Stormtroopin'

Album: Ted Nugent (1975)
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Songfacts®:

  • A track from Ted Nugent's first solo album, this is a song with political meaning, which is something Nugent avoids: Even though he has very strong political views, he usually keeps it out of his songs, preferring to sing about sex, hunting and living with passion.

    He is very outspoken and not afraid to offend, so when High Times asked him about this song in 1977, he replied: "It's a combination of the Nazi thing, which has got to be the ultimate scam on earth. I deplore that scene and how they should have controlled themselves. Some f--kin' stormtroopers come down my street, Jack, they're dead. Got it? F--kin' Jews and everybody else that got taken, I have no sympathy, man. They should have armed themselves and crushed them pricks. So the idea is don't ever be stormtrooped, you do the Stormtroopin'."
  • Two years after this song was released, Star Wars hit theaters, introducing the Stormtroopers, white-armored soldiers of the evil Empire with really bad aim. But Stormtroopers were also the members of Nazi special forces in World War II, which is the context in this song.
  • Nugent points to this song as one where he makes a strong, meaningful statement, taking a position that many gun-rights advocates hold dear. "Big brother you can look, but don't f--k with me," he said to Sounds regarding this song's meaning. "Any f--kin' Nazi set-up ever tries to take over my neighborhood, Jack, there'll be a lot of f--kin' dead Nazis in the street."
  • As was the case on many of Nugent's early songs, lead vocals on "Stormtroopin'" are by Derek St. Holmes. Dating back to his previous band, The Amboy Dukes, Nugent didn't do much singing, but starting with his 1977 album Cat Scratch Fever, he sang on most of the singles, which kept him the center of attention when he performed them.
  • "Stormtroopin'" is one of Nugent's most popular live songs, often used as his concert opener. It's part of his 1978 live album Double Live Gonzo!, which sold over 3 million copies, outselling the Ted Nugent album.

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