Way Cool Jr.

"Way Cool Jr."
Single by Ratt
from the album Reach for the Sky
Released 1989
Format Vinyl LP, cassette, CD
Recorded 1988
Genre Glam metal, Blues rock
Length 04:27
Label Atlantic
Writer(s) Beau Hill, Warren DeMartini and Stephen Pearcy.
Producer(s) Beau Hill
Ratt singles chronology
"I Want a Woman"
(1988)		 "Way Cool Jr."
(1988)		 "Shame Shame Shame"
(1990)

"Way Cool Jr." is a single by the American heavy metal band Ratt. It is the third track on their 1988 album, Reach for the Sky. It reached number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song's lyrics focus mainly on a handsome, charismatic young man leading the high life while dealing in illicit drugs. Rumours spread that it was written about Elvis Presley due to the mentioning of things like "steel guitar across his back" and "heard he came from Memphis, somewhere down south, started hangin' with the blues crowd, that's how he got that crazy sound". The song is an example of the sort of irony for which the band became famous, especially with their songwriting for Reach for the Sky.

Though met with some criticism for seemingly glorifying criminal drug use, it actually exposes the seemingly flashy lifestyle as a facade. By this point in their career, Ratt had become disillusioned with the plastic nature of the rock n' roll lifestyle.

It was precisely this, the contrived and fake nature of the lifestyle, that formed the basis of their focus during the making of the album. Many go as far as to suggest that the song was specifically addressed to the guitarist Robbin "The King" Crosby who was entrenched within the depths of a crippling heroin addiction.

This is supported by Crosby's affinity for the blues, which was the element in Ratt's music to which he contributed more than any other member of the band. Crosby's 2002 death came as a result of his drug use, which only served to further add credence to this sort of speculation.

The band's popularity wavered greatly shortly afterwards and Crosby left the band two years later. the song was co-written by the album producer Beau Hill, guitarist Warren DeMartini and vocalist Stephen Pearcy.

Track listing

  1. "Way Cool Jr." - 4:27
  2. "Chain Reaction" - 3:42

Personnel

External links