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
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.
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.
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.
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.
'Squeeze' was a great band, they had many hits: "Take Me I'm Yours", "Goodbye Girl", "Up The Junction", "Black Coffee In Bed", "Is That Love", "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)", "Labelled With Love", "Another Nail In The Heart", "Hourglass", "Slap and Tickle", "Tempted", "Sunday Street", "853-5937". There are many more but these are good ones to continue with.
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 .
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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)
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!!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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👍😀
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 ❤😊🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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
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!!😍
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.
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.
@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) .
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.
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.
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!
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 !
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.
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
🇬🇧 Squeeze were a great band from the late 70s - 80s. They were really very different from what we were used to. But still great. They have quite a list of really good songs for you to listen to. "Pulling Muscles From The Shell " (I know?!) "Take Me I'm Yours" "Tempted" & many more. 🎼🎶❤️
Squeeze we're all such incredible musicians. The keyboard player is Jools Holland who is huge in the UK and hosts a live musical show on New Year's Eve at midnight every year with very famous musicians/singers and new up and coming artists. ❤
Squeeze is still killing it. We saw them at Wolf Trap in VA this summer and they went hard end-to-end. So much fun. [hold on to your seats] These guys are such good songwriters that they are in the conversation with Lennon and McCartney as one of the best songwriting pairs of all time. Try Pulling Mussels from a Shell or Black Coffee in Bed.
The Keyboard player was Jules Holland who now hosts his own new year show every year on a national TV channel in the UK. He is an axcellent keyboardist and has jammed with many world famous music artists on his various TV appearances.
Squeeze has many different sounds. Especially between songs Chris sang (like here) or Glenn singing lead. Try “Another Nail in My Heart” or “Hourglass”
Squeeze were a class act. That's not the normal singer he's just playing guitar on this one. keyboard player is Jools Holland well known. Should definitely check some of there other stuff out, they have a quality catalogue
Up there with any lyricists ever, absolutely brilliant at putting words together to form a story. Couple that with a gang of gifted musicians and amazing singers, one of the best bands ever.
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.
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.
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
Saw Squeeze at the Newcastle city hall (U.k) in 1974. They were the supporting act to Queen. Still have the ticket and it cost all of £2.50! Good memories.
