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

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne CashSongwriter Interviews

Rosanne talks about the journey that inspired her songs on her album The River & the Thread, including a stop at the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.