Essential Ratt Songs

Judging by this photo I'd have guessed these guys were dancers in the musical Fame, not members in the rock band Ratt. While they were present at the on-set of the glam metal scene in the 80's, they weren't as over the top with their image as bands like Motley Crue. Ratt did have the sleazy lyrics and blazing guitars down pat, which were a signature of the genre. For some reason I've never been able to get into Ratt as much as bands like Cinderella and the Scorpions but I was up for the challenge to tackle their catalog and compile this list.

10. "Drive Me Crazy" (Dancing Undercover)
This song cracks the top ten for it's repeated group vocals of "Drive Me Crazy" with rapid fire percussion underneath.

9. "Shame Shame Shame" (Detonator)
Just a catchy, hard-rocking song that I found myself singing the chorus to while working this past week or so. Production from Desmond Child, who worked with many of their peers, was a smart move and gave their sound a necessary polish. I suppose I prefer the catchy hit singles like this over the album cuts.

8. "Best Of Me" (Infestation)
I feel like this sounds exactly like a David Lee Roth song you'd find on Eat 'Em and Smile or Skyscraper and that's why I like it so much.

7. "Back For More" (Out Of The Cellar)
I love the intro to this song as there's that back and forth between acoustic and electric guitars. While their debut album is alright, I think this is the stand-out track, and the band would only improve from here.


6. "Nobody Rides For Free" (Point Break Soundtrack)
This would be Ratt's last single released until their reunion/comeback in 1999 with their self-titled album. Apparently this was not a Ratt 'original', although members Stephen Pearcy, Juan Crocier, and Warren DeMartini would make some alterations to suit their style. It's a pretty cool tune!

5. "Gave Up Givin' Up" (Ratt)
I especially like the lyrics written for "Gave Up Givin' Up." I give up A LOT, so I need to take these words to heart.

4. "Lay It Down" (Invasion Of Your Privacy)
"Lay It Down" is my favorite among the hard-rocking Ratt tunes that would've been found on Headbanger's Ball and various rock countdowns of the era. Like so many other songs, it's about sex, and has a thumping rhythm to go along with it.

3. "Live For Today" (Ratt)
It is likely blasphemous to a majority of Ratt fans and 80's rockers in general, but this is my favorite among Ratt's albums. I like the straight-forward approach to the songs on this album as well as the lyrics, though that could be attributed to the use of outside song writers, such as Jack Blades and Jack Russell.

2. "Way Cool Jr." (Reach For The Sky)
I wrestled back and forth over my top two selections. This is definitely one of the most unique songs in Ratt's catalog with it's twangy intro as well the percussion. Seems like it's closer to the blues than their typical hard rock style. 

1. "Dance" (Dancing Undercover)
This song barely edged past "Way Cool Jr", if only for the fact that I had been listening to this song on a seemingly endless loop during recent trips to the gym. It has an energy that rivals the best of Motley Crue's 80's output, while also featuring lyrical innuendo.