This Hit by Ratt Helped Kick off the Hair Metal Craze in the 1980s

We mostly associate glam metal, also known as hair metal, with the latter half of the 80s. But a Los Angeles band named Ratt helped to kick off the craze a little bit earlier than that. Their single “Round And Round” brought the sound to the mainstream in 1984.

Videos by American Songwriter

The song highlighted the band’s combination of vocal power, guitar pyrotechnics, and swaggering attitude. In many ways, it set the template for the huge musical trend to come.

LA Heroes

If you were going to make it in the hard rock/heavy metal genre in the 80s, it certainly helped if you were from Los Angeles. A preponderance of the groups that dominated the charts and MTV in the latter half of the decade hailed from Southern California. That included Ratt, headquartered on the Sunset Strip during their heyday.

To their credit, however, this was not a band that latched onto a craze. Rather, they helped to start it. After all, the origins of the band began with Stephen Pearcy, the lead singer, forming bands with various names in the mid-70s. At some point, one of those outfits was called Crystal Ratt, shortened to just Ratt circa 1977.

Jake E. Lee, who’d go on to become Ozzy Osbourne’s lead guitarist, was briefly a part of the band. The classic lineup of Ratt began to materialize with the addition of guitarists Robbin Crosby and Warren DeMartini in the early 80s. A 1983 EP initiated a major label deal, which led to their debut album, Out Of The Cellar, in 1984.

A “Round” Number

Ratt actually had “Round And Round” in the hopper when they made their EP. But they didn’t think highly enough of it to include it. When Beau Hill, who was producing Out Of The Cellar, heard it, he insisted it had hit potential.

The song came from guitarists DeMartini and Crosby trading guitar and melodic ideas via cassettes, with Pearcy overseeing it all. As for the lyrics, Pearce based them on the band’s activities on the streets of LA. He added a romantic element to tie things together.

A video of the song grabbed some attention for starring television legend Milton Berle, uncle of the band’s manager, along with a lot of rampaging rodents. “Round And Round” was one of the first songs with the glam metal vibe to break down the doors at radio, landing at No. 12 in 1984.

Exploring the Lyrics of “Round And Round”

Much of “Round And Round” is devoted to detailing the excitement and recklessness of the nightlife. “Tighten up belts, abuse ourselves,” Pearce sneers. “Get in our way, we’ll put you on your shelf.” “The neon lights are on me tonight,” he beams.

In the bridge and the chorus, Pearce focuses on a volatile relationship. “I knew right from the start,” he sings. “You’d put an arrow through my heart.” He holds out hope for a happy ending. “’Round and ‘round, we’ll all find a way, just give it time,” he promises.

Even though Ratt enjoyed a highly successful stretch throughout the 80s, their first hit was by far their biggest. “Round And Round” paved the way for all that was to come in the genre Ratt helped to initiate.

Photo by Ray Garbo/Shutterstock