The Stroke

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

"The Stroke" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist Billy Squier. It was released in May of 1981 as the debut single from his Triple Platinum album Don't Say No. Squier's breakout coincided with the launch of MTV, where he would become one of the cable channel's most played artists of the decade.^{[citation needed]}

This was Squier's first single to chart, reaching No. 17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.^[1] It was a bigger hit on rock radio, reaching #3 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also reached the British pop charts, rising to #52. It was named the fifty-ninth 'best hard rock song of all time' by VH1.^[2]

Chart positions

In popular culture

• The song appeared in the films Billy Madison (1995), The Hot Spot (1990), Small Soldiers (1998), Let's Go to Prison (2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Crank: High Voltage (2009), Larry Crowne (2011) and Jobs (2013).
• "The Stroke" was made available for download on October 9, 2012 for Rock Band 3 and Rock Band 3 PRO for use with the real guitar / bass guitar.
• "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 and film We're the Millers.
• The song was also featured in the pilot episode of The Good Guys.
• The song was sampled in the song "Berzerk" by Eminem on his 2013 album The Marshall Mathers LP 2.

References

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics