THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

507-Squeeze-Up the Junction.

1979-Number 2 single.

Best Bit-At 0.10. Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were once hailed as ‘The heirs to Lennon and McCartney’s throne.’

Christopher Henry Difford, (guitar, vocals, and lyrics) who was born on November 4th, 1954, in Greenwich, London, England, claims that in 1973 he stole 50 pence from his mothers purse in order to put a card in a local sweet shop window to advertise for a guitarist to join his band, although he wasn’t actually in a band at the time. Glenn Martin Tilbrook, (vocals, guitar, and music) who was born on August 31st, 1957, in London, England, was the only person to respond to the advert. Jools Holland, (keyboards) and Paul Gunn (drums) were the next two to join, after seeing an advert placed in the ‘New Musical Express.’ The band took their name from ‘The Velvet Underground’s ‘ (see also best songs 401-165-131 and 58) much derided 1973 Album ‘Squeeze.’ They were active between 1974-1982, but reformed in 1985-1999, and then reformed again in 2007, and at the time of writing they remain active. In total there have been 27 different members come and go, with Difford and Tilbrook being the only constants.

The discography of Squeeze includes 15 studio Albums released between 1978-2017, and 48 singles released within the same time period, there are also two extended plays (EP’s), 14 official compilation Albums, and four live Albums available. In the UK, 12 of their singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Cool for Cats,’ (1979) and ‘Up the Junction,’ (1979) both peaking the highest at Number 2. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, where they were dubbed ‘UK Squeeze’ for a short time, owing to legal conflicts arising from a contemporary American band called ‘Tight Squeeze,’ they have charted within the top 40 on two occasions, with ‘Hourglass,’ (1987) reaching Number 15, and ‘853-5937,’ (1988) making Number 32.

During the first hiatus of Squeeze between 1983-1985, Chris Difford, and Glenn Tilbrook continued to write, tour, and record together, and in 1984 they released the Album ‘Difford & Tilbrook, which many of their fan base consider to be an unofficial Squeeze Album. When not performing with Squeeze, Glenn Tilbrook performs with three others in a group that are called ‘Fluffers,’ with whom he released the 2009 Album ‘Pandemonium Ensues,’ In total away from Squeeze, Tilbrook has released 11 Albums between 2001-2016. Chris Difford also has a solo discography, which consists of eight Albums released between 2003-2018.

‘Up the Junction’ was the third of four singles released from ‘Cool for Cats’ the second studio Album from Squeeze, from April 1979, the song was co-written by Chris Difford, (lyrics) and Glenn Tilbrook, (music) with the production credited to Squeeze, and John Wood. Wood is an English sound engineer and producer, and is best known for his work with artists, including Cat Stevens, Pink Floyd, and Nick Drake (1948-1974.) John Wood engineered all three of Nick Drake’s Albums between 1969-1972, and it is said that he was one of the few people the notoriously withdrawn singer trusted. According to Drake’s biographer Trevor Dann, ‘He and Nick hit it off immediately, Woody the perfectionist soundman, Nick the perfectionist musician.’

Chris Difford got his inspiration for the lyrics to ‘Up the Junction’ from the collection of short stories written by the English playwright Neil Dunn, one of which was called ‘Up the Junction,’ and was made into a television play in 1965, and a film with a soundtrack by the British group Manfred Mann (see also best songs 592) in 1968. Although the song isn’t the same story as the book or the film, it does allude to the same themes of a working class environment, and pregnancy. The song tells the story of a couple falling in love, and moving in together. She becomes pregnant, and he tries to do the right thing by getting a job, and saving some money each week, but by the end of the song he has become an alcoholic, and she has left him for another man, and taken the baby with her, and he is too proud to beg her forgiveness. Up the junction is London slang for being in big trouble, and is also a reference to the working class area of Clapham Junction, in London. The title of the song is not mentioned until the final line. Chris Difford has been quoted as saying that he got the idea for that from the Roxy Music song ‘Virginia Plain,’ (see also best songs 57) in which the title also appeared only at the end. Glenn Tilbrook has said the music was partly inspired by the Bob Dylan song ‘Positively 4th Street,’ and the lack of a chorus or lyrical repetition, which is unusual in a mainstream ‘Pop’ hit, was due to Tilbrook feeling a repeated section would upset the flow of Difford’s narrative lyric.

‘Alone here in the kitchen I feel there’s something missing, I’d beg for some forgiveness, but begging’s not my business. And she won’t write a letter although I always tell her, and so it’s my assumption, I’m really up the junction.’