Ever walk into a gas station in the middle of nowhere, squinting against that brutal Texas sun, and see a spinning cardboard rack full of the ugliest plastic eyewear known to man? That’s where the magic started. Most people hear those opening notes of Cheap Sunglasses and think about a high-budget music video or stadium lights. But honestly? The song is way more blue-collar than that. It’s about a $6 pair of shades and a 20-mile stretch of road outside La Grange.
ZZ Top has a way of making the mundane feel like a legend.
The $6 Origin Story
Back in 1979, the band was coming off a massive three-year break. Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill had both grown their iconic beards during the hiatus—without telling each other, believe it or not. When they got back to business for the Degüello album, they were touring in cars, not private jets.
Every time they stopped for gas, they’d see those cheap, oversized frames. Billy later recalled that they’d buy them by the bucketload. Why? To throw them into the crowd during shows. It was a "hip trip" offering.
The lyrics didn't take months of soul-searching. Billy wrote all three verses in about 20 miles while driving toward Austin. He basically just looked at what was happening around him. He saw a girl in "funky fine Levis" with a "West Coast strut," and the contrast of her style with those budget shades just clicked.
"The first thing you do when you get up out of bed / Is hit that streets a-runnin' and try to beat the masses / And go get yourself some cheap sunglasses."
It’s a morning-after anthem. It’s for the person who woke up with a headache and needs a "big black frame" to hide their name from the world.
That Weird, Rotund Guitar Tone
If you're a gear nerd, the sound of this track is a holy grail. It’s not a clean, pretty tone. It’s thick. It’s "bulbous."
Billy Gibbons didn't use some pristine boutique setup. He played the lead through a Marshall Major, a 200-watt beast that actually had a blown tube. That broken component is exactly what gave the guitar that "rotund" and slightly unpredictable growl.
The Secret Ingredients
- The "Mystery Setting": Billy used a 1955 Stratocaster with a three-way toggle switch. Back then, players had to balance the switch in the "in-between" positions to get that quacky, hollow sound.
- The Ring Modulator: That strange, clanging tag at the end of the song? That’s a Maestro ring modulator. It’s an insane effect that sounds like a bell being hit with a hammer, and it’s used three times to punctuate the groove.
- Digital Delay: To get that "Bo Diddley" feel during the fade-out, they leaned on an early digital delay unit.
Wayfarers Weren't Always Luxury
Here’s a detail that usually surprises people: The Ray-Ban Wayfarer was originally the "cheap sunglasses" the song refers to.
In the late 50s and 60s, you could pick up a pair of Wayfarers for about six dollars. By 1959, they’d skyrocketed to eight bucks. Billy has mentioned in interviews that before they were a status symbol, they were just the standard-issue cool shades you could find anywhere.
Of course, the song mentions two classes: Rhinestone shades or cheap sunglasses. It’s about the choice between being flashy and being functional.
Why the Song Almost Didn't Happen
Degüello was a pivot point. The band had signed with Warner Bros. and punk rock was starting to bleed into the mainstream. The trio felt emboldened to be weirder. Songs like "Manic Mechanic" and "Cheap Sunglasses" were experiments.
Some critics at the time actually accused the main riff of being a rip-off of Edgar Winter’s "Frankenstein" or Blind Faith’s "Had to Cry Today." But if you listen to the middle section—that long, cool bass groove where Dusty Hill just locks in—it’s pure Texas blues. It doesn't sound like London or New York. It sounds like a hot afternoon in Houston.
The Optometrist’s Warning
Interestingly, the band once got a "bad rap" from an actual optometrist.
There was apparently a convention in Hawaii where a poster featured a woman pointing a finger, warning: "Don't wear ZZ Top's cheap sunglasses." The medical argument was that dark lenses without proper UV protection make your pupils dilate, letting in more harmful light than if you wore nothing at all.
Billy’s response? He basically agreed. He admitted there’s a "cutoff point" where you have to care about your eyes. But for "negotiating the afternoon" after a long night? The cheap ones do just fine.
How to Get the Sound Today
If you’re trying to replicate that Degüello vibe, you don't need to blow a tube in a vintage Marshall (though it helps).
- Hybrid Picking: Use a pick for the low notes and your fingers for the high "pops." This is the key to Billy's percussive style.
- Pinch Harmonics: That "squeal" you hear is all in the thumb of the picking hand.
- The "Big Black Frames": If you're looking for the aesthetic, look for vintage-style Wayfarer alternatives. Brands like American Optical or even modern gas station specials still capture that "big black frame" anonymity.
The song isn't just about eyewear. It's about a specific kind of American swagger—the ability to look cool even when you're broke and hungover. It’s a reminder that you don't need a thousand-dollar wardrobe to have a "West Coast strut."
Go find a pair of shades that make you feel like nobody knows your name. Put on the record. Crank the bass. Just make sure they have a little bit of that "Texas funk" before you hit the streets a-runnin'.
