"Can't stop, so keep rockin' kid."

April 12, 2022 11:44 PM

Hank C. Burnette's Spinning Rock Boogie may be unfamiliar to you. I'm here to help.
posted by Paul Slade (3 comments total)

Oh my! This is so fun ... but also one of those instances where the video description is a gold mine. This was apparently uploaded by Burnette himself, and he gives all sorts of interesting tidbits about the song in the description (same for his other uploads). For example: "the correct wording of the short spoken line at the end is: 'Can't stop, keep rockin', CAT' and not 'KID' as some have interpreted it! In fact, you're not alone as even Sonet themselves used the wrong spelling in one of their many PR flyers! Blame it on my 'sultry' English prononciation, lol!!"
posted by taz at 12:38 AM on April 13, 2022

It hadn't occurred to me to read the bit below the video, taz, so I didn't know that. It'll always be "kid" to me, whatever Hank himself says.

I had this song as a 7" single back in 1976, when it spent eight weeks in the UK charts, with #21 as its highest position. There were a lot of raucous punk singles around at the time, which I think is why it sold so well. A few years later, in my student flat, I had it cued up on my turntable with a time switch attached so it could act as alarm clock whenever exams came around. As I told my flatmate at the time: "It's great! You wake up dancing!"
posted by Paul Slade at 1:51 AM on April 13, 2022 [3 favorites]

The song wasn't unfamiliar, but the artist and song title certainly were. I have no idea where I heard it or when, but that tune is familiar as heck.

I liked the old car footage as well, calls me back to going to car "shows" with my best friend as a kid. His dad was well known at these events, and had a absolute cherry of a '69 Camaro that I fondly remember.

Nice post!
posted by Sphinx at 11:27 AM on April 13, 2022