Released 1986 Recorded 1985 Label Warner Bros. | Format 7" Genre Rock | |
Length 4:50 (album version)
3:32 (single version) | ||
"Rough Boy" was the third single by American rock band ZZ Top from their 1986 album Afterburner. The song reached No. 5 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as No. 23 in the UK Top 40. Unlike the other songs on the album, this song has a much slower tempo and is more of a power ballad. It also shares a similar, though much slower, tune to their song "Leila" from their album El Loco.
Contents
Music video
The music video (directed by Steve Barron) features the band's "Eliminator" car/space shuttle hybrid (from the Afterburner album cover) visiting a space car wash, interspersed with images of the band members' hands and faces, as well as a woman's legs, protruding from metal plates, some of which double as lighted message signs or crosswalk signals.