Slap and Tickle

Last updated

"Slap And Tickle"
Slap and tickle cover.jpg
Single by Squeeze
from the album Cool for Cats
Released31 August 1979 (UK)
Recorded1978
Genre New wave
Length4:19
Label A&M
Songwriter(s) Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook
Producer(s) John Wood & Squeeze
Squeeze singles chronology
"Up the Junction"
(1979)
"Slap And Tickle"
(1979)
"Christmas Day"
(1979)

"Slap And Tickle" was the fourth and final single released from Squeeze's second album, Cool for Cats . Co-written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, the song took influence lyrically from the crowd that the band had been associating with at the time. Its synth-heavy arrangement was inspired by Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder.

Contents

"Slap and Tickle" was released as the fourth single from Cool for Cats, reaching number 24 in the UK.

Background

"Slap and Tickle" was co-written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. On "Slap and Tickle", Difford took lyrical inspiration from the "seedy crew" that the band had become friendly with when they became successful. [1] Difford explained, "I loved being with them because they were the kind of people I'd shied away from at school. Now I had the authority of being in a successful band, I was hanging out with them." Difford also cited the lyrical style of Ian Dury and future Squeeze producer Elvis Costello as influences in developing the song's rhythmic metre. "Slap and tickle" is a British euphemism for sexual activity.

Musically, Tilbrook cited Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder as inspirations on "Slap and Tickle", though his inexperience with sequencers made it difficult to replicate the sound. He noted, "I played it all by hand. There's a clip of me on the Old Grey Whistle Test prodding away manfully at the keyboard." Tilbrook played keyboard on the song, which he later noted was him "encroaching on Jools [Holland]'s territory."

Release

"Slap and Tickle" appeared as the opening track on 1979's Cool for Cats . The track was released as the fourth single from the album in the UK. The single peaked at number 24 in the UK Singles Chart. [2]

The song has since appeared on compilation albums, such as 1982's Singles – 45's and Under . A rerecorded version of "Slap and Tickle" also appeared on the 2010 album Spot the Difference .

Track listing

  1. "Slap And Tickle" (4:19)
  2. "All's Well" (2:25)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squeeze (band)</span> British rock band

Squeeze are an English rock band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the new wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording in the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. In the UK, their singles "Cool for Cats", "Up the Junction", and "Labelled with Love" were top-ten chart hits. Though not as commercially successful in the United States, Squeeze had American hits with "Tempted", "Black Coffee in Bed", and "Hourglass", and were considered a part of the Second British Invasion.

<i>Sweets from a Stranger</i> 1982 studio album by Squeeze

Sweets from a Stranger is the fifth studio album by the British new wave group Squeeze, released in September 1982 through A&M. The album peaked at number 20 in the UK Albums Chart. The band split up soon after a world tour for the record, and the two main songwriters went on to record 1984's Difford & Tilbrook. Squeeze reunited and released Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti in 1985. As with all Squeeze albums, Chris Difford wrote the words first and Glenn Tilbrook would write the music afterwards often editing Difford's material to create a streamlined narrative. Tilbrook would record a demo afterwards and play it for Difford.

<i>Squeeze</i> (Squeeze album) 1978 studio album by Squeeze

Squeeze is the debut studio album released by English group Squeeze. The album title was simply Squeeze in the United Kingdom, but in the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries the album, like the band, was marketed under the name U.K. Squeeze to avoid confusion with similarly-named American and Australian groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Tilbrook</span> English musician (born 1957)

Glenn Martin Tilbrook is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the English new wave band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the music for Squeeze's songs, while his writing partner, Chris Difford, wrote the lyrics. In addition to his songwriting skills, Tilbrook is respected both as a singer and an accomplished guitarist. He was born in Woolwich, London.

<i>Cool for Cats</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Squeeze

Cool for Cats is the second studio album by the English new wave group Squeeze, released in 1979. Cool for Cats contains four UK hit singles, more than any other album the band has issued. The album peaked at number 45 in the UK Albums Chart, spending 11 weeks in that listing.

<i>Argybargy</i> 1980 studio album by Squeeze

Argybargy is the third studio album by the English new wave band Squeeze. Written and recorded after the band's successful sophomore release, Cool for Cats, the album's lyrics were written by Chris Difford while living with his wife in New York City. The band reunited with Cool for Cats producer John Wood and, after Glenn Tilbrook composed music for Difford's new lyrics, recorded the album in late 1979.

<i>Some Fantastic Place</i> 1993 studio album by Squeeze

Some Fantastic Place is the tenth studio album by the British new wave group Squeeze, released in 1993 by A&M Records. Their first album since the departure of original Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis, it features Pete Thomas and the brief return of keyboardist/vocalist Paul Carrack, who had previously appeared on East Side Story (1981). "Loving You Tonight" became only the second Squeeze song cut in thirteen years to feature Carrack singing a lead part. Additionally, bassist Keith Wilkinson wrote and sang "True Colours ", the first song on a Squeeze album not written by Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford, Jools Holland, or any combination of those three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Me I'm Yours</span> 1978 single by Squeeze

"Take Me I'm Yours" is the debut single by English new wave band Squeeze. It established the band's trademark vocal style, with Chris Difford singing an octave lower than Glenn Tilbrook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodbye Girl (Squeeze song)</span> 1978 single by Squeeze

"Goodbye Girl" is the first single released from Squeeze's second album Cool for Cats. Three different versions were recorded: one for the UK single, one for the American single, and one for the album. In the UK, the single reached number 63 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cool for Cats (song)</span> 1979 single by Squeeze

"Cool for Cats" is a song by English rock band Squeeze, released as the second single from their album of the same name. The song features a rare lead vocal performance from cockney-accented Squeeze lyricist Chris Difford, one of the only two occasions he sang lead on a Squeeze single A-side. The song, slightly edited from the album track, peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1979, making "Cool for Cats" one of the band's biggest hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Up the Junction (song)</span> 1979 single by Squeeze

"Up the Junction" was the third single released from Squeeze's second album, Cool for Cats. Sung by Glenn Tilbrook, it is one of the band's most popular and well-remembered songs, and reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, the same position as its predecessor, "Cool for Cats".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Is That Love</span> 1981 single by Squeeze

"Is That Love" is a new wave song by Squeeze that was released on the band's fourth album, East Side Story. Written by Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, the song features lyrics about Difford's marriage and features a quick tempo with a piano-based ending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tempted (Squeeze song)</span> 1981 single by Squeeze

"Tempted" is a song by the British rock band Squeeze. Written by the Squeeze songwriting team of Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, the song features lyrics inspired by Difford's experiences on an American tour and an arrangement inspired by the Temptations. "Tempted" is one of a few Squeeze songs with Paul Carrack as lead vocalist, at the suggestion of producer Elvis Costello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Coffee in Bed</span> 1982 single by Squeeze

"Black Coffee in Bed" was the first single released from Squeeze's fifth album, Sweets from a Stranger. It peaked at number 51 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Get Your Gun (song)</span>

"Annie Get Your Gun" is a single released by Squeeze in 1982. It was not featured on any studio album, but has been included on a number of compilations, including Singles – 45's and Under. "Annie Get Your Gun" was the last single released by the band before they broke up, though they reunited in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bang Bang (Squeeze song)</span> 1978 single by Squeeze

"Bang Bang", a song by Squeeze, was the second single released from their debut album Squeeze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hourglass (Squeeze song)</span> 1987 single by Squeeze

"Hourglass" was the first single released from Squeeze's seventh album, Babylon and On. Aided by an optical illusion-filled music video directed by Ade Edmondson, it received substantial airplay on MTV, and "Hourglass" became the highest-charting hit the band ever had in the United States, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, while reaching number 16 in the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Singles – 45s and Under</i> 1982 compilation album by Squeeze

Singles – 45's and Under is a compilation album by Squeeze, released on the A&M Records label on 22 October 1982. The album consisted of all their singles from 1978 to 1982 in chronological order, with the exception of "Bang Bang", "Christmas Day" and "When the Hangover Strikes", and included a new song, "Annie Get Your Gun", which was released as a single ahead of the album. It was the band's biggest selling album, having been certified platinum in both the UK and the US.

<i>Spot the Difference</i> 2010 studio album / Greatest hits album by Squeeze

Spot the Difference is a 2010 album by the British new wave group Squeeze. It is the band's thirteenth studio album and consists entirely of new recordings of older Squeeze songs. The songs are arranged as similarly as possible to the original recordings, being done in such a way to invite the listener to 'spot the difference'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If I Didn't Love You (Squeeze song)</span> 1980 single by Squeeze

"If I Didn't Love You" is the ninth track from Squeeze's album, Argybargy. The song, written by Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, features lyrics about the early stages of a relationship and the insecurity that comes with it. The song has vocals and a slide guitar solo by Tilbrook.

References

  1. Tilbrook, Glenn; Difford, Chris; Drury, Jim. Squeeze: Song by Song. Sanctuary. pp. 43–45.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 522/3. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.