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Because I am, somehow, still completely shell-shocked by the Video Music Awards–I blame the 12-frame split screens during the fleeting moments that were devoted to enumerating nominees, which made up for their brevity by being completely fucking overstimulating–I am going to indulge myself (and, I suspect, delight a reader or two) by posting this clip of pop titans Squeeze lipsyncing their fantastic song “Up The Junction” in the midst of a Top Of The Pops set that’s made up of what looks at first glance to be a forest of thumbs in the “I approve” position. Come on, this set is so much cooler than the Sky Villa!
Anyway, “Junction” is merely one of the many incredible tunes that the band has put out during its existence, which has been marked by whip-smart, yet heartbreaking lyrics and choruses that are like brain-Velcro. I saw the current incarnation of Squeeze in New York a few weeks back, and the show was a ton of fun; Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford ran through most of their biggest hits in absolutely rip-roaring fashion, and they threw in some more recent tracks like their power-ballad “Walk Away” for good measure. “Junction” was a highlight, and the guitar solo in “Black Coffee In Bed” still sounded note-perfect. Also, in the one-day-shy-of-one-year history of this site, we’ve never done a post on this band, which seems like a major oversight, given that a) I listened to them every day during the summer of 1995 and b) their catalog has at least 100 songs that could be used as examples in the How To Write A Perfect Pop song textbook.
Squeeze – Up The Junction (TOTP) [YouTube]
Squeeze [MySpace]
Damn, I forgot how great Squeeze was.
Sadly, this just reminds me how much ALL pop music sucks balls today.
Oh, I see what they’re doing! It looks like this is after they 86′d Harry Kakoulli (sp) and knew it’d be a lip synch – so everyone switched up! Weird to see Tillbrook on drums and Jools on guitar!
I saw Squeeze on this recent reunion tour. Glenn is really in better voice than ever. I wish they’d write new songs together.
It made me go buy one of the later Squeeze records I’d never gotten around to.
Bless you.
I had a Squeeze Moment™ on a Saturday about three to six months ago, when the local cock-rock station had a moment of awesomeness on Twofer Tuesday and played “Black Coffee in Bed” back-to-back with “Annie Get Your Gun.” I spent the rest of the afternoon digging out my handful of Squeeze CDs and making a complete iPod playlist, which I played into the ground for about a week thereafter. I went a little bit deep, too - I even included three tracks from Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti.
Agree that Squeeze is great, but “Up the Junction”? All-around hokey. (”The devil came and took me/From bar to street to bookie…”? Oy, fellas. You can do better than that!)
Give me “Black Coffee,” “Pulling Mussels from the Shell” or even “Tempted.” “Annie Get Your Gun”? Love it too. But “Junction” always struck me as a misfire.
Right on, Maura! A great song and a cool video – thanks for posting. Sorry BasilHayden but “Junction” ranks right up there with the songs you named. Maybe it’s the high standards the band set for themselves with their many pop gems that makes you feel it’s weaker by comparison. Nothing hokey about that song – cheers Squeeze!
I think this was the first Squeeze song I ever heard! Courtesy of, of all things, the Brimstone and Treacle soundtrack. Which is perhaps appropriate now that I see a Sting post follows this one.
Great band, great song, despite Lily Allen beating it into the ground with cover versions and on her mixtapes…Universal in Europe is doing deluxe reissues of the bands’ CDS-but the two-disc “Argy Bargy” is past the supposed release date…sigh…
Dude. THAT was awesome, something I never managed to ever see before.
No chorus! Song’s lyrics end with the title! Great stuff, and a harbinger of good things to come for a band that was already off to a fast start at the time.
And as for the recent show (I was at Maura’s immediate right that night), they did return in excellent form, almost surprisingly so, since I feared the worst having seen then all the way to the bitter, Domino-tour end.
But great sampling of songs from the back catalog I didn’t expect (Walk Away, Slightly Drunk, Slaughtered, Gutted & Heartbroken, Third Rail –jeez, they even played Love Circles a few days later in Sayreville). And they even seemed to enjoy themselves (original members and fill-in Fluffers, both)
Glenn’s solo shows never stopped being a blast, but I was a little tentative when they chose to reform. Now if only we can get some new tunes..
Thanks for the post, Mo.
a short time ago my father (also a musician) made me a birthday mix CD–all the songs he remembers me first liking..that sentence is so gramtatically wrong I best leave it. But you get what I mean? And it’s dominated by songs by bands that I’d largely stopped listening to after age 4 (NRBQ, Bryan Adams (oy), Los Lobos) but had a good number of Squeeze tunes that have stayed with me through my whole life. When I started collecting vinyl a few years back, Squeeze records were the first I bought. So pitch perfect and weird and distinct. Thanks for reminding me.
Bless.