Rock Out Tonight

Album: Class of '98 (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Rock Out Tonight" is the opening track of Eric Hutchinson's Class of '98 album. During the sprightly guitar-fueled song, he recalls his teenage years. Stuck in '90s suburbia, Hutchinson wanted to be a miscreant youth but didn't know how.

    "This song definitely defines my teenage years - I was full of angst, wanting so badly to be rebellious, but having no idea whatsoever how to be dangerous," he explained to Billboard.
  • Hutchinson's used 1990 Ford Taurus features on the tongue-in-cheek opening stanza.

    If you wanna rock out tonight
    I can pick you up in my Ford Taurus
    We'll stay out until at least midnight
    Or until they set a curfew for us


    "The very first line of the song - and the album - summed up everything for me," Hutchinson told
    American Songwriter. "I mean what's less rock and roll than picking you up in my Ford Taurus?"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

How The Beatles Crafted Killer Choruses

How The Beatles Crafted Killer ChorusesSong Writing

The author of Help! 100 Songwriting, Recording And Career Tips Used By The Beatles, explains how the group crafted their choruses so effectively.

Motley Crue

Motley CrueFact or Fiction

Was Dr. Feelgood a dentist? Did the "Crüecifixion" really happen?

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.