Stray Cat Blues

Not to be confused with Stray Cat Strut.

"Stray Cat Blues"
Song

"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 (including slide) performed by Richards and vocals from Jagger kept even in the mix. According to Mick Jagger the song was inspired by "Heroin" by the Velvet Underground. The intro of Stray Cat and Heroin are similar. Jones' mellotron is panned to the right channel/speaker and doubles on Richards' rhythm guitar track. Even though it manages to cut above the guitar in some spots, it is most clearly heard during the instrumental backing track drop out/false ending right before the coda/fade out starts.

The song is told from the perspective of a man lusting after having sex with a 15-year-old groupie, reasoning that "it's no hanging matter, it's no capital crime."

A live performance was captured during the Rolling Stones' American Tour 1969 and released on the 1970 live album Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! but, unlike the studio version, it is very slow and mellow sounding. Additionally, the lyrics are more provocative as the girl's age was changed to 13.

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".

The song appears in 'the video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and in the film Joy.

Personnel

• Mick Jagger — vocal
• Keith Richards — guitars
• Brian Jones — mellotron
• Bill Wyman — bass guitar
• Charlie Watts — drums
• Nicky Hopkins — piano
• Rocky Dijon — congas

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics