Squeeze released Play

Play Squeeze

Released: July 23, 1991 Peak: -- US, 41 UK Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Satisfied (5:10] (8/3/91, 3 MR, 47 CN) Crying in My Sleep (5:03] (10/26/91, 14 MR) Letting Go (5:01] The Day I Get Home (4:50] The Truth (4:12] House of Love (3:23] Cupid’s Toy (4:31] Gone to the Dogs (3:54] Walk a Straight Line (3:50] Sunday Street [4:16] (7/91, --) Wicked and Cruel (4:14] There Is a Voice (4:01] Songs written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. Total Running Time: 52:25 The Players: Chris Difford (vocals, rhythm guitar) Glenn Tilbrook (vocals, lead guitar, keyboards) Keith Wilkinson (bass) Gilson Lavis (drums, percussion)

Rating: 3.299 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings) Quotable: “One of Squeeze’s most mature and thoughtful albums” – Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

About the Album: “Reduced to a quartet by Jools Holland's departure for a career as a BBC television presenter,” AMG ”keyboards are filled in by several people, including Berg, Matt Irving, and Steve Nieve. Bruce Hornsby shows up playing accordion (!), and Jerry Hey leads a horn section.” JA This gives “the group…a loose, R&B-inflected casualness,” AMG but “producer Tony Berg, unfortunately, occasionally obscures that character by drowning the songs in strings and mass backing vocals (including special appearances by Michael Penn, Wendie Colter, and Spinal Tap's Michael McKean and Christopher Guest!).” AMG Under Berg’s guidance, “the band retreat to its soporific mid-80's synth-heavy sound, and with the raw song material being weaker than usual, the result is a disappointment,” JA but the Difford/Tilbrook songs are mostly strong enough to withstand the onslaught.” AMG Play is “a bit pretentious in spots – the liner notes are written out as a theatre script, with the songs laid out as dialogue” Mason). It also masquerades as a concept album, albeit “loosely; this is less of a concept album than many reviews claimed at the time.” AMG A “loose” concept album isn’t particularly a good thing; if you’re going to do a concept album, then do a concept album. Still, this “simple and low-key collection of songs charting…the dissolution of a love affair” AMG makes for “one of Squeeze's most mature and thoughtful albums.” AMG While it might be easy to compare this to “the misguided experiments of Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti and the naked chart ambitions of Babylon and On” AMG and declare this one a winner, Play isn’t necessarily a better album, it just sounds like its supposed to be. Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti was one of Squeeze’s most consistent albums and Babylon and On, while over-reaching in its attempt at pure pop, is still a catchier listen. This is most on display from the very kick-off of the album. Satisfied, which is the obvious choice for the first single (although the U.K. baffling opted for Sunday Street instead), is the most memorable song on the album, but doesn’t come close to ranking with Squeeze’s best work. Other catchy songs include Crying in My Sleep, Letting Go, The Truth, and Wicked and Cruel. All are a cut above the average song, but they aren’t a cut above the average Squeeze song. Elsewhere on the album is the nice closing ballad There Is a Voice, but it is also largely pales when faced with superior efforts like “When the Hangover Strikes,” “Vanity Fair,” and even “Some Americans,” from previous albums.

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

Squeeze released Frank

Frank Squeeze

Released: August 24, 1989 Peak: 113 US, 58 UK Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Frank (no author – studio chatter) [0:15] If It’s Love [4:02] (9/89, 7 MR) Peyton Place [4:08] Rose, I Said [3:36] Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken [4:37] This Could Be the Last Time [3:49] She Doesn’t Have to Shave [3:27] Love Circles [5:34] (1/15/90, --) Melody Motel [3:51] Can of Worms [4:47] Dr. Jazz (Holland) [4:04] Is It Too Late [3:12] Songs written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 45:22 The Players: Chris Difford (vocals, rhythm guitar) Glenn Tilbrook (vocals, lead guitar) Jools Holland (keyboards) Keith Wilkinson (bass) Gilson Lavis (drums, percussion)

Rating: 3.089 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings) Quotable: “An unpretentious, classily produced album that’s packed with quality tunes” – John Alroy, Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews

About the Album: ”Though Babylon and On was hailed as a return to form, the unfairly overlooked follow-up, Frank, comes much closer to the sound of classic Squeeze.” AMG ”The band suddenly showed signs of life with an unpretentious, classily produced album that's packed with quality tunes and comes off as a true group effort.” JA “Wilkinson's ferociously melodic, Tilbrook's guitar parts are a tour de force, and, like everyone, Holland sounds like he's having the party of his life.” JA “Practically everything works, with crisp but complex arrangements, significant stylistic variety, and a genuine sense of humor…Several tunes are among their best ever.” JA “Mysteriously, the…singles completely bombed.” JA Then again, this should come as no surprise to anyone following their career. Squeeze can churn out pop masterpieces in their sleep and the charts will never give them a second glance. Both “If It's Love and the mesmerizingly harmonized Love Circles (hey, that's Difford in the lead) sound like Paul McCartney at his best.” JA "Peyton Place has great dynamics and a riveting chorus” JA while “the twisting rockers Rose I Said and (This Could Be) The Last Time are excellent examples of the group's debt to Elvis Costello and the early Beatles.” JA Dr. Jazz, Holland’s “boogie-woogie jazz tribute is endearingly odd.” JA He’s also “memorable on another of Difford's spotlights – the smooth, 40's small-combo jazz number Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken,” JA the peak of the album. The most “Squeeze-like” song on the album is the “irresistible” AMG She Doesn’t Have to Shave. Complete with witty lyrics that make you chuckle and an understated pop hook, the song catches on after a few listens and never lets you go again after that. That song and Can of Worms fit the fairly standard “blue-eyed soul love songs,” JA but, as is often the case with Squeeze, they charm more than they detract. There are also the “good-natured musical sendups (country-western on Melody Motel; manic rockabilly on It's Too Late) [that] are so well-performed they're gems.” JA ”None of this pushes the band's limits, but such a minor shortcoming won't spoil your enjoyment in the slightest.” JA With Frank, Squeeze has churned out yet another inexplicably overlooked delight.

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

Squeeze released Babylon and On

Babylon and On Squeeze

Released: September 15, 1987 Peak: 36 US, 14 UK, 95 CN, 84 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Hourglass [3:16] (7/87, 15 US, 13 RR, 45 AC, 22 AR, 3 CO, 16 UK, 23 CN, 90 AU) Footprints [3:49] (6/88, --) Tough Love [3:07] The Prisoner [4:06] 853-5937 [3:16] (12/19/87, 32 US, 27 RR, 37 AR, 6 CO, 91 UK, 50 CN) In Today's Room [3:28] Trust Me To Open My Mouth [3:12] (9/87, 50 AR, 25 CO, 72 UK) Striking Matches [3:02] Cigarette of a Single Man [3:29] Who Are You? [3:30] The Waiting Game [3:06] (11/87, --) Some Americans [4:40] Songs written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. Total Running Time: 42:01 The Players: Chris Difford (vocals, rhythm guitar) Glenn Tilbrook (vocals, lead guitar) Jools Holland, Andy Metcalfe (keyboards) Keith Wilkinson (bass) Gilson Lavis (drums, percussion)

Rating: 3.413 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Quotable: “A fully engaging album” – Amazon.com

About the Album: For their seventh album, “Squeeze decided to return to the more straight-ahead pop of their classic period.” AMG Babylon and On strips back a bit and, although the return is a welcomed one AMG “with hooks that make sly demands on the attention of the listener,” AZ “much of the material misses the mark, and the move seems a little forced. Flaws aside, there are some moments of inspiration.” AMG With a tongue-twister lightning-speed chorus, Hourglass “became the band's biggest Stateside hit” AMG and “revels in Squeeze's signature sound: idiosyncratically structured choruses made inviting by the enthusiasm of multiple voices” AZ definitely has pop appeal, but it is sad to think that masterpieces like “Tempted,” “Up the Junction,” and “Black Coffee in Bed” were dwarfed by this “near-novelty” AMG song. Footprints and 853-5937 are two of Squeeze’s weaker singles releases. They aren’t entirely without witty lines or catchy hooks, but they pale in comparison to previous classics like “Cool for Cats” and “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell).” The first half of the album is also doomed with several filler songs. “Tough Love presents another one of their finely detailed little vignettes.” AZ While it may be lyrically interesting, it makes for one of the weak points of the album, along with The Prisoner and In Today’s Room. The second half of the album is much stronger. "Trust Me to Open My Mouth offers a narrator flawed in familiar way.” AZ ”It kicks butt all over the place, with a great harmony arrangement and a compelling bass line.” JA That song then launches into Striking Matches, a Difford-sung song that would have fit comfortably on previous album Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti, Squeeze’s welcome return after a three-year layoff. Things just keep kicking with Cigarette of a Single Man. This song fits comfortably into the role of a classic Squeeze song overshadowed by the album’s hit singles. With Argybargy, it was “Separate Beds;” on East Side Story it was a pair of songs with “Messed Around” and “Vanity Fair.” Here, “Cigarette” unnecessarily plays second fiddle to “Hourglass” and “Trust Me to Open My Mouth.” This is the kind of song that may not musically overwhelm you, but you’ll find yourself bopping along to it as you back up to play the song again to listen to the catchy lyrics. The album closes out with three strong songs that are still easy to overlook after the strong trifecta that they follow. Who Are You? is a decent toe-tapper, followed by a smooth ballad in The Waiting Game. Things wrap up with Some Americans, which hits on the familiar British perspective that Squeeze brings to many of their songs as they sing “about how they really don't understand Americans.” RC Chop out a few of the dead weight songs and replace them with that era’s B-side “Wedding Bells” and “What Have They Done,” from the When the Wind Blows and you have a perfect album. Even as is, though, ”Squeeze [have] fashioned a fully engaging album.” AZ Notes: The UK re-release added bonus tracks “Splitting into Three” and “Wedding Bells.”

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 AZ Amazon.com RC Robert Christgau Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/16/2006; last updated 2/7/2022.

 

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 East Side Story released

East Side Story Squeeze

Released: May 15, 1981 Peak: 44 US, 19 UK, 29 CN, -- AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details. In Quintessence [2:55] Someone Else’s Heart [3:00] Tempted [4:00] Piccadilly [3:26] There’s No Tomorrow [3:27] Heaven [3:49] Woman’s World [3:42] Is That Love? [2:31] F-Hole [4:41] Labelled With Love [4:44] Someone Else’s Bell [3:08] Mumbo Jumbo [3:13] Vanity Fair [3:09] Messed Around [2:42] Total Running Time: 49:03 The Players: Chris Difford (lyrics, rhythm guitar, backing vocals, lead vocal on “Someone Else’s Heart” and “Heaven”) Glenn Tilbrook (vocals, guitar, keyboards) Paul Carrack (keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocal on “Tempted”) John Bentley (bass, backing vocals) Gilson Lavis (drums)

Rating: 4.229 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings) Quotable: “The band’s most diverse but also their most creatively rewarding album to date.” – Chris Woodstra, AllMusic.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album “Rising above the new wave bands of the era, Squeeze quickly abandoned their early punk/experimental roots and firmly embraced a Beatle-influenced pop sensibility, albeit with an updated musical sound. While the two preceding albums, Cool for Cats and Argybargy, had some great moments, East Side Story was their most ambitious effort, with a wide range of musical styles and some of their best tracks.” PK CultureSonar.com called it “the band’s undisputed masterpiece and one of the finest albums of the decade.” CS ”It's a rare pop band that can fit the word quintessence neatly into a song, but the duo of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook – the heart of Squeeze--do so with ease.” AZ “The songs are imaginative, compassionate, and of course hooky…the music is quite punchy.” RC “There’s a good reason that they've been hailed as the best British songwriting team since Lennon and McCartney, and if they've never scaled the heights of fame – or of grandeur – that their forebears did, well, that’s OK.” AZ The album is “strong, buoyed by the group's bouncy outlook, Costello and co-producer Roger Bechiran’s prodding the group in new directions, and hints of the new-wave-influenced sound Squeeze would develop years later on Babylon and On.” AZ “East Side Story was originally planned as a double album with each side produced by a different ‘hot’ producer – Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, and Paul McCartney were the proposed lineup. And while only…Costello…ended up doing the job, save for one track by Edmunds, Costello’s push for decidedly un-Squeeze-like material and sympathetic production style resulted in not only the band's most diverse but also their most creatively rewarding album to date.” AM In fact, Costello “coaxes out what might be their best effort.” JA Notes The 1997 UK re-release added bonus tracks “The Axe Has Now Fallen” and “Looking for a Love.” The Songs ”East Side Story is a solid, thoroughly enjoyable album with enough variety to keep it fresh for years to come.” PK The album is “definitely packed with the band’s trademark bouncy Brit-pop numbers,” AM “most notably the feel-good pure-pop of Piccadilly, In Quintessence…and Mumbo Jumbo.” However, “the standouts come from the unexpected turns” AM such as “the trippy near-psychedelia of There's No Tomorrow” AM and “the lush and delicate…Vanity Fair.” AM PK There’s also the “sweet poignancy of Woman World and Is That Love.” PK Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

In Quintessence Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) First Charted: 6/6/1981 Peak: 27 CL, 39 AR, 6 CO, 23 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.50 streaming About the Song: While this wasn’t released as a single, it was used as a promo and became a minor hit at album rock radio.

Someone Else’s Heart Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: 34 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.49 streaming

Tempted Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook (see lyrics here) Released: 7/10/1981 (single), East Side Story (1981), 45s and Under (1982), Piccadilly Collection (1996), Greatest Hits (2001), Big Squeeze (2002), Essential (2007) B-Side: “Yap Yap Yap” First Charted: 6/20/1981 Peak: 49 BB, 50 CB, 52 HR, 3 CL, 8 AR, 1 CO, 41 UK, 45 Cn, 95 AU, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 5.12 video, 73.31 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: When I was in college in the mid-‘80s, I developed a habit of raiding people’s music collections. At times, I’d walk out of their dorm rooms with a handful of cassettes (yep – I lived through the days before CDs or mp3s existed) minutes after I’d met them. One of my roommates’ friends got me to open up to harder-edged fare like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Rush that I’d steered away from in high school. However, I also discovered the sound that comes closest to my tastes – college rock. Before Nirvana and Pearl Jam ushered in the grunge movement and subsequent mainstreaming of alternative rock, the genre was marked by bands like U2, R.E.M., INXS, The Cure, and Depeche Mode when they were still niche bands. My greatest discovery, though, was Squeeze. A friend’s girlfriend had a copy of the band’s 45’s and Under compilation. It made me a lifelong fan of the band. The song I knew best was “Tempted,” which has been hailed as “a very good power pop song.” RR With its “soulful groove” AM it has become the band’s signature song, it wasn’t a big chart hit, stalling on both the UK and US charts outside the top 40. The song’s success over the years has been aided by its use in commercials for Burger King and Heineken. It was also featured in the 1994 movie Reality Bites. “Even though the music is classic Squeeze, as are the lyrics about cheating on your partner and knowing you screwed it all up” CR it isn’t Chris Difford or Glenn Tilbrook – the band’s staples throughout their 50-year history – who take the lead on the song. ”In one of the smartest free transfer deals ever, Squeeze were able to plug the massive midfield gap left by the departing Jools Holland with the nimble-fingered Paul Carrack,” HE who sings and co-writes (along with Tilbrook and Elvis Costello), a musical journeyman who also sang with Ace (“How Long”) and later for Mike + the Mechanics (“Silent Running,” “The Living Years”). He served as the keyboardist on East Side Story and “left an indelible impression with his soulful emoting on “Tempted.’” CS Tilbrook does, however, trade a few lines in the second verse with Elvis Costello, who co-produced the track. WK Chris Difford wrote the lyrics while in a cab. As he said, “I just wrote down what I saw and how I felt as we wormed our way through the traffic. I also must have anticipated a good time on tour as the chorus suggests.” SF Glenn Tilbrook said, “It was a sort of breakthrough song for us…It was when we grew up, really, as a band.” SF Carrack said, “They’d actually recorded a version of that song before I was on board. Dave Edmunds produced it, and it was completely different…The song was in the can…When we had some downtime and played ‘Tempted’ but in that slow, soulful, Motown groove. Elvis Costello, who was producing, ran in and said, ‘Let’s put this down on tape!’ So, we did, and Elvis said ‘Paul, you should sing it.’”GR

Piccadilly Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.60 streaming

There’s No Tomorrow Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: 34 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.15 streaming

Heaven Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: 23 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.15 streaming About the Song: “The warped organ on Heaven bespeaks divine intervention.” RC

Woman’s World Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: 14 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.23 streaming About the Song: The diversity of sound on East Side Story is what makes the album special. This was one of the slightly more conventional Squeeze-sounding songs, a slower tempo tune that felt like it could easily have worked as a single. “This depiction of a harried housewife is typically winning. Difford’s words capture all of the frustration of an underappreciated woman, while Tilbrook’s twisting melody earns her the sympathy that her family rarely displays.” CS

Is That Love? Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: 5/1/1981 (single), East Side Story (1981), 45s and Under (1982), Greatest Hits (2001), Big Squeeze (2002), Essential (2007) B-Side: “Trust” Peak: 39 CL, 16 CO, 35 UK, 12 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.41 video, 5.03 streaming About the Song: The lead single from East Side Story reached the top 40 in the UK. “Brilliant little Beatles-knock-off from Squeeze. Timed at under two minutes, it’s a mini-masterpiece of concision yet still has time for a better-better-better hook in the verse, deft guitar solo by Tillbrook, a middle-eight worthy of McCartney himself and a neat slowed-down finish.” RR “The lyrics are about the nature of love in the ups and downs of relationships, sparked by Chris Difford’s then-recent wedding.” GR He said, “I remember being in the bathroom and seeing Cindy’s wedding ring next to the soap, which inspired me to write the lyric. I don’t think it was particularly about our marriage, but it started off a sequence of ideas in my head.” WK1 He also said, “It was a great live number and sums up being on the road and having fun. It’s a comfortable pair of jeans as a song.” WK1 Glenn Tilbrook said they originally recorded it as a mid-tempo track but when it wasn’t working, they “sped it up and it made more sense like that.” WK He also said he was consciously influenced by the Beatles on the track and that the ending of the song was producer Elvis Costello’s idea. Costello played the piano part that accompanied the song. WK1

F-Hole Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.14 streaming

Labelled with Love Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: 9/25/1981 (single), East Side Story (1981), 45s and Under (1982), Greatest Hits (2001), Big Squeeze (2002), Essential (2007) B-Side: “Squabs on the Forty Fab” First Charted: 10/10/1981 Peak: 24 CL, 12 CO, 4 UK, 8 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1.76 video, 0.18 streaming About the Song: If one had to guess which of the three singles from East Side Story was biggest, “Is That Love?” (the first single) would get votes for sounding the most like a Squeeze song but it peaked at #35. “Tempted” would be an obvious choice since it has become the group’s most iconic song, but it stalled at #41. Instead, it was “the country lament of Labeled with Love” AM that gave the band the third top-10 hit of its career. “Squeeze was always able to write very strong ballads, and ‘Labelled with Love’ is one of those. Interestingly, it has a very Americana feel to it from a very English band.” RR While the band “doesn’t do many waltzes, but they nail the triplets” CR on “this bitter tale of drinking, heartbreak, decline and memory.” GR “Glenn Tilbrook’s longing vocals rarely sound better, and the drums are kept spare so that the accordion and jangly guitars are more present. It’s as good a song for sulking over past mistakes as it is for drinking with old friends, and the refrain is relatable by anyone still feeling those pangs of sadness over a long-ago heartbreak: ‘The past has been bottled and labeled with love.’” CR Diffuser.fm’s Bryan Wwzenek included the song in his list of country songs by alternative, indie, and punk artists, proclaiming it “to adorn both musical and lyrical hallmarks with themes pertaining to drinking and heartbreak and instrumentation of moseying beat and Nashville piano.” WK2

Someone Else’s Bell Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: 38 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.16 streaming

Mumbo Jumbo Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: 34 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.16 streaming

Vanity Fair Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Messed Around Squeeze

Writer(s): Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook Released: East Side Story (1981) Peak: 13 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.17 streaming About the Song: Jools Holland was replaced with Paul Carrack on East Side Story but author Jim Drury speculated that Holland would have enjoyed playing on “Messed Around.” Chris Difford said “it actually sounds like Jools playing on it. It’s a breathtaking solo by Paul. Piano playing does not get any better than that. When we recorded this I felt as though I’d finally arrived, that I was in a proper band with real men.” WK Glenn agreed, saying the “song showed what a great band we had at the time, one of Squeeze’s strongest line-ups.” WK Regarding Holland, he said, “Yeah. There was definitely a feeling of ‘See what you’re missing out on, Jools. Look at all the fun you could be having.’ Paul did a great job on it and we recorded it virtually live in the studio.” WK Glenn has also said that the song was inspired by the Stray Cats. WK Record World said Tilbrook’s “ultra-cool rockabilly inflections are supported by the band’s tasteful piano sprinkles and guitar licks, creating an authentic late-‘50s sound.” WK Chris said, “Glenn’s guitar sounds very Scotty Moore, with a distant amplifier. It’s reminiscent of one of Glenn’s earlier solos from when we were younger and a great way to end an album.” WK

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by Chris Woodstra JA John Alroy, Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews AZ Amazon.com review by Randy Silver RC Robert Christgau CR ClassicRockHistory.com (2024). “Top 10 Squeeze Songs” by Amy S CS CultureSonar.com (10/27/2023). “The 10 Best Squeeze Songs You May Have Never Heard” by Jim Beviglia GR GoldRadio.com (2024). “Squeeze’s 10 Greatest Songs, Ranked” by Mayer Nissim HE Half.Ebay.com PK Pop Kulcher/Marc Fagel Greatest Rock & Roll Albums of All Time RR ReturnOfRock.com (2021). “Squeeze Songs Ranked” SF Songfacts page for “Tempted” UD UDiscoverMusic.com (8/31/2025). “Best Squeeze Songs: 20 Tracks That Are Cool for Cats” by Tim Peacock WK Wikipedia page for “Tempted” WK1 Wikipedia page for “Is That Love?” WK2 Wikipedia page for “Labelled with Love” WK3 Wikipedia page for “Messed Around” Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/6/2008; last updated 4/8/2026.