Squeeze/Chris Difford/Glenn Tilbrook: Top 50 Songs

Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, image from warwickartscentre.co.uk

Squeeze/ Chris Difford/ Glenn Tilbrook Top 50 Songs

Squeeze was a new wave band formed in England in 1975. The group have released 15 studio albums from 1978 to 2017. The only two members from every incarnation of the band, however, are singer/songwriters Chris Difford (born 11/4/1954 in Greenwich, United Kingdom) and Glenn Tilbrook (born 8/31/1957 in Woolwich, London, England). When Squeeze temporarily dissolved in 1982, the two recorded as a duo. The group had another long studio hiatus from 1998 to 2010 during which time Difford and Tilbrook each released solo albums. Click here to see other best-of lists from performers and here to see other best-of lists from songwriters and/or producers. Spotify Podcast: Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Best of Squeeze based on this list. It debuts September 14, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Awards (Squeeze): Awards (Chris Difford & Glenn Tilbrook):

Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. (Click for codes to singles charts.) DMDB Top 5%: 1. Tempted (1981) DMDB Top 10%: 2. Up the Junction (1979) 3. Hourglass (1987) DMDB Top 20%: 4. Cool for Cats (1979) 5. Black Coffee in Bed (1982) 6. Goodbye Girl (1978) 7. Pulling Mussels from the Shell (1980) 8. Take Me I’m Yours (1978) 9. 853-5937 (1987) 10. Annie Get Your Gun (1982) 11. Labelled with Love (1981) 12. Slap and Tickle (1979) 13. Is That Love? (1981) 14. Another Nail in My Heart (1980) 15. Satisfied (1991) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 16. If I Didn’t Love You (1980) 17. Heartbreaking World (1985) 18. Trust Me to Open My Mouth (1987) 19. In Quintessence (1981) 20. Everything in the World (1993) 21. I Won’t Ever Go Drinking Again (?) (1985) 22. Loving You Tonight (1993) 23. Slaughtered, Gutted, and Heartbroken (1989) 24. When the Hangover Strikes (1982) 25. Still (Glenn Tilbrook, 2009) 26. Fat As a Fiddle (Chris Difford, 2008) 27. Last Time Forever (1985) 28. Some Fantastic Place (1993) 29. Separate Beds (1980) 30. Hits of the Year (1985) 31. Interviewing Randy Newman (Glenn Tilbrook, 2001) 32. Like I Did (Chris DIfford, 2010) 33. Squabs on the Forty Five (1981) 34. Hot Shaved Asian Teens (Glenn Tilbrook, 2004) 35. No Show Jones (Chris Difford, 2003) 36. Electric Trains (1995) 37. Goldfish (Chris Difford, 2010) 38. Bang Bang (1978) 39. Pinocchio (1993) 40. To Be a Dad (1998) 41. Temptation for Love (Squeeze with Cathy Dennis, 1995) 42. On My Own I’m Never Bored (Chris Difford, 2008) 43. 1975 (Chris Difford, 2010) 44. Action Speaks Faster (Difford & Tilbrook, 1984) 45. Ice Cream (Glenn Tilbrook, 2014) 46. Vanity Fair (1981) 47. Chat Line Larry (Glenn Tilbrook & Nine Below Zero, 2011) 48. Some Americans (1987) 49. Messed Around (1981) 50. No Place Like Home (1985) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Squeeze DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Chris Difford DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Glenn Tilbrook Dave’s Music Database: “Best-of Lists for Performers” Dave’s Music Database: “Best-of Lists for Songwriters and/or Producers First posted 12/23/2019; updated 9/10/2021.

Squeeze charted with Sweets from a Stranger

Sweets from a Stranger Squeeze

Charted: May 29, 1982 Peak: 32 US, 37 UK, 26 CN Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK Genre: new wave

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Out of Touch (3:50] I Can’t Hold On (3:34] Points of View (4:12] Stranger Than the Stranger on the Shore (3:19] Onto the Dance Floor (3:37] When the Hangover Strikes (4:29] (7/82, --) Black Coffee in Bed (6:12] (4/9/82, 26 AR, 6 CL, 51 UK) I've Returned (2:34] Tongue Like a Knife (4:10] His House, Her Home (3:23] The Very First Dance (3:17] The Elephant Ride (3:22] Songs written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. Total Running Time: 46:25 The Players: Chris Difford (vocals, rhythm guitar) Glenn Tilbrook (vocals, lead guitar) John Bentley (bass) Don Snow (keyboards) Gilson Lavis (drums)

Rating: 3.322 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings) Quotable: ”The album is certainly flawed, [but even] an average Squeeze album is still pretty good” – Chris Woodstra, All Music Guide

About the Album: ”Perhaps the accolades from East Side Story and the constant Lennon/McCartney comparisons went to their head, or maybe the strain of constant touring sapped…their energy and better judgment…Sweets from a Stranger suffers from self-conscious sophistication, overambition, and general lack of direction. With previous albums, Difford and Tilbrook were able to make incisive observations on British life; the same holds true here, but the alcohol-soaked imagery and chaos between the lines of songs also reveals much about the internal problems of the band.” AMG ”With Carrack replaced by the faceless Don Snow, it hints at problems to come.” JA Not surprisingly following the “release of this album and an accompanying tour, the group disbanded, with Difford and Tilbrook recording a duo album before reconvening Squeeze in 1985.” HE Having said that, ”this is another tastefully produced pop album in the style of the last two.” JA Since their weak debut, the band have “slowly moved from…high-octane new wave pop…to blue-eyed soul.” HE Still present are “Chris Difford's vision and a sense of poetics perfectly matched with Glenn Tilbrook's Beatles/Tin Pan Alley sense of melody and chord changes.” HE “Again, the songwriting plumbs the familiar themes of loss and love.” HE ”The single Black Coffee in Bed didn't even crack the British Top 40, even though it's quite memorable, with the same crafty doo wop vocals and snappy pop production that made ‘Tempted’ such a success.” JA Also worthy of note are “the complexly orchestrated Tongue Like a Knife…with a clever snippet of ‘My Favorite Things’ on the fade – it's much like later efforts by XTC…Points of View and His House Her Home both sound like Costello's up-tempo, Beatles-inspired ballads…I Can’t Hold On and I’ve Returned effectively steal Costello's over-driven rock formula, with lively bass lines and complex song structures.” JA Squeeze still put out a better record than most bands could ever hope to achieve, proving that even though ” the album is certainly flawed, an average Squeeze album is still pretty good…when it hits…it really hits.” AMG Notes: The 1997 UK re-release added bonus tracks “I Can’t Get Up Anymore” and “Love Goes to Sleep.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Squeeze AMG All Music Guide review by Chris Woodstra JA John Alroy, Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews HE Half.Ebay.com Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/16/2006; last updated 2/7/2022.

Squeeze “Black Coffee in Bed” released

Black Coffee in Bed Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook (see lyrics here) Released: April 9, 1982 First Charted: April 24, 1982 Peak: 26 AR, 6 CO, 51 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 3.1 video, 5.31 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Squeeze are one of the most criminally overlooked bands when it comes to commercial success in the United States, not reaching the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart until 1987. Their self-titled debut came out in 1978 and over the course of the next few years they released a slew of new wave classics – “Take Me I’m Yours” (#19 UK, 1978), “Cool for Cats” (#2 UK, 1979). “Up the Junction” (#2 UK, 1979), “Pulling Mussels from the Shell” #44 UK, 1980), and “Tempted” (#41 UK, 1981). The latter was the group’s first foray into the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #49. Even in the UK, the band’s fortunes were slipping by the release of 1982’s Sweets from a Stranger. While lead single “Black Coffee in Bed” was as catchy as anything the band had ever done but they still stalled at #51 on the UK charts and missed the Billboard Hot 100 yet again. They did get some airplay on MTV with “a rather bizarre video…showing the band looking moody and artful in perms and leather jackets.” SF The first line of the song, “There’s a stain on my notebook / Where your coffee cup was” was inspired by a real situation. Lyricist Chris Difford said when he noticed a coffee stain on his notebook, it “was a very vivid image for me and inspired the song of loss and regret.” SF Although Difford typically handled lyrics in the band, it was Glenn Tilbrook who more often sang the songs – as he did on “Black Coffee in Bed.” He also usually handled the musical composition. Difford said “the fact that Glenn put a soul melody to it shows the unique quality of our writing.” WK Elvis Costello and Paul Young (later of Mike + the Mechanics) provide backing vocals. Tilbrook said the song “had the opportunity to be slightly perkier. My vocal is mannered and not very good at all, and I can’t stand to listen to it now. It was influenced by what Paul Carrack had brought to the table [he was the keyboardist on the previous album and sang lead on ‘Tempted’] but without Paul’s voice it didn’t sound right…This is one of the few Squeeze songs I'd happily re-record because I think I could do a better version.” SF Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Squeeze SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 3/11/2023.