Stray Cat Blues Explained

Stray Cat Blues should not be confused with Stray Cat Strut.

Stray Cat Blues
Artist:the Rolling Stones
Album:Beggars Banquet
Recorded:1968
Genre:Proto-metal, hard rock, blues rock
Label:ABKCO
Producer:Jimmy Miller

"Stray Cat Blues" is the eighth song on the Rolling Stones' album Beggars Banquet. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Jimmy Miller. Miller's production of the song is very representative of his style, featuring a very prominent hi hat beat, droning piano performed by Nicky Hopkins, a mellotron performed by Brian Jones, all electric guitars performed by Richards and vocals from Jagger kept even in the mix. According to Mick Jagger,[1] the song was inspired by "Heroin" by the Velvet Underground, with the intros of both songs being particularly similar.

Background

The song is told from the perspective of a man lusting for illegal sex with a 15-year-old groupie, reasoning that "it's no hanging matter, it's no capital crime". During the performance of the song from the Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! 1970 live album, Jagger changed the lyric to "thirteen years old".[2]

Jim Beviglia ranked "Stray Cat Blues" the 49th best Rolling Stones song in Counting Down the Rolling Stones: Their 100 Finest Songs.[3] Uncut called it "an absolutely filthy song" but ranked it 39th in its Top 40 Rolling Stones songs.[4] Rolling Stone ranked it 43rd in its countdown of the band's top 100 songs, calling it "a sleazy rocker."[5]

Nitzer Ebb covered this song on the "I Give To You" single in 1991.Johnny Winter covered this song in 1974. A version of the song also appeared on Soundgarden's 1992 EP Satanoscillatemymetallicsonatas and as a B-side on the single for their song "Jesus Christ Pose".[6] [7]

The song appears in the video game and in the film Joy.

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stray Cat Blues. Timeisonourside.com. 7 June 2021.
  2. Web site: The Rolling Stones' 'Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out' Came at a Crucial Moment in History 50 Years Ago. Kleinman. Jon. Pop Matters. “Jumping Jack Flash” and a reverent cover of Chuck Berry’s “Carol” make good warm-ups, but the album kicks into gear with “Stray Cat Blues”. Originally appearing on Beggar’s Banquet, the tune showcases the band’s swaggering machismo in all its testosterone-drenched glory. When Mick Jagger sings, “I can see that you’re 13 years old / But I don’t want no ID”, you can practically see drool coming out of your speakers.. 3 September 2020. 29 August 2022.
  3. Book: Beviglia . Jim . Counting Down the Rolling Stones: Their 100 Finest Songs . 2015 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1442254473 . 93.
  4. News: The Rolling Stones' 40 best songs . January 28, 2020 . . March 6, 2015.
  5. News: 100 Greatest Rolling Stones Songs - Stray Cat Blues (1968) . January 28, 2020 . . October 5, 2013.
  6. Web site: SOMMS (Satanoscillatemymetallicsonatas) - Soundgarden | Songs, Reviews, Credits . AllMusic. 7 June 2021.
  7. Web site: Unofficial SG Homepage: Jesus Christ Pose. Web.stargate.net. 7 June 2021.