Cool for Cats (song)
| "Cool for Cats" | ||||||||
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| Single by Squeeze | ||||||||
| from the album Cool for Cats | ||||||||
| Released | 9 March 1979 (UK) | |||||||
| Format | 7" and 12" vinyl | |||||||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||||||
| Genre | New wave | |||||||
| Length | 3:39 (album version) 3:10 (single version) |
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| Label | A&M | |||||||
| Writer(s) | Chris Difford & Glenn Tilbrook | |||||||
| Producer(s) | John Wood & Squeeze | |||||||
| Squeeze singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Cool for Cats" was the second single released from Squeeze's Cool for Cats album. It featured a comparatively rare lead vocal performance from cockney-accented Squeeze lyricist Chris Difford, one of only two occasions he sang lead on a Squeeze single A-side (the other was 1989's "Love Circles"). The song, slightly edited from the album track, peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, making it one of the band's biggest hits.
The title phrase is a reference to the 1950s/60s UK TV series Cool for Cats, the first British series to regularly feature rock 'n' roll music acts.
In 1992, thirteen years after its initial release, the track "Cool for Cats" was used in a British TV commercial for milk. The song was then re-issued in the UK, where it charted at No. 62. The song is also a playable track on Rock Band 2.
There is a persistent rumour that one of the two women dancing and singing the distinctive "Cool for Cats" chorus in the video to the song is Michelle Collins, who later found fame as Cindy Beale in BBC TV's EastEnders. However, during a radio interview in 2009,[1] Collins said this was untrue (contradicting a 2002 interview).[2]
Chart positions
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[3] | 39 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[4] | 33 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[5] | 11 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[6] | 2 |
Track listing
- "Cool for Cats" (3:10)
- "Model" (3:30)
1992 UK Re-issue
A&M AMCD 694 – Limited Edition Cool Cat Pac
- "Cool for Cats"
- "Trust Me to Open My Mouth"
- "Squabs on Forty Five"
Personnel
- Chris Difford – rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- Glenn Tilbrook – lead guitar
- Harry Kakoulli – bass
- Jools Holland – keyboard
- Gilson Lavis – drums
References
- ↑ BBC Radio Devon interview with Judi Spiers, broadcast live on 28 July 2009.
- ↑ Parkinson, s7e09. 4 May 2002.
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Squeeze search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Squeeze – Cool For Cats" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Squeeze – Cool For Cats". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ↑ "March 1979/ Archive Chart: 24 March 1979" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
External links
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