The Stroke

"The Stroke"
Single by Billy Squier
from the album Don't Say No
B-side	"Two Daze Gone"
Released	1981
Recorded	1980
Genre	Hard rock[1]; funk rock[2];
Length	3:38
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	William Squier
Producer(s)	Reinhold Mack; Billy Squier;
Billy Squier singles chronology
Music video
	"The Stroke‬” on YouTube

"The Stroke" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist Billy Squier. It was released in 1981 as the debut single from his 3× Platinum album Don't Say No.

This was Squier's first single to chart, reaching No. 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[3] It was a bigger hit on rock radio, reaching No. 3 on the Top Tracks chart. It also reached the UK Singles Chart, rising to No. 52. It was named the 59th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[4]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5]	5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6]	3
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7]	7
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8]	32
UK Singles (OCC)[9]	52
US Billboard Hot 100[3]	17
US Billboard Top Tracks[3]	3
US Cash Box Top 100[10]	17
US Record World[11]	6

Year-end charts

Chart (1981)	Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5]	41
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12]	63
US Billboard Hot 100[13]	76

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), The Curiosity of Chance (2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Crank: High Voltage (2009), Larry Crowne (2011) and Jobs (2013), as well as in the teaser trailer for The Expendables 3 (2014).
It was used in the denouément of episode 30, "Streaks and Tips" of The Shield in season three, as the Decoy Team honors its bet as losers to the Strike Team in the race to arrest a carjacking murderer.
"The Stroke" was sampled in the song "Stroke Me" by Mickey Avalon in 2009, which was also featured in the advertisements for the game Duke Nukem Forever and the film We're the Millers.
The song was sampled in the song "Berzerk" by Eminem on his 2013 album The Marshall Mathers LP 2.[14]
In 2007, the song was used in an episode of the Adult Swim series Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil.[15]
The song appeared as a remaster in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War during an opening cutscene and gameplay.

References

Talevski, Nick (2006). Rock Obituaries – Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-8460-9091-2. Later joining Billy Squier's hard rock group in the late Seventies, [Bobby] Chouinard appeared on the hard-rock anthems 'Everybody Wants You', 'In The Dark', and 'The Stroke'.
Elliott, Paul (May 30, 2016). "The Top 20 Greatest Funk Rock Songs". TeamRock. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
"Billy Squier – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014.
Winistorfer, Andrew (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list only slightly less annoying than their hip-hop list". VH1. Prefix Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
"Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
"Austriancharts.at – Billy Squier – The Stroke" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
"Top RPM Singles: Issue 0363." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
"Charts.nz – Billy Squier – The Stroke". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
"Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
"CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 22, 1981". Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012.
"Record World Singles" (PDF). Record World. August 29, 1981. p. 23. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
"Top 100 Singles of 1981". RPM. Vol. 35 no. 22. December 26, 1981. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
"Top 100 Hits for 1981". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
Russell, Alex (August 27, 2013). "Listen: Eminem "Berzerk" (Prod. By Rick Rubin)". Complex. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
"Lucy, Daughter of the Devil – The Music: Episode 8". Quick Stop Entertainment. November 3, 2007. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008.

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[1] Talevski, Nick (2006). Rock Obituaries – Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-8460-9091-2. Later joining Billy Squier's hard rock group in the late Seventies, [Bobby] Chouinard appeared on the hard-rock anthems 'Everybody Wants You', 'In The Dark', and 'The Stroke'.

[2] Elliott, Paul (May 30, 2016). "The Top 20 Greatest Funk Rock Songs". TeamRock. Retrieved January 31, 2017.

[awards-3] "Billy Squier – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014.

[4] Winistorfer, Andrew (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list only slightly less annoying than their hip-hop list". VH1. Prefix Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2009.

[AUS-5] "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 2, 2017.

[sc_Austria_Billy_Squier-6] "Austriancharts.at – Billy Squier – The Stroke" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 13, 2014.

[sc_Canadatopsingles_-7] "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0363." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 13, 2014.

[sc_New_Zealand_Billy_Squier-8] "Charts.nz – Billy Squier – The Stroke". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 13, 2014.

[sc_UK_Billy_Squier-9] "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2014.

[10] "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 22, 1981". Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012.

[11] "Record World Singles" (PDF). Record World. August 29, 1981. p. 23. Retrieved September 9, 2017.

[12] "Top 100 Singles of 1981". RPM. Vol. 35 no. 22. December 26, 1981. Retrieved January 2, 2017.

[13] "Top 100 Hits for 1981". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved January 2, 2017.

[14] Russell, Alex (August 27, 2013). "Listen: Eminem "Berzerk" (Prod. By Rick Rubin)". Complex. Retrieved August 13, 2014.

[15] "Lucy, Daughter of the Devil – The Music: Episode 8". Quick Stop Entertainment. November 3, 2007. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008.

Billy Squier
Albums	The Tale of the Tape Don't Say No Emotions in Motion Signs of Life Enough Is Enough Hear & Now Creatures of Habit Tell the Truth Happy Blue
Singles	"The Stroke" "In the Dark" "My Kinda Lover"/"Christmas Is the Time to Say 'I Love You'" "Everybody Wants You" "Rock Me Tonite" "Don't Say You Love Me"