Squeeze Box (song)

1975 single by the Who

"Squeeze Box"

Solid centre variant of UK vinyl

Single by the Who
from the album  The Who by Numbers
B-side| "Success Story"
Released|

* November 1975 (US)
* 9 January 1976 (UK)[1]

Recorded| 30 May 1975
Studio| Shepperton soundstage, Surrey, England
Genre|

* Rock[2]
* country[3]

Length| 2:42
Label| Polydor (UK)
MCA (US)
Songwriter(s)| Pete Townshend
Producer(s)| Glyn Johns
The Who US singles chronology
| "Postcard"
(1974)  | "Squeeze Box"
(1975)  | "Slip Kid"
(1976)

|
|

The Who UK singles chronology
| "The Real Me"
(1974)  | "Squeeze Box"
(1976)  | "Who Are You"
(1978)

|
|

"Squeeze Box" is a song by the British rock band the Who from their album The Who by Numbers. Written by Pete Townshend, the lyrics are couched in sexual double entendres. Unlike many of the band's other hits, the song features country-like elements, as heard in Townshend's banjo picking.

"Squeeze Box" was a commercial success, peaking at No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart[4] and No. 16 in the US Billboard Hot 100. The song is also their only international number-one hit, reaching No. 1 in Canada, and No. 2 on the Irish singles chart.

## Background

[edit]

"Squeeze Box" was originally intended for a Who television special planned in 1974.[5] In the planned performance of the song, the members of the band were to be surrounded by 100 topless women playing accordions.[5]

A demo of the song featured a Farfisa organ-based arrangement, as well as bluegrass banjos. Authors Steve Grantley and Alan Parker compared this early version to The Beatles' 1968 song, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da".[6] This demo appeared on Pete Townshend's demo collection, Scoop.[6]

"Squeezebox" is a slang term for accordions and related instruments.[7] The song's lyrics consist mostly of sexual innuendo. Although Pete Townshend later said that the song originated as a dirty joke, he said that there was no double entendre, claiming "It's not about a woman's breasts, vaginal walls, or anything else of the ilk."[6] The Who's bassist, John Entwistle also commented on the lyrics, saying "I dunno. Most songs have double meanings or no meaning at all. 'Squeeze Box' isn't that dirty. It doesn't say 'tits.'"[6] Lead singer Roger Daltrey, however, acknowledged the double meaning, saying, "There's nothing wrong with a bit of 'in-and-out,' mate!"[6]

"Squeeze Box" was released as the first single from The Who by Numbers in 1975 in America and 1976 in Britain. It became an international hit, becoming the band's first Top 10 hit in Britain since 1972's "Join Together".[6] Despite this, Pete Townshend did not think highly of the song, and was astonished at its chart success.

> "I had bought myself an accordion and learned to play it one afternoon … The accordion gave the song a polka-esque rhythm, and the lyrics, which I wrote for fun, were intended as a poorly aimed dirty joke. I had no thought of it ever becoming a hit but amazingly recorded by the Who, to my disbelief. Further incredulity was caused when it became a hit for us in the USA."[8]

Roger Daltrey, however, spoke positively of the song, praising its simplicity.

> It's so refreshingly simple. An incredibly catchy song. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is and I love it for that.[6]

Record World said that "the group gives a display of their tremendous creative powers; a lilting rocker with all the immediacy of a 'Happy Jack.'"[9]

PopMatters critic David Pike rated it one of the "41 essential pop/rock songs with accordion."[8]

## Song composition

[edit]

The song is written in three stanzas using the same closing refrain of "Mama's got a squeeze box/ Daddy never sleeps at night".[10] The content of each stanza builds on the innuendo of the colloquial phrase of referring to a romantic partner as being some variation of being a "main squeeze" or simply referring to a boyfriend or girlfriend as a "squeeze". The first stanza is relatively ambiguous and introduces the main rhythm and beat of the song followed by the first instance of the refrain. The second stanza becomes more explicit with the romantic couple ignoring their pets and even their children when their nighttime activity commences stating, "'Cause she's playing all night", followed by the refrain. The third stanza becomes relatively undisguised in its use of metaphor referring to the couple's romantic activity as "in and out and in and out", followed by the closing instance of the refrain. The original version of the end of the song included the intonation of the words, "She goes, squeeze me, come on and squeeze me, Come on…", as the music faded out.[6]

## Live performances

[edit]

The song was first performed live at the New Bingley Hall in Stafford on 3 October 1975, and remained in the set for the rest of the 1975–1976 tour, until drummer Keith Moon's final North American concert at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on 21 October 1976. The band later played it again in the last leg of the 1982 Tour. The song was performed live again in 2014 during The Who Hits 50! tour.

## Chart performance

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

The Who
| Chart (1975–1976)  | Peak
position

|

Australia  | 45
Canadian RPM Top Singles[11] | 1
Ireland  | 2
New Zealand  | 26
UK[4] | 10
US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 16
US Cash Box Top 100[13] | 11

Freddy Fender
Chart (1979)  | Peak
position

|

US Billboard Hot Country Singles  | 61

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1976)  | Position

|

Canada[14] | 21
US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 99

## Personnel

[edit]

* Roger Daltrey – lead vocals
* Pete Townshend – guitar, banjo, accordion, backing vocals
* John Entwistle – bass, backing vocals
* Keith Moon – drums

## Other versions

[edit]

Freddy Fender did the first cover of "Squeeze Box," in 1979. It was included on his 14th studio album, The Texas Balladeer. The song became a hit on the U.S. Country chart, reaching #61. Laura Branigan recorded a version of this song for her second studio album, Branigan 2, in 1983.

Poison in collaboration with Charlo recorded a version of the song and released it as a promo single[16] from the album Hollyweird in March 2002. The song was re-released in 2007 on their album Poison'd!, where all the tracks are cover songs. Bobby Dall said on the cover of "Squeeze Box":

> . . . Actually, that was Rikki's idea. When we came into rehearsals . . . to break the ice for the new record . . . before we started fightin' and arguin' about songs, we went through a list of covers and remakes. . . . It was the song that stuck and I think it fits perfectly for our band. It has a great melody and a great vocal, but it's also kinda sparse and undefined . . . it was kinda like an open palette for us.[17]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 33.
2. ^ "41 Essential Pop/Rock Songs with Accordion, Page 2". 26 May 2022.
3. ^ "20 awesome country songs by rock bands". 20 January 2016.
4. ^ a b "Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. 24 January 1976. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
5. ^ a b "The Hypertext Who : Liner Notes : The Who By Numbers". Thewho.net. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Grantley, Steve; Parker, Alan. The Who by Numbers: The Story of the Who Through Their Music. Helter Skelter.
7. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 15 November 1975. p. 72. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
8. ^ a b Pike, David (26 May 2022). "41 Essential Pop/Rock songs with Accordion". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
9. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 15 November 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
10. ^ Lyrics of "Squeeze Boxx". The Who. Lyric Find
11. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
12. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 910.
13. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 2/28/76". cashboxmagazine.com. 28 February 1976. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
14. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
15. ^ Billboard 25 December 1976: TIA-6
16. ^ Graham Needham (4 March 2002). "Discography | Poison | Mama's Got A Squeezebox | American CD single (5") [Sweet Cyanide Music Inc - n/a]". Poisond Info. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
17. ^ [1] Archived 13 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine

## External links

[edit]

* Lyrics of this song
* Freddy Fender - Squeeze Box on YouTube
* The Who - Squeeze Box on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

The Who by Numbers

Songs|

| Side one|

* "Slip Kid"
* "However Much I Booze"
* "Squeeze Box"
* "Dreaming from the Waist"
* "Imagine a Man"

|

Side two|

* "Success Story"
* "They Are All in Love"
* "Blue, Red and Grey"
* "How Many Friends"
* "In a Hand or a Face"

Supporting tours|

* The Who by Numbers Tour

* My Generation
* A Quick One
* The Who Sell Out
* Tommy
* Who's Next
* Quadrophenia
* The Who by Numbers
* Who Are You
* Face Dances
* It's Hard
* Endless Wire
* WHO

* v
* t
* e

The Who singles

UK 1960s|

* "Zoot Suit" / "I'm the Face"
* "I Can't Explain" / "Bald Headed Woman"
* "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" / "Daddy Rolling Stone"
* "My Generation" / "Shout and Shimmy"
* "Substitute" / "Circles"
* "A Legal Matter" / "Instant Party"
* "The Kids Are Alright" / "The Ox"
* "I'm a Boy" / "In the City"
* "La-La-La-Lies" / "The Good's Gone"
* "Happy Jack" / "I've Been Away"
* "Pictures of Lily" / "Doctor, Doctor"
* "The Last Time" / "Under My Thumb"
* "I Can See for Miles" / "Someone's Coming"
* "Dogs" / "Call Me Lightning"
* "Magic Bus" / "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
* "Pinball Wizard" / "Dogs Part Two"

US 1960s|

* "I Can't Explain" / "Bald Headed Woman"
* "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" / "Anytime You Want Me"
* "My Generation" / "Out in the Street"
* "Substitute" / "Waltz For a Pig"
* "The Kids Are Alright" / "A Legal Matter"
* "I'm a Boy" / "In the City"
* "Happy Jack" / "Whiskey Man"
* "Pictures of Lily" / "Doctor, Doctor"
* "I Can See for Miles" / "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand"
* "Call Me Lightning" / "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
* "Magic Bus" / "Someone's Coming"
* "Pinball Wizard" / "Dogs Part Two"
* "I'm Free" / "We're Not Gonna Take It"

UK 1970s|

* "The Seeker" / "Here For More"
* "Summertime Blues" / "Heaven and Hell"
* "See Me, Feel Me" / "Overture from Tommy"
* "Won't Get Fooled Again" / "I Don't Even Know Myself"
* "Let's See Action" / "When I Was A Boy"
* "Baba O'Riley"
* "Join Together" / "Baby Don't You Do It"
* "Relay" / "Waspman"
* "5:15" / "Water"
* "Squeeze Box" / "Success Story"
* "Who Are You" / "Had Enough"
* " Trick of the Light" / "905"
* "Long Live Rock" / "I'm the Face"/"My Wife (Live)"
* "I'm One" / "5:15 (Soundtrack Version)"

US 1970s|

* "The Seeker" / "Here For More"
* "Summertime Blues" / "Heaven and Hell"
* "See Me, Feel Me" / "Overture from Tommy"
* "Won't Get Fooled Again" / "I Don't Even Know Myself"
* "Behind Blue Eyes" / "My Wife"
* "Join Together" / "Baby Don't You Do It"
* "The Relay" / "Wasp Man"
* "Love, Reign o'er Me" / "Water"
* "The Real Me" / "I'm One"
* "Postcard" / "Put the Money Down"
* "Squeeze Box" / "Success Story"
* "Slip Kid" / "Dreaming from the Waist"
* "Substitute (Reissue)" / "I'm a Boy (Alternate Version)"
* "Who Are You" / "Had Enough"
* "Trick of the Light" / "905"
* "Long Live Rock" / "My Wife (Live)"

UK 1980s|

* "You Better You Bet" / "The Quiet One"
* "Don't Let Go the Coat" / "You"
* "Athena" / "A Man Is a Man"
* "Twist and Shout (live)" / "I Can't Explain (live)"
* "Won't Get Fooled Again (EP)" ( "Won't Get Fooled Again (live)" / "Bony Moronie (live)" / "Dancing in the Street (live)" / "Dance it Away (live)" )

US 1980s|

* "You Better You Bet" / "The Quiet One"
* "Don't Let Go the Coat" / "You"
* "Athena" / "It's Your Turn"
* "Eminence Front" / "One At A Time"
* "It's Hard" / "Dangerous"

2000s|

* "Real Good Looking Boy" / "Old Red Wine"

2010s|

* "Be Lucky"
* "Ball and Chain"

* v
* t
* e

Poison

* Bret Michaels
* Rikki Rockett
* Bobby Dall
* C.C. DeVille

* Richie Kotzen
* Blues Saraceno

Studio albums|

* Look What the Cat Dragged In
* Open Up and Say... Ahh!
* Flesh & Blood
* Native Tongue
* Crack a Smile... and More!
* Power to the People
* Hollyweird
* Poison'd!

Live albums|

* Swallow This Live
* Great Big Hits Live! Bootleg
* Seven Days Live (CD)
* Live, Raw & Uncut (CD)

Compilations|

* Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986–1996
* Rock Champions
* Best of Ballads & Blues
* The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock
* Double Dose: Ultimate Hits

Videos|

* Sight for Sore Ears
* Flesh, Blood, & Videotape
* Swallow This Live: Flesh & Blood World Tour
* Seven Days Live
* Poison Greatest Video Hits
* Nothing But a Good Time! Unauthorized
* Poison Video Hits
* The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock (DVD)
* Live, Raw & Uncut (DVD)

Singles|

* "Cry Tough"
* "Talk Dirty to Me"
* "I Want Action"
* "I Won't Forget You"
* "Rock and Roll All Nite"
* "Nothin' But a Good Time"
* "Fallen Angel"
* "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"
* "Your Mama Don't Dance"
* "Unskinny Bop"
* "Something to Believe In"
* "Ride the Wind"
* "Life Goes On"
* "So Tell Me Why"
* "Stand"
* "Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice)"
* "Shut Up, Make Love"
* "The Last Song"
* "Rockstar"
* "Squeeze Box"
* "Shooting Star"
* "We're an American Band"
* "What I Like About You"
* "SexyBack"

Solo albums|

* A Letter from Death Row
* Glitter 4 Your Soul
* Songs of Life
* Freedom of Sound
* Rock My World
* Custom Built
* Jammin' with Friends
* True Grit

Tours|

* Nothing But a Good Time Tour

Related articles|

* Discography
* Bret Michaels discography
* Samantha 7
* Devil City Angels
* A Letter from Death Row (film)
* The Surreal Life
* Rock of Love
* Season 1
* 2
* 3
* Celebrity Apprentice 3
* Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It
* Celebrity Apprentice: All-Stars

* v
* t
* e

Freddy Fender

Studio albums|

* Before the Next Teardrop Falls (1974)
* Are You Ready for Freddy? (1975)
* Since I Met You Baby (1975)
* Rock 'n' Country (1976)
* Your Cheatin' Heart (1976)
* If You're Ever in Texas (1976)
* If You Don't Love Me (1977)
* Merry Christmas / Feliz Navidad (1977)
* Swamp Gold (1978)
* Tex-Mex (1979)
* The Texas Balladeer (1979)
* Favorite Ballads (1991)
* La Música de Baldemar Huerta (2002)

Live albums|

* Recorded Inside Louisiana State Prison (1975)

Compilation albums|

* The Best of Freddy Fender (1977)
* The Freddy Fender Collection (1991)
* His Greatest Recordings (1978)

Singles|

* "Ooh Poo Pah Doo"
* "Before the Next Teardrop Falls"
* "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights"
* "Since I Met You Baby"
* "Secret Love"
* "The Wild Side of Life"
* "You'll Lose a Good Thing"
* "Vaya con Dios"
* "Living It Down"
* "The Rains Came"
* "Squeeze Box"
* "Please Talk to My Heart"

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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