Round and Round (Ratt song)
"Round and Round" | ||||
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Single by Ratt | ||||
from the album Out of the Cellar | ||||
Released | 1984 | |||
Format | Vinyl album, cassette, compact disc | |||
Recorded | 1984 | |||
Genre | Heavy metal[1][2][3] | |||
Length | 4:24 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Writer(s) | Warren DeMartini, Stephen Pearcy, Robbin Crosby | |||
Producer(s) | Beau Hill | |||
Ratt singles chronology | ||||
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"Round and Round" is a song by the American heavy metal band, Ratt. It was released as a single in 1984 on Atlantic Records.
Background
The song was written by group members Warren DeMartini, Stephen Pearcy and Robbin Crosby.
It appears as the third track off of Ratt's debut album Out of the Cellar. The tune was ranked number 51 on "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's",[4] and was named the 61st best hard rock song of all time also by VH1.[5]
In popular culture
- "Round and Round" was featured in the 2008 film The Wrestler and the 2012 comedy film That's My Boy.
- The song was also featured in the 2006 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, 2007 video game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, also the mastered track later appeared in Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero Live.
- It was also used to open each newscast aired on Los Angeles radio station KFI until late 2013.
- The song was featured in the credits of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Christmas special, Billy and Mandy Save Christmas
- It was also featured in the 2006 video game Saints Row
Music video
The music video finds the band set up in the attic of a rich family's mansion. They start to terrorize the family members during dinner while causing a major racket with their music. During the song's guitar solo, Ratt guitarist Warren DeMartini falls through the attic floor, onto the dining room table where the family members are eating. The video briefly features comedian Milton Berle, whose nephew Marshall Berle was Ratt's band manager at the time.
Milton Berle played the staid head-of-household and crossdressed to play the matron in the video. Both characters seem perturbed by the loud volume of Ratt's playing, and quickly leave the table. Meanwhile, a seemingly shy yet attractive woman is drawn by the music to the attic. On the way her dress becomes caught and she rips the bottom of it off. She appears in the attic as a completely different person, and begins dancing to the song. At the end of the video, the butler is seen dressed up as a metalhead and "rocking out" in a separate room.
The vixen in the video is model Lisa Dean who would play the lead character, Diana, in the 1988 Michael Jackson music video of Dirty Diana.[6] Dean died in December 2009 at the age of 50 after a bout with colon cancer.[7]
Reception
"Round and Round" proved to be the biggest hit of Ratt's career, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Track listing
- "Round and Round" – 4:27
- "The Morning After" – 3:37
Personnel
- Stephen Pearcy- Vocals
- Warren DeMartini- Lead and rhythm guitar
- Robbin Crosby- Lead and rhythm guitar
- Juan Croucier- Bass guitar and backing vocals
- Bobby Blotzer- Drums
References
- ↑ https://books.google.ca/books?id=5zI5CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA316&lpg=PA316&dq=ratt+round+and+round+heavy+metal&source=bl&ots=eTxL0cZMad&sig=YMiEIGHEt_FHb2sfWcZdQ5EkG44&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3yKaznorLAhUBU2MKHeZYAUI4FBDoAQgpMAM#v=onepage&q=ratt%20round%20and%20round%20heavy%20metal&f=false
- ↑ http://www.8-track-shack.com/ratt-round-and-round-the-morning-after-45-rpm-records-p-95380.html
- ↑ http://www.stereogum.com/43591/vh1s_100_greatest_hard_rock_songs/franchises/list/
- ↑ "VH1 the 80's". Retrieved February 7, 2009.
- ↑ "spreadit.org music". Retrieved February 7, 2009.
- ↑ "The Woman Above the Legs; LA Times, July 3, 1988".
- ↑ "Noted model Lisa Dean succumbs to cancer at age 50.". songfacts.com. Retrieved 10 December 2013.