Released 6 December 1968 Label ABKCO Producer(s) Jimmy Miller | Length 4:40 Writer(s) Jagger/Richards | |
Genre Blues rock, protopunk, hard rock | ||
"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.
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!. 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.