Precious Pop Pearls: The Story Behind Squeeze – “Cool for Cats”

It was spring 1979 when a new band reached number two in the UK charts. No slick pop production, no polished radio-friendly sound, but an idiosyncratic story about young life in London, sung with an authentic Cockney accent. ‘Cool For Cats’ by Squeeze would become one of the most distinctive singles of the new wave era, a time capsule capturing the energy and humour of that turbulent period perfectly.

Squeeze

The story of Squeeze begins where many great stories do: in a sweet shop window in Blackheath, South London. In 1973, nineteen-year-old Chris Difford placed an advert seeking a guitarist for his band. He later claimed he had stolen the money for the advert from his mother’s wallet. Remarkably, Difford didn’t have a band at the time. Sixteen-year-old Glenn Tilbrook was the only respondent, and when they met, there was an immediate special connection.

Difford and Tilbrook began writing songs together and soon added keyboardist Jools Holland and drummer Paul Gunn. The group performed under various names, including Captain Trundlow’s Sky Company and Skyco, before finally choosing Squeeze. The name ironically referenced the poorly received 1973 Velvet Underground album of the same name, which featured none of the original members.

In 1975, the line-up expanded further with Gilson Lavis replacing Gunn on drums and Harri Kakoulli joining on bass. This formation laid the foundation for Squeeze’s first successful years. The band thrived in Deptford, South-East London, as part of a vibrant local music scene.

Difford and Tilbrook

The partnership between Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook was quickly compared to Lennon and McCartney. Like that legendary duo, there was a clear division of labour: Difford wrote the lyrics while Tilbrook composed the music. This approach produced a unique blend of sharp observations on everyday life and compelling melodies.

Their 1978 debut album, produced by former Velvet Underground member John Cale, gave the band their first hit with ‘Take Me I’m Yours’. In some markets, the album was released as UK Squeeze due to legal conflicts with other bands using the name. The second album, ‘Cool for Cats’ (1979), included the band’s two highest-charting UK singles: ‘Cool for Cats’ and ‘Up the Junction’, both reaching number two.

Cool For Cats

Originally, the song was performed much slower with different lyrics, but at the request of co-producer John Wood, Difford wrote new lyrics over the band’s existing backing track. Legend has it that Difford drew inspiration from The Benny Hill Show, which featured character-based musical numbers with a simple metre. This resulted in a unique sprechgesang track focusing on young Londoners’ lifestyle.

The title ‘Cool For Cats’ was deliberate. Difford thought it was brilliant, referencing the TV series ‘Cool for Cats’, which aired from 1956 to 1961 in England as the first rock and roll television programme. He intertwined this reference with personal experiences in the lyrics.

What made ‘Cool For Cats’ special was that it was one of the few Squeeze singles where Difford sang lead vocals. It featured a rare lead performance by Cockney lyricist Chris Difford, one of only two occasions he took the lead on a Squeeze single. Usually, Tilbrook’s sweeter voice handled lead vocals, but Difford’s raw, characterful voice suited the storytelling perfectly.

Glenn Tilbrook later recalled hearing the new lyrics for the first time: it felt as if Difford had perfectly captured their life at that moment. The song was enhanced by female backing vocals performed by Tilbrook’s girlfriend and her friends, adding an extra layer.

Chart Success

‘Cool For Cats’ was released as a single on 9 March 1979, peaking at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the band’s biggest hits. It stayed on the chart for eleven weeks, reaching number two on 14 April 1979. The band performed on Top of the Pops to promote the single, though they had to alter some lyrics for television.

A music video was also filmed, featuring the band and female backing singers. Tilbrook later admitted the video made him cringe, particularly a moment when he tried to look panther-like and sexy but appeared tipsy. Difford revealed the band had originally filmed another video with constant hat changes, which was never shown on TV due to a shot of drummer Gilson Lavis downing a pint in two seconds. That version aired uncensored on the children’s show Tiswas in April 1979.

‘Cool For Cats’ remained numerically tied with the band’s next single, ‘Up The Junction’, as Squeeze’s highest-charting UK single. Both reached number two, a feat the band never surpassed.

Klaus Lage

Over the years, ‘Cool For Cats’ has been covered by various artists, though less frequently than other Squeeze classics. German artist Klaus Lage recorded a German version in 1980 titled ‘Ich liebe Katzen’, adapting the song to the German language and culture. Bands such as Ruder Than You and Out of the Blue also released their own versions.

Chris Difford re-recorded the song for his 2006 solo album ‘South East Side Story’, reflecting on a track that played a pivotal role in his career. In 1992, it was re-released in the UK after being used in a milk commercial, reaching number 62.

Another Nail in My Heart

‘Cool for Cats’ was also the title of Squeeze’s second studio album, released in 1979, featuring four UK hit singles, more than any other Squeeze album. In addition to the title track and ‘Up the Junction’, the album included ‘Slap and Tickle’ and ‘Goodbye Girl’. Producer John Wood, also responsible for the next album ‘Argybargy’, helped refine the band’s signature sound.

The record also featured the remarkable ‘Up the Junction’, with Difford’s lyrics telling a poignant story of a boy meeting a girl, getting her, and ultimately losing her due to his drinking. Essentially a short story set to music, with a melody so rich it stayed in listeners’ minds for decades.

After the success of ‘Cool for Cats’, Squeeze released their third album ‘, Argybargy’, in February 1980, widely considered their best work. The album followed the successful second release, with lyrics written by Chris Difford while living in New York with his wife.

‘Argybargy’ featured some of Squeeze’s most beloved songs, including ‘Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)’ and ‘Another Nail in My Heart’. The latter, released as a single in March 1980, reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart. It featured a striking Tilbrook guitar solo and was just as melody-rich as previous singles.

The album reached number 32 in the UK and was the first Squeeze album to chart in the United States, peaking at number 71 on the Billboard 200. The jump in quality from ‘Cool for Cats’ to ‘Argybargy’ was striking, with critics praising the latter as a pure pop masterpiece.

And Then…

The band felt ambivalent about these songs, as Difford and Tilbrook gained critical recognition as the new Lennon and McCartney. Difford stated that the band deliberately shelved their two highest-charting singles. Later, he admitted he looked back fondly on the songs, as he wouldn’t be where he is today without them.

Squeeze continued releasing albums over the years, with varying success. Produced by Elvis Costello and Roger Bechirian, it featured Carrack’s lead vocals on the radio hit ‘Tempted’, which became one of their most beloved songs in the US.

The band broke up in 1982, reformed in 1985, broke up again in 1999, and reunited in 2007. Throughout, Difford and Tilbrook remained the creative heart, their partnership comparable to other great songwriting duos in pop history.

‘Cool For Cats’ remains one of the most recognisable tracks of the new wave period. It captures not only the energy and quirkiness of the era, but also the specific atmosphere of young life in late 1970s London. Difford’s social observations combined with Tilbrook’s infectious melodies resulted in something timeless.

The track symbolises a time when pop could be experimental without losing accessibility, when bands succeeded with quirky vocals and unconventional structures. In this sense, ‘Cool For Cats’ embodies everything that made the new wave movement refreshing: creativity, humour, and a refusal to conform to mainstream expectations.