in Your Way”, “Look What You Done” and their cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “(She’s So) Fine”.

The legacy of Rock This Town and its impact on subsequent generations

The legacy of Rock This Town and its impact on subsequent generations

Rock This Town was released in 1981 by The Stray Cats and is considered one of the first rockabilly revival songs. The song was a huge success, reaching the Top 10 in both the US and UK, and it helped to spearhead the rockabilly revival of the 1980s. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, including Brian Setzer, who was a member of The Stray Cats.

The music video for Rock This Town was directed by David Mallet and features the band performing in a number of different locations around Los Angeles. The video was very successful, helping to promote the song and the band. It is also notable for its use of stop-motion animation, which was not commonly used in music videos at the time.

Rock This Town has had a lasting impact on popular culture and has been cited as an influence by many artists, including Green Day, Blink-182, and The Offspring. It is considered one of the most influential rockabilly songs of all time.

How Rock This Town helped to cement the Stray Cats’ place in rock history

The Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town” was one of the first music videos ever played on MTV, and it helped to cement the band’s place in rock history. The video, which was directed by David Mallet, features the band performing the song in a deserted town. The video was filmed in black and white, and it has a very ’50s feel to it.

The video was popular with fans and critics alike, and it helped to propel the Stray Cats to stardom. “Rock This Town” is now considered to be one of the classic rock songs of all time, and it is still played on radio stations around the world.

The influence of Rock This Town on subsequent rockabilly and rock music

Rockabilly is a genre of music that combines elements of country music, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll. The term “rockabilly” was first used in the 1950s to describe the music of Bill Haley and His Comets, who had a hit song with “Rock Around the Clock.” The song “Rock This Town” was released in 1981 by the Stray Cats, a British rockabilly band. The song was a hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom, reaching #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song has been credited with reviving interest in rockabilly music, and its influence can be seen in subsequent rock and roll music.

The enduring popularity of Rock This Town and its place in popular culture

Rock This Town is a song by Brian Setzer Orchestra which was released in 2001. The song quickly gained popularity and has been used in numerous movies, TV shows, and commercials. It has also been covered by other artists. The Brian Setzer Orchestra version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018.

The critical reception of Rock This Town and its place in music history

Rock This Town was released in 1981 by The Stray Cats and quickly became one of the most popular songs of the year. It topped the charts in both the US and the UK, and its music video was in heavy rotation on MTV. The song has been praised for its catchy hook and retro sound, and it is considered one of the best examples of early 1980s rockabilly revival.

Despite its commercial success, Rock This Town was not without its detractors. Some critics accused The Stray Cats of plagiarism, claiming that the song’s melody was lifted from a 1957 tune called “R-O-C-K.” Others dismissed the song as a gimmick, arguing that it was more style than substance.

Regardless of its reception at the time, Rock This Town has since become an enduring classic. It is frequently cited as one of the most influential songs of the 1980s, and it remains a staple of classic rock radio to this day.

The legacy of the Stray Cats and their impact on rock music

The Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1979 by Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, and Slim Jim Phantom in the town of Massapequa, New York. The group had several hit songs with their unique style of rockabilly/punk rock, including “Rock This Town”, “Stray Cat Strut”, and “Sexy + 17”. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

While the Stray Cats did not invent rockabilly, they were certainly one of the most successful bands of the genre. They were able to cross over into the mainstream with their infectious blend of rockabilly and punk, and their influence can still be felt today. Many modern bands have cited the Stray Cats as an inspiration, and their impact on rock music is undeniable.

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