Top 10: Ratt Songs

It’s been a long time since we’ve Ratt n’ rolled! No really, I can’t remember the last time I took a deep dive into the catalog of these glam metal gods. Between this latest revisit, and Bobby Blotzer’s recent factual assessment that “Ratt always crushed Mötley Crüe musically” (not to mention, a brand new box set on the horizon), I felt compelled to give Ratt the Defenders Top 10 treatment. This was no easy list to make, as I could’ve just ranked the track listings of Out of the Cellar and Invasion of Your Privacy and called it a day. That said, I did my best to encompass Ratt’s entire catalog in this output, or at least their 80s work. On that note, it’s time to “Lay It Down”! Here are our Top 10 Ratt Songs!

10. “Body Talk”

Were you under the impression that Ratt were some wimpy hair band banking on good looks and cheap hooks? Think again. As this list will prove, take away the hairspray and MTV sanctioned outfits, and you’ve got a band who would likely be mentioned today in the same breath as NWOBHM warriors Tokyo Blade and Diamond Head, assuming they’d be mentioned at all. Granted, this was the superficial 80s, where a band has talented as Riot could flounder, while Bon Jovi…well, you get the idea. Despite the more polished direction of their third album, Dancing Undercover (1986), Ratt packed an explosive punch with “Body Talk”. The riffs and drumming draw heavily from the aforementioned NWOBHM scene, while that massive chorus brings it all together with fiery finesse.

9. “Round and Round”

Ashamed as I am to admit it, I almost didn’t include “Round and Round” on this list. I was so dead set on putting together a top 10 that showcased some of Ratt’s lesser known cuts. However, this isn’t “Top 10 Deepest Ratt Songs”. It’s “Top 10 Greatest Ratt Songs”, and commercial significance aside, I’d be remiss to not include “Round and Round” on this list. In an era where metal was crossing over to the pop charts in a big way (i.e. Twisted Sister, Scorpions, Quiet Riot, etc.), Ratt fit right in with this song that towed the line between classic pop rock and dirty headbangin’ metal. The riffs are simple and straightforward, the lyrics were tailormade for singing along to, and that twin guitar solo between Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby is pure heaven. “Dig!”

8. “Sweet Cheater”

Much like every other great American metal band of the day, before inking a major label deal, Ratt put out an EP. The self titled effort includes an early version of “Back for More”, a cover of Rufus Thomas’ “Walking the Dog”, and the anthem “Tell the World”. Yet none of these songs come close to the atomic bomb of an opener that is “Sweet Cheater”. Raw, fast, and lethal, this high speed glam attack is the textbook definition of a facemelter. It’s also not far off from what Armored Saint, Bitch, and other LA based cult metallers were specializing in at the time. I could use this outlet as an opportunity to address the stupidity of Ratt’s exclusion from the all knowing Metal Archives, but I’ll behave.

7. “Lovin’ You’s a Dirty Job”

The year was 1990. If glam metal was on life support, Ratt didn’t know it. In fact, by the time they released their fifth album, Detonator, the band had fully embraced all of the musical tropes that characterized the genre during its last hurrah. Gargantuan hooks, gang vocals, shamelessly hedonistic lyrics, ultra-slick production: You name it, Detonator has it. No song on this album better exemplifies this approach, while still keeping true to the Ratt ethos, than “Lovin’ You’s a Dirty Job”. Holy sleaze metal, Batman. If those power pop undertones weren’t so prevalent in the bridge, one might be utterly repulsed by the vanity on display (“You licked me off your fingers just like a piece of pie.”) In hindsight, it’s this bridge and other Ratt-centric nuances that separate it from other cringe-fests in the same vein (i.e. Winger’s “Seventeen”, Warrant’s “Cherry Pie”, Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, etc.), and earn it a spot on this list.

6. “Back for More”

“Back for More”: A jam so rad that Ratt recorded it twice! Yes, originally featured on their ’83 self titled EP, Ratt knew they had a hit on their hands with this one. The “new and improved” version that ended up on Out of the Cellar stayed true to the original composition, albeit with an uptempo kick. The end result was a success. “Back for More” became an overnight hit on rock radio, and its accompanying video fell into heavy rotation on MTV. Alongside “Wanted Man” and “Round and Round”, this classic helped Out of the Cellar achieve triple platinum status, and rightfully deserves a spot on this “best of” list. Much like “Round and Round”, this is L.A. metal that’s begging to be sang along to!

5. “Wanted Man”

For some odd reason or another, I don’t think anyone was going to confuse Ratt for a band of pistol totin’ desperados. That isn’t to take away from the fact that “Wanted Man” totally rules and is about as badass of an album opener as a band in 1984 could ask for. They may not be cowboys, but they sure are cool, and it shows in the riffs, lyrics, soft-loud interplay, ripping solo, etc. Call it a hot take, but I think I can safely say DeMartini and Crosby were the Denner and Shermann of the Sunset Strip. These two were utterly locked in like no other in their scene, especially in an age where the singular guitar hero reigned supreme (i.e. Randy Rhoads, George Lynch, Vivian Campbell, etc.).

4. “Between the Eyes”

The difference between Out of the Cellar and Invasion of Your Privacy is night and day. While the songwriting and musical approach remained the same, the production received a facelift and a half. Gone was the primitive, streetwise, and, ahem, cellar-esque atmosphere of Out of the Cellar. Invasion was big, bold, and most importantly, intended for arena sized audiences. It shows in both the hooks of the composition and the overall sound of the record. Yet Invasion is not without its outliers. Take “Between the Eyes” for example. Dark, ominous, and wrapped in mystery, this incredible unsung tune sees Pearcy confronting an unfaithful lover, because heaven knows if there was anything glam metal musicians did better than being unfaithful themselves, it was calling out their unfaithful partners *ba dum tss*. All joking aside, “Between the Eyes” smokes and should be an essential on your 80s metal mix.

3. “Lay It Down”

If “Round and Round” is Ratt’s signature song, then “Lay It Down” is its VP (although far more qualified for the title “Commander in Chief” in my humble opinion). I was in middle school the first time I heard this banger and it’s been stuck in my head ever since. If there ever was a shining example of a perfect arena metal song, this would be it. The lyrics are erotic as all hell, but so are the accompanying riffs, melodies, and overall mood of the song. Every nuance plays off each other with ease. There’s nothing forced about “Lay It Down”. There are no clichés or record company quotas to be met. No, just pure musical passion with enough hairspray to burn a hole in the ozone layer and an extra dose of volume.

2. “I’m Insane”

No Ratt song gets my head banging more vigorously than “I’m Insane”. As heavy as Out of the Cellar is (and it is), “I’m Insane” recalls the lo-fi NWOBHM inspired aggression of their debut EP. In just a little under 3 minutes, it crashes, bangs, and wallops as hard as any Raven classic, albeit with a tad more polish on the melodic side of the spectrum. Even though its since been relegated to “deep track” status among the masses, it remains a fan favorite of Ratt diehards, as well as the head honcho himself, Stephen Pearcy, who was performing it live as recently as last year. One most applaud Ratt’s dynamism. For every radio-friendly rocker up their sleeve, they could unleash something vicious and nasty like “I’m Insane”.

1. “Nobody Rides for Free”

Brilliant as Ratt were in their respective scene and era, nobody would accuse them of being stuck-up musos. These were five dudes who loved loud guitars, loose ladies, hard liquor, and made no bones about it. So how would you react if I told you the greatest Ratt song of all time was the ultimate and perhaps sole example of “epic glam metal”? Yes, you’ve heard of epic heavy, epic doom, and epic black metal respectively, all legitimate genres in their own right. Now get ready for “epic glam”, which is the only appropriate tag to describe the greatest Ratt song, “Nobody Rides for Free”.

Re-written and recorded for the 1991 Patrick Swayze/Keanu Reeves action film, Point Break, “Nobody Rides for Free” is a dramatic piece unlike anything Ratt had written before (or since for that matter). It rocks as hard as any song from their 80s heyday, but with emphasis on urgent lyricism, chilling backing vocals, and melodies that can only be described as, well, epic. There’s a sense of finality to this song that’s rather ironic. It would be Ratt’s last hit single, on both rock radio and MTV, as well as the last song they’d record before breaking up a year later in ’92. Coincidence? Perhaps. The greatest Ratt song of all time? No doubt.