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The Stray Cats
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Artist · chart history · #287 in alternative artist polls

The Stray Cats

Band Massapequa United States Formed 1979

The Stray Cats formed in 1979 in Massapequa, United States. The Stray Cats has 86 chart appearances on 50 radio countdowns from 20 stations on RockLists, spanning 1981–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Rock This Town”, which appears on 40 lists with a best position of #6. The station that charted The Stray Cats most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 32 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1982.

86appearances
50countdowns
8songs charted
20stations
0#1 finishes
1981–2026years

The Stray Cats came out of Massapequa, on Long Island, with a rockabilly engine under the hood: Brian Setzer on guitar and vocals, Lee Rocker slapping the double bass, and Slim Jim Phantom on drums. Three guys playing old-school rock and roll with that much snap and swagger sounded like a jailbreak.

Their 1981 debut album, Stray Cats, put it all on the table: "Rock This Town", a hopped-up party that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame counts among the songs that shaped rock and roll, the finger-snapping, alley-cat prowl of "Stray Cat Strut", "Runaway Boys" and "Rumble in Brighton". Built for Speed followed in 1982, and Rant 'n Rave with the Stray Cats in 1983 delivered "(She's) Sexy + 17". The hits kept coming in the UK, Australia, Canada and the US, and they were nominated for the Grammy for Best New Artist. Choo Choo Hot Fish, in 1992, brought "Elvis on Velvet".

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

Songs by The Stray Cats on radio countdowns

#SongStrengthListsBest#1sPeak year
1 Rock This Town
1,942		 40 #6 – 1982
2 Stray Cat Strut
1,457		 31 #53 – 1982
3 Runaway Boys
90		 2 #35 – 1982
4 Sexy and 17
50		 3 #74 – 1983
5 Rumble in Brighton
35		 2 #1504 – –
6 Built for Speed
13		 1 #94 – 1982
7 She's Sexy And 17
8		 4 #1954 – –
8 Elvis on Velvet
5		 1 #102 – 1992

Albums with charting songs

Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.

Year-end chart timeline

Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.

81 82 83 92

Every countdown appearance

Year#SongCountdown
2026 406 Rock This Town WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s
2025 871 Rock This Town Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025)
2023 280 Stray Cat Strut The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s
2023 493 Rock This Town The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s
2022 328 Stray Cat Strut 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022)
2022 417 Rock This Town 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022)
2022 454 Rock This Town River 500 (2022)
2021 800 Rock This Town Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021)
2021 316 Stray Cat Strut 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s
2021 371 Rock This Town 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s
2019 826 Rock This Town KZOK Top 1025 of 2019
2016 191 Rock This Town The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016)
2016 997 Rock This Town 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016
2014 1851 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2014 1875 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2014 685 Rock This Town BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014)
2014 896 Stray Cat Strut BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014)
2013 1791 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2013 1808 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2011 1725 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2011 1748 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2010 1660 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2010 1680 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2009 1619 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2009 1641 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2008 1604 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2008 1622 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2007 1646 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2007 1656 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2005 215 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 405 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2004 214 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 404 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2003 214 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 404 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 517 Stray Cat Strut Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 937 Rock This Town Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1504 Rumble in Brighton Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2002 214 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 404 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 1954 She's Sexy And 17 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 484 Rock This Town Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 657 Stray Cat Strut Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 1832 Rumble in Brighton Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 92 Artist ranking WLIR Top 92 Artists of All-Time (September 2002)
2001 214 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 404 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 1971 She's Sexy And 17 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2000 214 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
2000 403 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
2000 1956 She's Sexy And 17 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
1999 238 Stray Cat Strut 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999)
1999 483 Sexy and 17 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999)
1999 451 Stray Cat Strut Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 801 Runaway Boys Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 36 Rock This Town WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 134 Stray Cat Strut WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 464 Stray Cat Strut The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 214 Rock This Town CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 403 Stray Cat Strut CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 1970 She's Sexy And 17 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 74 Stray Cat Strut Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999)
1998 234 Rock This Town KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998)
1998 256 Stray Cat Strut KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998)
1997 654 Rock This Town WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997)
1997 885 Stray Cat Strut WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997)
1996 135 Rock This Town KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996)
1996 229 Stray Cat Strut KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996)
1996 431 Stray Cat Strut Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996)
1995 179 Rock This Town KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995)
1995 287 Stray Cat Strut KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995)
1995 159 Rock This Town Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995)
1994 113 Rock This Town Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994)
1992 102 Elvis on Velvet Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1992
1992 264 Rock This Town KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992)
1991 93 Artist ranking Live 105 Top 105 Artists of All-Time (1991)
1989 342 Rock This Town KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989)
1989 40 Rock This Town 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989)
1988 255 Rock This Town Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988)
1983 80 Sexy and 17 KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1983
1983 74 Sexy and 17 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983
1982 6 Rock This Town KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982
1982 35 Runaway Boys KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982
1982 53 Stray Cat Strut KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982
1982 94 Built for Speed KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982
1981 45 Rock This Town KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981

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