Honestly, Jay and Amber, this song is packed with so many British cultural references, I am not surprised you don't engage with it as much as Brits do. It's actually very funny and the singer here is playing the part of a certain kind of guy who is basically a bit of a player and who thinks they are really cool. But Squeeze are brilliant musicians and very intelligent lyricists. Please try some more of their tracks. I think you will like them more. This was their first major hit in the UK but they went on to show that they are brilliant songwriters.
The guy with cigar on the keyboard is Jools Holland, he was an original member of Squeeze, who went on to work with many other artist and to host two major music shows on UK TV, 'Tube' 82-87 and 'Later with Jools Holland' 1992 -onwards, plus a Radio Show simply called Jools Holland on BBC Radio2.
It's not your usual thing but I definitely think a reaction to Jools Holland Hootananny would be a great thing to do. So many great artists enjoying a New Year's Eve
Squeeze were a breath of fresh air late 70s, and 80s. Difford and Tilbrook were very witty writers. This is early Squeeze 1979. Saw Squeeze early 80s opening for Elvis Costello. Both were amazing.
Difford/Tilbrook were an amazing songwriting duo..great catchy tunes with witty/clever lyrics...so under rated here in the US....East Side Story one of the best....
Saw Squeeze open for E.C. at the Palladium on W.14 street in NYC must have been 1978 or 79. The Palladium is no longer there and sadly too, neither is Luchows.
The song's about the contrast between TV glamour and reality. The first verse is about TV western shows. The second verse is about The Sweeney, a British TV cop show of the 1970s which featured two cool, hard-drinking, swearing, womanising, violent police detectives, which was very risque & gritty for the era ("Sweeney" is cockney rhyming slang for the Flying Squad: an elite London police unit. Sweeney = Sweeney Todd = Flying Squad). The last two verses are about how reality actually goes: the singer puts in lots of "effort" posing and chatting up a girl, only to get a peck on the cheek and a "goodnight" instead of the steamy ending you'd get if it was a TV show. The cigar-smoking pianist is Jools Holland, who's become a bit of a national treasure in the UK, running a very high quality rhythm & blues band, hosting a long-running live music show called "Later" which does a really good job of showcasing new talent, and also hosting a New Year's Eve TV show called the "Hootenanny" (Scottish word) every year.
Aussie here who remembers this song from back in the day and still love it. The really strong Pommy accent and slang,is just brilliant!! They were called UK Squeeze here as there was already a band called Squeeze here in Australia apparently (who we never heard of). Such a great song!
There are endless London references including lines about the language many Londoners use to each other"Give a dog a bone" is NOT about canines and is really about "lads" in London around the late 1970's. They played all the Pubs and Clubs within 5 miles of where I now live but I moved into that area just after in 1983 so missed the early years when they were earning their stripes or "paying their dues" lol
Their biggest hit in the US was Tempted. Paul Carrack sings in that one. He was only with them for a short time. Up the Junction is a song with a story.
Hi from the UK . The bass player " John Bentley " is a friend of mine from Skegness Lincolnshire . He was busking in the London Underground , when Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford saw him and asked him to join them there and then ! A really COOL CAT is John .
Squeeze truly are a 'very British' indeed English band culturally. Many of the idioms are likely to be a puzzle for people from other countries. They were great songwriters and arrangers.
Jay & Amber, you'll love their "Black Coffee In Bed", "Another Nail in My Heart", "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)" and more!!! Saw them in concert early 80s with General Public opening for them. edit - Jools Holland on keyboards with the cigar. He was with them from 1974-1981 and 1985-1990.
Black Coffee in bed, from the album East side story, produced by Elvis costello, who sings one of the backing voice on this track !! Saw them in the 80's in Paris France !! What a great band !!
This song is very London and very of its era - the end of the 1970s. A lot of the language and references wouldn't be understood by younger people in the UK today.
There are endless London references including lines about the language many Londoners use to each other"Give a dog a bone" is NOT about canines and is really about "lads" in London around the late 1970's. They played all the Pubs and Clubs within 5 miles of where I now live but I moved into that area just after in 1983 so missed the early years when they were earning their stripes or "paying their dues" lol
They were new wave punk. Old British alternative rock. But very diverse in their sounds. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Jam, XTC, Talking Heads are bands like this.
This song is full of lyrics that only older British people would have a clue what it was about,Squeeze went on to write some iconic songs & in my opinion were hugely underrated as a band,I think this is a great song & I was delighted you reviewed it but not surprised you didn't get it,too young & too many UK cultural words in the lyrics.
The Sweeney was a gritty tv program from the 70s- The Sweeney is cockney slang for the police elite anti-armed robbery unit the Flying Squad, which rhymes with Sweeney Todd; most London people your age would not get the reference. Gifford and Tilbrook were a great song writing duo who celebrated their London roots in their lyrics- Squeeze were big in the US college scene in the late 70s and some critics said they were the new Lennon and McCartney (they weren't). Jules Holland is a world renowned ivory tickler, there is a video of him piano duelling with Dr John, you can see a great moment when Dr John realises the limey can play.
Simply brilliant.......the cigar puffing piano player is Jools Holland a living legend here in the UK. it's full of British references that understandably would not be understood in the U.S. The 'Sweeney' lyrics, refer to the 'Sweeney Todd' cockney rhyming slang for the 'Flying Squad' a special London Police unit dedicated to busting bank robbers back in the 1970's, they were disbanded due to corruption, caught taking money from bank robbers at London's Heathrow Airport. the whole story is told in the brilliantly written lyrics. Everyone in the UK that was alive back then knows this story, it was massive.
Jools Holland was a member of Squeeze as their Keyboardist, he also has his own band : Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra ( he has released SEVERAL albums over the years, he is the Host of Later With Jools Holland on BBC TWO ( 61 series started in 1992 - Present) and Jools Annual Hootenanny (His New Year's Eve Show since 1994)
This is classic Squeeze from 1979 - a very tongue in cheek and ironic take on a particular type of London "wide boy". Great lyrics... Squeeze did so many fantastic songs. "Goodbye Girl", "Up The Junction", "Is That Love?", "Pulling Mussells From The Shell", "Tempted" are all worth checking out, and nothing like this.
This band changes styles with each song you hear. This is very Cockney with the accents but it gets less punk and more New Wave with Another Nail in My Heart. Great band.
oh about time you played this!! Huge song - I remember dancing and singing my heart out at our high school discos in 1979/80. I suspect you will struggle with the cockney slang used in the lyrics, but they are very clever and amusing , for example "I'm invited in for coffee and I give the dog a bone" LOL. Do some research on the cockney slang and you will appreciate the song at a whole ne w level.
Love Squeeze....need to listen to more of them Hourglass or Up The Juntion....love Glenn Tilbrook voice..can't go wrong with any of thier tunes..clever/witty lyrics
Squeeze - Up the Junction is perfect storytelling. Take Me, I'm Your - Hourglass - Pulling Muscles (From the Shell) - Black Coffee in Bed - Trust Me to Open My Mouth are all worth a listen. Thank you for the reaction, guys!
Amber, I applaud you. I love your open mindedness and quirkiness. Jay you nailed the feel of the song especially when you jumped on the cigar keyboard player, it's a song about what rebels in Britain thought you had to do to be considered a "cool cat" at the time.
LOL he didn't though.' He stared blankly like he does most of the time unless something is child-level simple, got hung up on ONE line after which he stopped ''listening'' ( he never really was) and it's a waste of a good song.
I’m 69 and bought my first house when I was 21. I remember decorating it with Squeeze playing in the background. Seen them so many times, and Jools Holland a few times, too. Soundtrack to my young adulthood.
Oh my god, this was such a great hit, when I was going to the disco. I haven't heard it since the early 80's, so many thank you for reminding me of it.
Squeeze are amazing. Glen & Chris write wonderful stories with their songs. Try Up the Junction, Tempted Or Goodbye Girl. My favourite is Slap n Tickle! They are from London so have lots of London references in their songs. Up the Junction means in the 💩and is set around Clapham. (Clapham) common is a park in South London and Clapham Junction is a big train station. The Sweeney is a 70’s UK police show.
As a born and bread Londoner is hilarious knowing you don’t have a clue what the lyrics of the song are. Don’t worry there’s a certain breed of English born people that wouldn’t have a clue also
Don't leave it so long to get back to Squeeze. My all time favourite is "Up the Junction", but also try "Labelled with Love", "Pulling Mussels from the Shell", "Goodbye Girl", "Some Fantastic Place" or "Black Coffee in Bed"
Yes! The lead singers voice was very cool and that's because it is a London accent not watered down in the slightest. This is how working class people in London sound and it's a very cool accent!
Hey guys...I request a do-over, please. 'Tempted', 'Black Coffee in Bed', 'Up the Junction, 'Another Nail in my Heart'.....I think those are better choices for getting acquainted with the band! They really were amazing! Difford and Tilbrook are brilliant songwriters. Jools Holland on keyboard-well, nuff said. Elvis Costello sometimes produced and popped his head in. Please try another song!!
Had to wait until today's last video to finally hear who J was routing for. My old coach! Poor Squeeze fans who've been waiting so long for another reaction. Let hope they don't have to wait so long this time. Squeeze is one of those groups that usually isn't on people's lists of favorite groups like Floyd or Zep but then you realize how many songs you do know by them. Loved all the suggestions for more Squeeze tunes. A very good day for reactions on Superbowl Sunday!
10 years after this MTV started a show called MTV Unplugged. Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were on the first episode. They didn't do It's Cool For Cats on that. A stripped down Squeeze with just those two guys with acoustic guitars. The songs they did were Pulling Mussels From A Shell, and Another Nail For My Heart.
This was a cool song from Squeeze, they were very popular in late 70's , early 80's. A couple of other good ones are 'Labelled with Love,' and 'Hourglass'.-Colin Ward
Really hard to label Squeeze, they rode the British new wave but were always multifaceted and had an eclectic style. All of them amazing musicians and Jools Holland ( the cigar smoking pianist) has been hosting great music shows on British TV since the mid 80s often jamming with famous bluesmen; the live 4hands piano blues with Fats Domino is legendary!
They are similar in sentiment to The Jam in this song, reflecting working class life in England. Their later hit “Pulling Muscles From the Shell” is an awesome jam.
It's hilarious that you've done two Squeeze songs so far, neither sung by their main lead singer, Glenn Tilbrook. Glenn is an amazing singer, and in places sounds a lot like Paul McCartney. He's also one of the most underrated lead guitarists out there. That he can play incredibly intricate lead parts WHILE SINGING is remarkable. The song you should check out next is Hourglass. A great song with an amazing video.
A bit of London Cockney speak in this that you probably are unaware of. The Sweeney is rhyming slang for the Flying Squad (Sweeney Todd) who are the Metropolitan Police (London) Robbery Squad. I guess you understand the meaning of the line ´give the dog a bone` , surely I do not have to explain that one. All very London speak !
New Wave generation. Absolutely fantastic songwriting from Difford & Tilbrook with the legend Jools Holland on keyboards. You might not understand a lot of the typically British sayings mentioned.
Hi from uk, just subbed( mainly for your wifes smile!) Squeeze are one of my all time faves but check out ' labelled with love' a little melancholic but the lyrics are something. He not the main singer but he writes all the lyrics and the guitarist in red does the music and is the main singer.
Loved the sweeney!! Caught on to it later on, as was too young at the time, born 72. LovedJohn thaw and Dennis Waterman rip both. My ringtone is the sweeney!!!! Love police shows like this ,loved the professionals too
@Rob Squad Reactions , The writers for the UK's no.2 soap opera " EASTENDERS " must have been big Squeeze fans . 9 years after this song was a big hit Eastenders were introduced to a new character on the show Cindy Beale (nee williams) played by well known British actress Michelle Collins . In this song " Cool For Cats " the back up singers are Cindy Beale & Michelle Collins (different michelle) .
The period from 1978-1981 was when a lot of music was changing and trying to define itself. Punk and Disco were dying and the Post-Punk scene was morphing into different genres (New Romantic-Synthpop, Gothic, Mainstream New Wave). This was one of the songs from that period that was quirky and fun to dance to, and the band had many other hits. BLACK COFFEE IN BED, TEMPTED, & ANNIE GET YOUR GUN were really good songs that showed a more developed side of this band.
Yeah, squeeze were a band that couldn't be categorised since they various styles. This was last embers of punk or beginnings of new wave, lots of British references that you may not have got but it's a good song
The fella playing piano is Jules Holland , he has his own big band you would love it , also his own TV show on New Year's Eve called Hootenanny with different bands n singers to countdown and welcome the New Year ❤😊🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
I have two six-degrees-of-separations with Squeeze. The keyboard player is Jules Holland. He and his band (separate from Squeeze) played at one of my university summer balls. And my sister used to teach one of Jules Holland’s children piano. Jules is quite an institution in the UK. He does a New Year’s Eve special on BBC2 (British telly) every year that my family and I vibe out to and sing “Auld Lang Syne“ with at midnight. He’s kind of a national treasure in the music scene and invites lots of famous musicians to sing and play on his “hootenanny” (the name of his New Year special). Great music to ring out the old year and welcome in the new. I wonder if you could watch it on BBC America. Highly recommend.
The song is one long stream of British slang, pub culture, you really need a translator to catch all the innuendos and references. Hopefully the comments will help.
George Bernard Shaw - amongst others stated that: ‘England and America are two countries separated by the same language’!! Haha!! Nothing can be truer than with this song!!! Lyrics by Chris Difford - a very naughty boy! Everything else is brilliant - Jools, Glen, Chris et al! People from the US will struggle understanding the British cockney "rap""! First verse watching an old western movie (the squaw wins): second verse watching telly (an old English TV show called "The Sweeney" - Sweeney Todd - Flying Squad police); third verse - gorgeous wordplay ( bitter = angry + bitter = English beer) and a nasty little rash! (hold me back - this is awesome); fourth verse "give the dog a bone"- here fido!🤣🤣 Squeeze -so many good songs - my favourite "Annie get you gun"! Go guys (Squeeze and the Robs) - you're brilliant!!😍
Squeeze are my all time favourite band, each song has a story to tell. Chris Difford, here on vocals and Glenn Tilbrook are two of the main lead vocalists and either sing together or separately but, both have great vocals albeit different.I’ve seen them live and they were amazing❤ please react to more of their back catalogue: •Another nail in my heart -( my favourite ) •Slap and tickle •Pulling mussels from a shell A great reaction guys👍😀
As others have said. The pianist is Jools Holland, an absolute legend. He has worked with some of the very best and is still touring in 2024. Check him out for great blues and exciting boogie piano.
Always fascinated how Americans take this song, given that it's sung in a London accent and is packed with slang and very specific UK references!
I'm an old "New Wave" guy. Squeeze is a criminally under-rated band. "Here at the bar, the pianoman's found another nail in my heart..."
Got to see them back in "the day". A favorite memory❤️
So agree...they were amazing!
I agree! One of my favourite bands.
Same! Saw them in Philly in ‘86. Great concert! 👍💐
Saw them last year. Still great!
Honestly, Jay and Amber, this song is packed with so many British cultural references, I am not surprised you don't engage with it as much as Brits do. It's actually very funny and the singer here is playing the part of a certain kind of guy who is basically a bit of a player and who thinks they are really cool.
But Squeeze are brilliant musicians and very intelligent lyricists. Please try some more of their tracks. I think you will like them more. This was their first major hit in the UK but they went on to show that they are brilliant songwriters.
You mean not everyone knows what "The sweeney's doin' 90" means?
It is very south London, not everyone in the UK would relate to it, let alone America.
Imagine how they would react if they heard Cardiacs?! haha!
No, no I dont😂@@AndersonDawesWasRight
Sweeney Todd = Flying Squad. Yep, even in Australia! 😅
The guy with cigar on the keyboard is Jools Holland, he was an original member of Squeeze, who went on to work with many other artist and to host two major music shows on UK TV, 'Tube' 82-87 and 'Later with Jools Holland' 1992 -onwards, plus a Radio Show simply called Jools Holland on BBC Radio2.
Didn’t Jools give Adele her first tv break?
@@Jp67-n6b I know he gave KT Tunstall her first break, she was a late replacement to the shows line up.
Yeah and the Jools Holland Hootenanny each New Years Eve has become a British institution.
It's not your usual thing but I definitely think a reaction to Jools Holland Hootananny would be a great thing to do. So many great artists enjoying a New Year's Eve
Jools Holland was a great friend and colleague of Sam Brown. I would suggest, Sam Brown with, Got to get a witness, or , Stop ✋️
Squeeze were a breath of fresh air late 70s, and 80s. Difford and Tilbrook were very witty writers. This is early Squeeze 1979. Saw Squeeze early 80s opening for Elvis Costello. Both were amazing.
Saw them back in the day in a small college auditorium with the DB's. What a night
Difford/Tilbrook were an amazing songwriting duo..great catchy tunes with witty/clever lyrics...so under rated here in the US....East Side Story one of the best....
Saw Squeeze open for E.C. at the Palladium on W.14 street in NYC must have been 1978 or 79. The Palladium is no longer there and sadly too, neither is Luchows.
@pauldombski Check out Chris Difford's Autobiography it's brilliant.
I think I saw then 4 times once with Elvis Costello!
The song's about the contrast between TV glamour and reality. The first verse is about TV western shows. The second verse is about The Sweeney, a British TV cop show of the 1970s which featured two cool, hard-drinking, swearing, womanising, violent police detectives, which was very risque & gritty for the era ("Sweeney" is cockney rhyming slang for the Flying Squad: an elite London police unit. Sweeney = Sweeney Todd = Flying Squad). The last two verses are about how reality actually goes: the singer puts in lots of "effort" posing and chatting up a girl, only to get a peck on the cheek and a "goodnight" instead of the steamy ending you'd get if it was a TV show.
The cigar-smoking pianist is Jools Holland, who's become a bit of a national treasure in the UK, running a very high quality rhythm & blues band, hosting a long-running live music show called "Later" which does a really good job of showcasing new talent, and also hosting a New Year's Eve TV show called the "Hootenanny" (Scottish word) every year.
Excellently put. Bravo.
Agree with all you say but Hootenanny is not live..
@@robdee9341 Good point. I've edited the OP. Thanks.
He introduced us to Amy Winehouse.
@@kerryannestevenson6099 And Lily Allen and Seasick Steve.
Aussie here who remembers this song from back in the day and still love it. The really strong Pommy accent and slang,is just brilliant!! They were called UK Squeeze here as there was already a band called Squeeze here in Australia apparently (who we never heard of). Such a great song!
I was about to say UK Squeeze myself :) I too never heard of just "Squeeze" here lol.
They were UK Squeeze for their first album in the US.
Cockney accent. No self respecting northerner would ever speak like that! 🤣
There are endless London references including lines about the language many Londoners use to each other"Give a dog a bone" is NOT about canines and is really about "lads" in London around the late 1970's. They played all the Pubs and Clubs within 5 miles of where I now live but I moved into that area just after in 1983 so missed the early years when they were earning their stripes or "paying their dues" lol
Gotta check out "Pulling Mussels From The Shell" "Another Nail In The Heart" and "Is That Love?".
Good choices!
Second this.
The whole Argy Bargy album is brilliant!
Agreed!
Definitly some of their great choices!
Their biggest hit in the US was Tempted. Paul Carrack sings in that one. He was only with them for a short time. Up the Junction is a song with a story.
Labelled With Love is a great story song too.
Tempted is the other Squeeze song they did. Much different from Cool For Cats; they were probably expecting another one in that vein.
Squeeze were a band that used very intelligent vocals with a lot of Cockley type inferences americans probably cannot understand.
Hi from the UK . The bass player " John Bentley " is a friend of mine from Skegness Lincolnshire . He was busking in the London Underground , when Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford saw him and asked him to join them there and then ! A really COOL CAT is John .
Harry kakoulli played bass on cool for cats
Chris Difford, Gary Oldman, Danny Baker and me all went to the same school!
@@MeMe-mq4zu He did , but John Bentley was the original bassist . You see him in this vid !
When I lived in Chicago in the 2000s I bought a vinyl copy of it at a record store and the clerk said "Is this the one where the British guy raps?"
I've always been obsessed with everything so I absolutely love from his accent to the beat to everything.
Squeeze truly are a 'very British' indeed English band culturally. Many of the idioms are likely to be a puzzle for people from other countries. They were great songwriters and arrangers.
Take Me I’m Yours, has to be one of my favourite Squeeze songs and definitely worth a few minutes of anyone’s time.
Great suggestion ❤😊
Jay & Amber, you'll love their "Black Coffee In Bed", "Another Nail in My Heart", "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)" and more!!!
Saw them in concert early 80s with General Public opening for them.
edit - Jools Holland on keyboards with the cigar. He was with them from 1974-1981 and 1985-1990.
Same here. Also, at a Spring Break show with The Untouchables.
Now Jools Holland is an artist in his own right.
Yes! All solid recommendations 👍💐
Black Coffee in bed, from the album East side story, produced by Elvis costello, who sings one of the backing voice on this track !! Saw them in the 80's in Paris France !! What a great band !!
"Pulling Mussels from a Shell" is another great one!
One of my favourite bands. This is a very English band and a very English song. Lots of slang and British cultural references.
"I'm invited in for coffee and I give the dog a bone".Outrageous!
That's lovely. The Lady has a canine and he brought a treat for it while they enjoy a game of Scrabble.**
**Hang On A Minute...
But nothing that the BBC could object to:)
@Isleofskye That's always my reading of the lyric, what else could it mea . . . . . . . . oooh I seeeeeee. 😂
This is the 70's equivilant of rap, you have to understand the words to truely appreciate it :)
"Tempted" is probably my favourite song of theirs.
I managed to catch most of their set at Glastonbury about five years ago.
Every time I hear "Tempted" I have to sing along. I love that so much.
Tempted is such a great song for sure
This song is very London and very of its era - the end of the 1970s. A lot of the language and references wouldn't be understood by younger people in the UK today.
There are endless London references including lines about the language many Londoners use to each other"Give a dog a bone" is NOT about canines and is really about "lads" in London around the late 1970's. They played all the Pubs and Clubs within 5 miles of where I now live but I moved into that area just after in 1983 so missed the early years when they were earning their stripes or "paying their dues" lol
They were new wave punk. Old British alternative rock. But very diverse in their sounds. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Jam, XTC, Talking Heads are bands like this.
This song is full of lyrics that only older British people would have a clue what it was about,Squeeze went on to write some iconic songs & in my opinion were hugely underrated as a band,I think this is a great song & I was delighted you reviewed it but not surprised you didn't get it,too young & too many UK cultural words in the lyrics.
oiii ! ! Aussies get this song too, we knew of the Sweenie, it was on here too... the rest is common London slang we all know down here
"Black Coffee in Bed" is my jam!
Mine too!
Hourglass… accept no substitutes!
Squeeze is a great band, IMO, and I am so glad that you got back to them.
The Sweeney was a gritty tv program from the 70s- The Sweeney is cockney slang for the police elite anti-armed robbery unit the Flying Squad, which rhymes with Sweeney Todd; most London people your age would not get the reference. Gifford and Tilbrook were a great song writing duo who celebrated their London roots in their lyrics- Squeeze were big in the US college scene in the late 70s and some critics said they were the new Lennon and McCartney (they weren't). Jules Holland is a world renowned ivory tickler, there is a video of him piano duelling with Dr John, you can see a great moment when Dr John realises the limey can play.
Wow! You’ve only reacted to Squeeze once before?!? Man oh man, are you in for some treats! There’s so many great songs by them.
Simply brilliant.......the cigar puffing piano player is Jools Holland a living legend here in the UK. it's full of British references that understandably would not be understood in the U.S. The 'Sweeney' lyrics, refer to the 'Sweeney Todd' cockney rhyming slang for the 'Flying Squad' a special London Police unit dedicated to busting bank robbers back in the 1970's, they were disbanded due to corruption, caught taking money from bank robbers at London's Heathrow Airport. the whole story is told in the brilliantly written lyrics. Everyone in the UK that was alive back then knows this story, it was massive.
Jools Holland was a member of Squeeze as their Keyboardist, he also has his own band : Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra ( he has released SEVERAL albums over the years, he is the Host of Later With Jools Holland on BBC TWO ( 61 series started in 1992 - Present) and Jools Annual Hootenanny (His New Year's Eve Show since 1994)
Love this song. Also love their "Another Nail in my Heart".
This is classic Squeeze from 1979 - a very tongue in cheek and ironic take on a particular type of London "wide boy". Great lyrics... Squeeze did so many fantastic songs. "Goodbye Girl", "Up The Junction", "Is That Love?", "Pulling Mussells From The Shell", "Tempted" are all worth checking out, and nothing like this.
"Labelled with Love" was a great Squeeze song.
Catford is an area in South London hence the saying cool for cats and close to where the band formed
Squeeze now celebrating their 50th anniversary. Still recording and still touring. Absolutely fantastic band.
This band changes styles with each song you hear. This is very Cockney with the accents but it gets less punk and more New Wave with Another Nail in My Heart. Great band.
"Another Nail In My Heart" is a solid pick if you come back to them.
oh about time you played this!! Huge song - I remember dancing and singing my heart out at our high school discos in 1979/80. I suspect you will struggle with the cockney slang used in the lyrics, but they are very clever and amusing , for example "I'm invited in for coffee and I give the dog a bone" LOL. Do some research on the cockney slang and you will appreciate the song at a whole ne w level.
Squeeze are a great band live, so many fabulous songs, another underestimated British band is XTC
Love Squeeze....need to listen to more of them Hourglass or Up The Juntion....love Glenn Tilbrook voice..can't go wrong with any of thier tunes..clever/witty lyrics
Their "Singles" is an amazing compilation.
Squeeze! They are so iconically’80’s. Love ‘em! Just think, they’re in their 60’s now. God I’m old!
ACTUALL THIS WAS 1979 ALLSO Another Buggles radio killed the radio star from the late 70s NOT the 80s lol
Squeeze - Up the Junction is perfect storytelling. Take Me, I'm Your - Hourglass - Pulling Muscles (From the Shell) - Black Coffee in Bed - Trust Me to Open My Mouth are all worth a listen. Thank you for the reaction, guys!
Amber, I applaud you. I love your open mindedness and quirkiness. Jay you nailed the feel of the song especially when you jumped on the cigar keyboard player, it's a song about what rebels in Britain thought you had to do to be considered a "cool cat" at the time.
LOL he didn't though.' He stared blankly like he does most of the time unless something is child-level simple, got hung up on ONE line after which he stopped ''listening'' ( he never really was) and it's a waste of a good song.
I was in London in my 20s and they used this song in a commercial to sell milk to kids. Ha!
I’m 69 and bought my first house when I was 21. I remember decorating it with Squeeze playing in the background. Seen them so many times, and Jools Holland a few times, too. Soundtrack to my young adulthood.
As a bloke from London it gives me He is a cool Cockney geezer vibe.
Oh my god, this was such a great hit, when I was going to the disco. I haven't heard it since the early 80's, so many thank you for reminding me of it.
Gotta listen to Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) By Squeeze!!
Love this song, reminds me of my childhood, I was 9 years old.
Their entire Singles: 45s and Under is on my playlist still today!! 😊
Squeeze are amazing. Glen & Chris write wonderful stories with their songs. Try Up the Junction, Tempted
Or Goodbye Girl. My favourite is Slap n Tickle!
They are from London so have lots of London references in their songs.
Up the Junction means in the 💩and is set around Clapham. (Clapham) common is a park in South London and Clapham Junction is a big train station.
The Sweeney is a 70’s UK police show.
Love Jools Holland with Squeeze and everything he’s done since with his marvelous music/talk show!
Amazing live performances on Jools Holland! Radiohead and Feist are among his favourites.
As a born and bread Londoner is hilarious knowing you don’t have a clue what the lyrics of the song are.
Don’t worry there’s a certain breed of English born people that wouldn’t have a clue also
Don't leave it so long to get back to Squeeze. My all time favourite is "Up the Junction", but also try "Labelled with Love", "Pulling Mussels from the Shell", "Goodbye Girl", "Some Fantastic Place" or "Black Coffee in Bed"
They have done Up the Junction
Yes! The lead singers voice was very cool and that's because it is a London accent not watered down in the slightest. This is how working class people in London sound and it's a very cool accent!
Yes! This group always brings a smile to my face.
Hey guys...I request a do-over, please. 'Tempted', 'Black Coffee in Bed', 'Up the Junction, 'Another Nail in my Heart'.....I think those are better choices for getting acquainted with the band! They really were amazing! Difford and Tilbrook are brilliant songwriters. Jools Holland on keyboard-well, nuff said. Elvis Costello sometimes produced and popped his head in. Please try another song!!
I have seen Squeeze live twice, 40 years apart, and they still sound amazing!
Not sure non-Brits understand what "give the dog a bone" really means😮😮
Had to wait until today's last video to finally hear who J was routing for. My old coach! Poor Squeeze fans who've been waiting so long for another reaction. Let hope they don't have to wait so long this time. Squeeze is one of those groups that usually isn't on people's lists of favorite groups like Floyd or Zep but then you realize how many songs you do know by them. Loved all the suggestions for more Squeeze tunes. A very good day for reactions on Superbowl Sunday!
10 years after this MTV started a show called MTV Unplugged. Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were on the first episode. They didn't do It's Cool For Cats on that. A stripped down Squeeze with just those two guys with acoustic guitars. The songs they did were Pulling Mussels From A Shell, and Another Nail For My Heart.
The first punk concert I went to had Eddie and the hot rods 1978 Feb & squeeze awesome 😊
Power Pop of the Brit variety... the singer of this and his partner, the guitar player are brilliant songwriters. Difford and Tilbrook
Oh my God that is such a great tune. Makes me smile from ear to ear every time.
This was a cool song from Squeeze, they were very popular in late 70's , early 80's. A couple of other good ones are 'Labelled with Love,' and 'Hourglass'.-Colin Ward
Saw them support The Kinks. They were surprisingly excellent live ...never paid much attention to them until then
Really hard to label Squeeze, they rode the British new wave but were always multifaceted and had an eclectic style. All of them amazing musicians and Jools Holland ( the cigar smoking pianist) has been hosting great music shows on British TV since the mid 80s often jamming with famous bluesmen; the live 4hands piano blues with Fats Domino is legendary!
They are similar in sentiment to The Jam in this song, reflecting working class life in England. Their later hit “Pulling Muscles From the Shell” is an awesome jam.
It's hilarious that you've done two Squeeze songs so far, neither sung by their main lead singer, Glenn Tilbrook. Glenn is an amazing singer, and in places sounds a lot like Paul McCartney. He's also one of the most underrated lead guitarists out there. That he can play incredibly intricate lead parts WHILE SINGING is remarkable. The song you should check out next is Hourglass. A great song with an amazing video.
A bit of London Cockney speak in this that you probably are unaware of. The Sweeney is rhyming slang for the Flying Squad (Sweeney Todd) who are the Metropolitan Police (London) Robbery Squad. I guess you understand the meaning of the line ´give the dog a bone` , surely I do not have to explain that one. All very London speak !
"Take Me I'm Yours ", "Goodbye Girl", "Pulling Mussels From the Shell " ❤😊
New Wave generation. Absolutely fantastic songwriting from Difford & Tilbrook with the legend Jools Holland on keyboards. You might not understand a lot of the typically British sayings mentioned.
I adore Squeeze! They still sound great live too. Pulling Mussels From The Shell is a must!
New wave meets dance. This is VERY ' end of 70's'. Ian Dury plus Blockheads style. Love it!
Squeeze were a quintessentially english band with a clever line in lyrics. The nuance maybe a little to subtle for some.
Hi from uk, just subbed( mainly for your wifes smile!) Squeeze are one of my all time faves but check out ' labelled with love' a little melancholic but the lyrics are something. He not the main singer but he writes all the lyrics and the guitarist in red does the music and is the main singer.
Brillant song
I love Squeeze!!! My favorite son of theirs is “Goodbye Girl” …”Up The Junction” has a great storyline to it but sad
Yeeessss cool for cats SQUEEZE love this, the sweeney used to be a police detective TV show in the 70's this also you should check out.❤️😊🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Loved the sweeney!! Caught on to it later on, as was too young at the time, born 72. LovedJohn thaw and Dennis Waterman rip both. My ringtone is the sweeney!!!! Love police shows like this ,loved the professionals too
@@rachelsirett8809 my ring tones Charlie's Angel's 😁🤣loved that TV show❤😊🇬🇧🇬🇧
@@jackieburchell2187 me too !! Used to watch Charlie's Angels . Fantastic times. I did know the Sweeney as a child. Great memories
@@jackieburchell2187 nice to meet you Jackie
@Rob Squad Reactions , The writers for the UK's no.2 soap opera " EASTENDERS " must have been big Squeeze fans . 9 years after this song was a big hit Eastenders were introduced to a new character on the show Cindy Beale (nee williams) played by well known British actress Michelle Collins . In this song " Cool For Cats " the back up singers are Cindy Beale & Michelle Collins (different michelle) .
“HACKERS of the world unite”, we all know that Heaven Knows by Squeeze from the movie HACKERS is the best.
The period from 1978-1981 was when a lot of music was changing and trying to define itself. Punk and Disco were dying and the Post-Punk scene was morphing into different genres (New Romantic-Synthpop, Gothic, Mainstream New Wave). This was one of the songs from that period that was quirky and fun to dance to, and the band had many other hits. BLACK COFFEE IN BED, TEMPTED, & ANNIE GET YOUR GUN were really good songs that showed a more developed side of this band.
Yeah, squeeze were a band that couldn't be categorised since they various styles. This was last embers of punk or beginnings of new wave, lots of British references that you may not have got but it's a good song
The fella playing piano is Jules Holland , he has his own big band you would love it , also his own TV show on New Year's Eve called Hootenanny with different bands n singers to countdown and welcome the New Year ❤😊🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Up the junction is another fantastic track
Great song! Possibly my favorite of theirs.
@@mkmstillstackinI agree.
Squeeze are a phenomenal band.
You need to check out "Up The Junction" - a quintessential "London Story" - a kitchen-sink drama set to music!
I have two six-degrees-of-separations with Squeeze. The keyboard player is Jules Holland. He and his band (separate from Squeeze) played at one of my university summer balls. And my sister used to teach one of Jules Holland’s children piano. Jules is quite an institution in the UK. He does a New Year’s Eve special on BBC2 (British telly) every year that my family and I vibe out to and sing “Auld Lang Syne“ with at midnight. He’s kind of a national treasure in the music scene and invites lots of famous musicians to sing and play on his “hootenanny” (the name of his New Year special). Great music to ring out the old year and welcome in the new. I wonder if you could watch it on BBC America. Highly recommend.
Hi Jay and Amber, The keyboard player with the cigar in his mouth is Jools Holland, This was released in the early 1980s 😄😄
Nope ACTUALLY 1979 LOOK ON GOOGLE
The song is one long stream of British slang, pub culture, you really need a translator to catch all the innuendos and references. Hopefully the comments will help.
George Bernard Shaw - amongst others stated that: ‘England and America are two countries separated by the same language’!! Haha!! Nothing can be truer than with this song!!! Lyrics by Chris Difford - a very naughty boy! Everything else is brilliant - Jools, Glen, Chris et al! People from the US will struggle understanding the British cockney "rap""! First verse watching an old western movie (the squaw wins): second verse watching telly (an old English TV show called "The Sweeney" - Sweeney Todd - Flying Squad police); third verse - gorgeous wordplay ( bitter = angry + bitter = English beer) and a nasty little rash! (hold me back - this is awesome); fourth verse "give the dog a bone"- here fido!🤣🤣 Squeeze -so many good songs - my favourite "Annie get you gun"! Go guys (Squeeze and the Robs) - you're brilliant!!😍
Squeeze are my all time favourite band, each song has a story to tell. Chris Difford, here on vocals and Glenn Tilbrook are two of the main lead vocalists and either sing together or separately but, both have great vocals albeit different.I’ve seen them live and they were amazing❤ please react to more of their back catalogue:
•Another nail in my heart -( my favourite )
•Slap and tickle
•Pulling mussels from a shell
A great reaction guys👍😀
My favourite group, listened to them since 1979 and in recent years have seen them live. They are actually getting better. Great songwriters.
Up the Junction. Very best Squeeze tune.😁
Proper Sarf London lads. A couple of them went to the same high school as me (a year or 2 before me).
Squeeze - Another Nail in my Heart
As others have said. The pianist is Jools Holland, an absolute legend. He has worked with some of the very best and is still touring in 2024. Check him out for great blues and exciting boogie piano.
And Gilson lavis the drummer is with jools
I feel like this song was an answer to stray cat strut. Squeese was a.beach tape for me. Try "Hourglass"
A great great great band. They're still performing & sound just as great as ever. Proper British new wave band
Jack the lad out on the lash.😂