Cool for Cats (song)

"Cool for Cats" was the second single released from the British rock band Squeeze's Cool for Cats album. The song features a rare lead vocal performance from cockney-accented Squeeze lyricist Chris Difford, one of only three occasions he sang lead on a Squeeze single A-side (the others were 1979's "Slap & Tickle" and 1989's "Love Circles") 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.

"Cool for Cats"
Single by Squeeze
from the album Cool for Cats
Released9 March 1979 (UK)
Recorded1978
Genre
Length3:39 (album version)
3:10 (single version)
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Chris Difford & Glenn Tilbrook
Producer(s)John Wood & Squeeze
Squeeze singles chronology
"Goodbye Girl"
(1978)		 "Cool for Cats"
(1979)		 "Up the Junction"
(1979)
"Crying in My Sleep"
(1991)
"Cool for Cats"
(1992)
"Third Rail"
(1993)
Music video
"Cool for Cats" on YouTube

Background

"Cool for Cats" was written about the social scene the band experienced in youth. Tillbrook recalled, "Originally it was written about the social circle we were moving in at the time, being young and being... we were almost entirely centered in our own little world. I remember hearing Chris sing those lyrics for the first time and thinking he's just nailed what our lives are about now. It's lovely to be able to look back on that and see how we were as youngsters."[2]

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 1981, the song was used in a commercial for "Smilk" a flavoured milk drink from Kerrygold. The commercial featured animated cats and the tagline for the drink was "It's Cool for Cats". 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. From 1989 onwards, the song was used in the TV commercial spots of ültje GmbH, Schwerte, Germany, with German lyrics. "Kaum steh' ich hier und singe" was sung by Austrian actor, singer and entertainer Andrea Steppan.

The song was used in the game Rock Band 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
  1. "Cool for Cats" (3:10)
  2. "Model" (3:30)

1992 UK Re-issue
A&M AMCD 694 – Limited Edition Cool Cat Pac

  1. "Cool for Cats"
  2. "Trust Me to Open My Mouth"
  3. "Squabs on Forty Five"

Personnel

References
  1. Mason, Stewart. "Cool for Cats - Squeeze". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  2. Nolasco, Stephanie. "Squeeze's Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook reveal the strangest fan encounter they've had: 'She wins the award'". Fox News. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  3. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Squeeze" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  4. "Dutchcharts.nl – Squeeze – Cool For Cats" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  5. "Charts.nz – Squeeze – Cool For Cats". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
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