The Stroke
title: "The Stroke" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1981-songs", "1981-debut-singles", "billy-squier-songs", "capitol-records-singles", "funk-rock-songs", "song-recordings-produced-by-reinhold-mack", "songs-written-by-billy-squier"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stroke" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | The Stroke |
| cover | The Stroke (Billy Squier single - cover art).jpg |
| type | single |
| artist | Billy Squier |
| album | Don't Say No |
| B-side | Two Daze Gone |
| released | April, 1981 |
| *Hard rock{{cite book | first |
| *funk rock{{cite web | first |
| length | 3:38 |
| label | Capitol |
| writer | William Squier |
| next_title | In the Dark |
| next_year | 1981 |
| misc | |
| :: |
| name = The Stroke | cover = The Stroke (Billy Squier single - cover art).jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Billy Squier | album = Don't Say No | B-side = Two Daze Gone | released = April, 1981 | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre =
- Hard rock
- funk rock | length = 3:38 | label = Capitol | writer = William Squier | producer =
- Reinhold Mack
- Billy Squier | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = In the Dark | next_year = 1981 | misc =
"The Stroke" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist Billy Squier. It was released in 1981 as the debut single from his 3× platinum album Don't Say No.
This was Squier's first single to chart (although "In the Dark" charted first at Album Rock), peaking at No. 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100. It was a much bigger hit on rock radio, hitting No. 3 on the Top Tracks chart. It was Squier's only single released in the UK, where it made #52.
It was named the 59th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
An acoustic blues version, "Stroke Me Blues", was released on his 1998 album Happy Blue.
Charts
Weekly charts
::data[format=table] | Chart (1981) | Peak position | |---|---| | title=Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s |publisher=Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien |access-date=January 2, 2017 |url=http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=40275}} | 5 | | US Billboard Hot 100 | 17 | | US Billboard Top Tracks | 3 | | US Cash Box Top 100 | 17 | | US Record World | 6 | ::
Year-end charts
::data[format=table]
| Chart (1981) | Rank |
|---|---|
| title=National Top 100 Singles for 1981 | publisher=Kent Music Report |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 63 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 76 |
| :: |
In popular culture
- The song was the inspiration for rap artist Maestro Fresh Wes' hit "Let Your Backbone Slide" (1989).
- In 1991 the German hard rock band Bonfire released a cover version as a single and on their album Knock Out.
- The song is featured in the 1995 film Billy Madison, during the scene where the titular character is seen arriving to school in his Pontiac Firebird. It also appears in the film's closing credits.
- In 2007, the song was used in an episode of the Adult Swim series Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil.
- Also in 2007, the song was used for the character Chazz Michael Michaels' solo figure-skating routine in Blades Of Glory.
- Rapper Mickey Avalon samples the song in his 2009 song "Stroke Me".
- The song was sampled in "Berzerk" by Eminem on his 2013 album The Marshall Mathers LP 2.
- Baseball player Davis Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays uses the song as his walk-up music in the Rogers Centre.
References
References
- Talevski, Nick. (2006). "Rock Obituaries – Knocking on Heaven's Door". [[Omnibus Press]].
- Elliott, Paul. (May 30, 2016). "The Top 20 Greatest Funk Rock Songs". TeamRock.
- Winistorfer, Andrew. (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list only slightly less annoying than their hip-hop list".
- "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien.
- "Billy Squier – Awards".
- "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 22, 1981".
- (August 29, 1981). "Record World Singles".
- (January 4, 1982). "National Top 100 Singles for 1981". [[Kent Music Report]].
- (December 26, 1981). "Top 100 Singles of 1981".
- "Top 100 Hits for 1981".
- "Behind the Vinyl Podcast: Maestro Fresh-Wes, Darby Mills (Headpins), Kim Mitchell on Apple Podcasts".
- https://www.discogs.com/de/master/378731-Bonfire-The-Stroke-Dirty-Love
- (November 3, 2007). "Lucy, Daughter of the Devil – The Music: Episode 8". Quick Stop Entertainment.
- Kaufman, Gil. (October 29, 2009). "Mickey Avalon Goes Big With Travis Barker, Dr. Luke On Second Album". MTV.com.
- Russell, Alex. (August 27, 2013). "Listen: Eminem "Berzerk" (Prod. By Rick Rubin)".
- "The Walk up Database".
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