Round and Round (Ratt song)
| "Round and Round" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Artwork for US vinyl single, also used for German release with different titling layout | ||||
| Single by Ratt | ||||
| from the album Out of the Cellar | ||||
| Released | 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:22 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Beau Hill | |||
| Ratt singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Round and Round" on YouTube | ||||
"Round and Round" is a song by the American 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 Ratt's debut album Out of the Cellar. The tune was ranked number 51 on "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s",[4] and was named the 61st best hard rock song of all time also by VH1.[3]
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 was cross-dressing 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 upstairs to the attic, her dress and wig fall off, and she gives herself a makeover. 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.
Milton Berle's nephew was the band's manager (Marshall Berle), and he got Milton to appear in the video (free of charge) both dressed as himself in a tuxedo, and as a woman.
In the book MTV Ruled the World - The Early Years of Music Video, Warren DeMartini confides the thrill of doing this video: "Milton Berle was the first icon I think any of us had ever met. It was a really cool thing. He was really the first guy to ever have a variety show on TV, and he was a cool person to listen to, because he made his career the same way that he knew that we were going to, which is to get on the road. Because prior to TV, it was just Vaudeville. He was telling us stories and talking about those days, when him and other comedians of the period would get on a train, travel all night, you know, middle America. Raining, cold, get into a hotel, get up in the morning, set it all up, do the show, and then move on. What he described was great, but it was tough."
The woman in the video is model Lisa Dean who would play the lead character, Diana, in the 1988 Michael Jackson music video for "Dirty Diana".[5]
Reception
"Round and Round" proved to be the biggest hit of Ratt's career, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.
In popular culture
"Round and Round" was used in season 1 of the series Supernatural and season 2 of the Netflix series Stranger Things.[citation needed] The song was also used in the end credits for Billy & Mandy Save Christmas and in the 2008 film The Wrestler. It also appeared in the 2006 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the fictional in-game radio station "V-Rock". It was also featured in the rhythm video games Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and Rock Band 2.
In a 2020 TV commercial for GEICO, a young couple explains their new home has a rat problem—actually a Ratt problem, as the band is seen singing "Round and Round" in various parts of the house.[6] Thanks to this exposure, the tune became a hit all over again, reaching #18 on the Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales Chart on June 4, 2020.
Track listing
- "Round and Round" – 4:22
- "The Morning After" – 3:33
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
Charts
| Year-end chart (1984) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[7] | 87 |
References
- ^ "100 Best Singles of 1984: Pop's Greatest Year". Rolling Stone. September 17, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Greatest Hair Metal Songs". Rolling Stone. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ a b Stosuy, Brandon (January 5, 2009). "100 Best Hard Rock Songs Ever (According to VH1)". Stereogum. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ "VH1 the 80's". Retrieved February 7, 2009.
- ^ "The Woman Above the Legs; LA Times, July 3, 1988".
- ^ "Ratt GEICO Commercial" Ultimate Classic Rock
- ^ "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. December 22, 1984. p. TA-19.