There was a documentary about Glenn Tilbrook back in the mid-00s and there's a part where he heads off on a solo tour of Australia. He noted that the only hit Squeeze had there was the Chris-sung "Cool For Cats" and feared that it would impact the tour accordingly. Wikipedia backs up his assertion about the band's success in the Antipodes.
I think Junction is a very good song, but I don't love it as much as many fans seem to. The tune is wonderful, Glenn sings it great, and some of the lines ("She looked just like her mother, if there could be another") are really touching. But man, I hate that "nappies smelly" line-- I get that it wasn't all sweetness and light, but that's still a clumsy rhyme. And I'm not completely convinced that the story needs to take a downturn in the way it does-- To my mind, "Goodbye Girl" does a better job of telling a story that starts out hopeful and winds up miserable. But I do love it for the most part, so 4/5.
Some great thoughts here - to which I can’t really add anything of note. I’ll just say 5/5 - now and forever.
I don’t need to listen to "Up The Junction", I can hear it in my head any time I want to. The lyrical clumsiness only reinforces the helplessness of the narrator's predicament and adds to the flavor of the song. 5/5
Your thoughts on the rhymes are very interesting, I loved the song in particular for it’s use of everyday London speak. I come from the same part of South London and it was like listening to a friend tell a story. We still watch the telly (it’s never referred to as anything else), and things are still smelly . It was great to hear everyday language in a pop song, admired Ian Dury who also did exactly that. How many times has the word incubator found it’s way into a song? I wish the song had better production, but it’s still 5/5
5/5 Very hard to find things to say about Up The Junction that haven't already. At times I'm sure I've read Chris allege that 'Vicky Verky' might be a prequel and that 'King George Street' and 'A Moving Story' contain the same characters at different stages in their lives. Not sure how committed he was to that idea, though... Here's a Top Of The Pops performance from June 79:
Also the Christmas TOTP from that year features zany instrument-swapping fun. Glenn has clearly practiced his drumming performance, either that or just knows the song as well as you'd probably expect him to...
Also the cartoon video they made in 2010, which contains the Spot The Difference re-recording. This got shown on screen at their gigs for a while, plus you can see Steve Nieve in the video who briefly returned to fill in for Stephen Large on keys when he was off with Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott:
Amazed that this tune doesn't get any radio love in the USA....it's such a perfect song from start to finnish and easily one of the band's finest singles. 5/5
"Up The Junction" -- 4/5 This is a really great single -- there's no denying it's an earworm -- and so unusual to have a huge hit without a chorus. But... I'll be honest and say I've never ranked this up there with their best songs. Lyrically, Chris tells an interesting story, but it's extremely clumsy. The story is told mainly in the past tense, except suddenly when it's time for the baby to arrive, it's "This morning at 4:50". Then it jumps back into the past tense. And then at the end it's back to the present. Also, I've always cringed at the repeated use of the word "smelly". Even as a kid, these things bugged me. I've always felt that the lyrics needed to be tidied up a little better. Extra points to Gilson Lavis and his fast foot in this track. I missed rating "The Knack" the other day, where I wanted to highlight that, too. He subtly and quietly steals the show in several Squeeze songs, and this one is elevated by his sublime and understated drumming.
Oh gosh I’d completely forgotten the swapped instruments Christmas TOTP performance; thanks for posting. Presumably they were between bassists at the time it was recorded? I sort of get why some might find the lyrical flubs annoying, but I’m with those who reckon they enhance the drama. So what if it isn’t as good as Vicky Verky. It’s the single that made me realise Squeeze was more than an enjoyably fun band. 5/5
@intv7 I’m glad it’s not just me that finds Gilson’s drumming such a key element in Squeeze’s brilliance
Gilson Lavis has been and always will be an under rated drummer. His playing is such a compliment to the arrangements and he never steps on anybody's parts but his own.
I just discovered this thread a few days ago and wasn't planning to start participating until the next album but I feel compelled to comment on this song. I love Squeeze, as I hope future posts will prove, but I have never much cared for Up The Junction. Maybe it's because I'm American, although heaven knows the things described in the song happen here too. It's just that the lack of a chorus, the descending melody and downbeat lyrics all add up to a song I find tedious. Sorry. 2/5
Hmm, well I guess I don't feel that bad that they may have passed me by in my youth. But I've always been kind of aware of them - without actually knowing a lot of their songs - I'm actually surprised they didn't really grab hold in Australia commercially because that style of pub rock is a pretty good fit.
Thanks for posting this. It has been, and will continue to be, my intention to post the Spot The Difference tracks with their associated originals, but I forgot this time.
I continue to recalculate song averages for all late ratings until the conclusion of the album under discussion, so feel free to post a rating if you're so inclined.
Thanks! "The Knack" -- 3/5 Very unusual musically -- Chris does a pretty good job vocally, and as I stated above, I think Gilson is way underrated and elevates an average song a bit higher than it would've been without him.
Up The Junction 5/5 Brilliant. A unique Glenn melody that doesn't sound like any other Squeeze song, like Labelled With Love doesn't, although the two are completely different. (Was I drunk when I wrote that ? Hopefully you know what I mean). The odd phrasing and semi-forced rhymes in some of the lyrics only serve to make them more memorable to me. Apparently Chris wrote 16 verses, I would love to read the rest. As for the lack of chorus, what about Bohemian Rhapsody, Stairway To Heaven, Losing My Religion etc. etc. One little extra touch that I like is making the girl from Clapham, so that Up The Junction gives a nod to Clapham Junction railway station.
