"Messed Around" is a US single released from Squeeze's fourth album, East Side Story.

"Messed Around"
Single by Squeeze
from the album East Side Story
Released1981 (US)
Recorded1980
GenreRock, new wave
Length2:40
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook
Producer(s)Roger Bechirian, Elvis Costello
Squeeze singles chronology
"Labelled With Love"
(1981)
"Messed Around"
(1981)
"Black Coffee in Bed"
(1982)

Background

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Author Jim Drury posed that the song was one which ex-Squeeze member Jools Holland may have enjoyed playing on, to which Glenn Tilbrook said, "Yeah. There was definitely a feeling of 'See what you're missing out on, Jools. Look at all the fun you could be having.' Paul [Carrack] did a great job on it and we recorded it virtually live in the studio."[1] Tillbrook also said that the "song showed what a great band we had at the time, one of Squeeze's strongest line-ups."[1]

Chris Difford said "it actually sounds like Jools [Holland] playing on it. It's a breathtaking solo by Paul. Piano playing does not get any better than that. When we recorded this I felt as though I'd finally arrived, that I was in a proper band with real men. Glenn's guitar sounds very Scotty Moore, with a distant amplifier. It's reminiscent of one of Glenn's earlier solos from when we were younger and a great way to end an album."[1]

Tilbrook also claimed that the song was inspired by the Stray Cats.[2]

Record World said that "Glenn Tilbrook's ultra-cool rockabilly inflections are supported by the band's tasteful piano sprinkles and guitar licks, creating an authentic late-'50s sound."[3]

Track listing

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  1. "Messed Around" (2:40)
  2. "Yap Yap Yap" (4:13)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tillbrook, Glenn; Difford, Chris; Drury, Jim. Squeeze: Song by Song. Sanctuary.
  2. ^ Fanelli, Damian (May 2012). "Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze Talks Gear, Guitar Solos and Future Plans". Guitar World. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 3 October 1981. p. 10. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
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