The Stroke

For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation).

"The Stroke"
Single by Billy Squier
from the album Don't Say No
Released	May 4, 1981
Recorded	1981
Genre	Rock, heavy metal, hard rock
Length	3:38
Label	Capitol
Writer(s)	Billy Squier
Producer	Reinhold Mack Billy Squier
Billy Squier singles chronology
"The Stroke" (1981) "In the Dark" (1981)

"The Stroke" is the title of a song written and recorded by American rock artist Billy Squier. It was released in May 1981 as the debut single from his 1981 album Don't Say No.

Perhaps his most enduringly popular song, this was Squier's first single, reaching #17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was an even bigger hit at rock radio, hitting #3 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Squier's song even dented the British pop charts, rising to #52. It was named the 59^th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.

Chart positions

Chart (1981)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	3
Canada (RPM)	7
New Zealand (RIANZ)	32
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	52
U.S. Billboard Rock Tracks	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	17

In popular culture

• The song appeared in the films Billy Madison (1995), Small Soldiers (1998), Let's Go to Prison (2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Crank: High Voltage (2009) and "Larry Crowne" (2011)
• "The Stroke" along with "Everybody Wants You" and "When She Comes To Me" are available for download as of October 8, 2009 for Guitar Hero 5.
• "The Stroke" was sampled in a song named "Stroke Me" by Mickey Avalon in 2009, which was also featured in the advertisements for the game Duke Nukem Forever.
• The song was also featured in the pilot episode of The Good Guys