If we give some thought to great British songwriters since 1960, there are plenty to consider. Lennon and McCartney stand head and shoulders above the rest, of course. But there have been plenty of other British songwriting duos that have created great material.
Elton John and Bernie Taupin, for example, and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. But, then, others wrote on their own. Pete Townshend, Kate Bush, Clifford T. Ward, Peter Gabriel, and plenty more. It would be a long list.
One such pairing you might not be aware of would be Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. They were the songwriters for the British band Squeeze. So, I decided to take a closer look at the top 10 Squeeze songs.
A Varied Lineup
The band had a variety of lineups over the years. Jools Holland was one notable musician who often worked with them. But Difford and Tilbrook were always there with their recognizable sound.
They were formed in South London and first appeared in the “New Wave” era of the late-70s. Not everyone’s favorite genre at the time, but Squeeze was a little different. Their first album came in 1978, and they have continued to record, with one or two rest periods, up to 2017.
So, let’s take a look at their back catalog, which includes 45 singles and 14 studio albums, to find the best Squeeze songs. This will be subjective, of course, but let’s try to pick out what might be the top 10 Squeeze songs. All of the songs will be written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook unless stated.
Top 39 Squeeze Songs
1 Take Me I’m Yours
Let’s go right back to where it all started. This is a track from their debut album simply called Squeeze. It was released in 1978 and did quite well, exceeding initial projections for success, reaching #19 on the UK chart. A sound that was very representative of the New Wave genre that was already taking hold.
New Wave, as it was known, was a very loose description of a genre and possibly wasn’t a genre at all. It tended to be music that didn’t fit in other descriptions and covered a range of styles, especially the later types of Punk.
2 Is That Love?
This is the first track we shall include from their excellent album, East Side Story. It was the first single taken from that 1981 album and reached #35 on the UK chart. Also, there are shades of early Beatles songs on this track.
The song was inspired by the recent marriage of co-writer Chris Difford. It started as a love song but changed a little during the writing and rehearsal progress. They sped it up from his original idea.
As I said, you can hear the influence of some of the early Beatles songs on this track. Elvis Costello had the idea for the ending and played the piano part.
3 Another Nail In My Heart
Here is a song from 1980 and their album, Argybargy. An uptempo song with something you don’t see and hear every day. A guitar played clean, without a dozen overdrive pedals, or the player wearing a silly hat.
Very much a song of its time, it did quite well commercially, reaching #17 on the UK chart. As a result, it became one of the most successful Squeeze songs.
“Another Nail In My Heart” is one of the tracks which featured Jools Holland when he was a member of the band. It has got a familiar storyline where Squeeze is concerned. Someone sitting in a bar bemoaning a lost love through the bottom of a glass and drinking away the sadness.
4 Last Time Forever
Fast forward to 1985, and this song from the album Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti. That album was their first after a 3-year break. Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were off doing other musical things, but Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti marked the return of the band as an entity.
The single reached #45 on the UK chart, the album #31 in the UK, and #57 in America. It has an interesting lyric that is open to some interpretation. As well as a somewhat deliberately discordant piano part from Jools Holland that gets your attention.
5 Annie Get Your Gun
We mentioned when talking about the previous song that there had been a three-year break. This was the final single released just before that break. It wasn’t included on a formal album release but was later included on a compilation album, Singles – 45’s and Under.
The recording of that song and the way it was handled by Alan Tarney caused some friction between the band and their management. Tarney had requested a new song, and Tolbrook gave him an option, “Annie Get Your Gun.”
When the band was called back, the backing track had already been recorded, and it just needed the vocals. Tolbrook was not impressed and said he felt like one of The Monkees who were not good enough to play on recordings. Squeeze was quite clearly good enough. The song reached #43 in the UK and #40 in America.
6 Hourglass
Released in 1987 and taken from the album Babylon and On, this was Squeeze’s best-selling single in America. It reached #16 in the UK and #15 in America. The accompanying memorable video was produced by Ade Edmondson.
To be fair, only a small percentage of their singles were released across the pond in America. But, of those that were, this was commercially the most successful.
It was distinctive in some ways in that it featured a saxophone solo. The guitar riff and a trademark catchy chorus made it the sort of song you would remember and gave it that typical Squeeze sound. In turn, it became one of the most popular Squeeze songs.
7 Labeled With Love
This is what I mean about not fitting other genre descriptions. “Labeled With Love” is a very well-known Squeeze song and was a huge success for the band reaching #4 in the UK. It was taken from the album East Side Story, released in 1981. The album was not as commercially successful, reaching #19 on the UK Album chart and #44 in America.
The song has been written as a waltz, which was not something you heard Squeeze play very often. But, with different instruments and a slight change in style, this could easily be an American Country song. Especially with the lyrics.
The song tells a story of a love lost in time…
A story of a wasted life as the wife of a drunkard, and sets the scene of someone drinking in a bar and telling people about it. That sounds familiar. A song with a story, as many Squeeze songs had. This one is especially poignant, and you can almost touch the sadness in the lyrics.
“Drinks to remember I, me, and myself – And winds up the clock and knocks dust from the shelf – Home is a love that I miss very much – So the past has been bottled and labeled with love.” If you happen to like songs that tell a sad story, then this is for you.
8 Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
Another song that will be very familiar to many from the album Argybargy from 1980. Not one of the better commercial successes, it reached #44 on the UK chart. This is a track where you get not one but two solos, one from the guitar and one from the piano. Well, when you’ve got Jools Holland tickling the ivories, why not?
It is an interesting observation of working-class life in the UK. Some of it reflects life when the band might have been growing up. Going to a holiday camp for a week in the summer is a cheap alternative.
Mussels are, along with Cockles and Whelks, part of the “Cockney” dinner. You eat them by pulling them from the shell, another cheap alternative. Well, cheap then, not so much these days. There is also a sexual connotation buried in the lyrics, which got past the censors, which we don’t need to pursue here.
9 Up The Junction
One of Squeeze’s best-known songs. It was taken from one of their best albums, Cool For Cats, released in 1979. This isn’t a song to be confused with the title song from the film “Up The Junction” by Manfred Mann. The Squeeze song was one of their most commercially successful, reaching #2 on the UK chart.
In some ways, it is an interesting song. There is no chorus, and the title is not sung until the song is nearly all over. It is a sad song of love gone wrong, but the jaunty piano part almost makes it sound happy. “Up The Junction” is London slang for “there’s a serious problem.”
10 Cool For Cats
Always on the radio at the time, this is a clever song that is somewhat different from what they might create. It was taken from the album of the same name, released in 1979.
A pulsating beat and an interesting bass line make this a song you just have to tap your feet to. Another single that reached #2 in the UK. This was the end of the 70s, and the band was on a roll.
Plenty of cockney banter and rhyming slang delivered in a perhaps overemphasized London cockney accent. It talks of “the Sweeney,” rhyming slang for “Sweeney Todd,” the Flying Squad, a fast response police unit. A simple enough song, and in my view, the top song they released.
11Black Coffee in Bed
12Goodbye Girl
13If I Didn’t Love You
14Slap and Tickle
15Someone Else’s Heart
16Messed Around
17Love’s Crashing Waves
18When the Hangover Strikes
19Loving You Tonight
20Heaven Knows
21Trust Me to Open My Mouth
22Love Circles
23Walk a Straight Line
24Wedding Bells
25853-5937
26The Waiting Game
27Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken
28I Can’t Hold On
29No Place Like Home
30Hope Fell Down
31Dr. Jazz
32On My Mind Tonight
33In Quintessence
34Ain’t It Sad
35Melody Motel
36The Elephant Ride
37The Knack
38Third Rail
39Take Me I’m Yours (Live)
Want to Discover More Incredible Songs?
If so, check out our thoughts on the Best 70s Rock Songs, the Best Grateful Dead Songs of All Time, the Top 11 Songs about Old Love, the Best Classic Rock Songs, the Best Throwback Songs, and the Best Piano Songs for more great song selections.
Top 39 Squeeze Songs – Final Thoughts
In the late 70s and early 80s, Squeeze was considered very cool. And, as I have said, it was difficult to label them in any one style. The New Wave was a bit like that. But, whatever way you described them, they could be summed up very easily. They were pretty good and made some great music.
Until next time, happy listening.
