Cool for Cats by Squeeze

One of the definitively quirky new-wave songs, “Cool For Cats” was a major UK hit single twice, while never quite hitting in America (Squeeze would have to wait two more years for their first real US hit, the soul ballad “Tempted”).

While guitarist Glenn Tilbrook was Squeeze’s usual lead singer, the voice on “Cool For Cats” is Chris Difford, who usually just wrote the lyrics, played rhythm guitar and did harmony. The lyric is full of specifically English references; the line about the Sweeney doing 90 refers to a British crime show that was popular at the time.

Originally a hit in 1979, “Cool for Cats” was used in a British milk commercial in the '90s and hit a second time.

The Who’s Pete Townshend briefly parodied this song (“Cats? It’s cool for rats!”) in “Cat’s in the Cupboard,” from his solo album Empty Glass.

Drum solo! It’s one of the first to appear in a Rock Band song—and fun to play, but impossible to nail until you get a sense of where it’s going. The drum part is otherwise easy to master, with a disco-style backbeat. But Lavis’ unpredictable drum accents were one of the song’s main hooks; plan to fly by the seat of your pants if you don’t already know the song.

Vocally, it may not improve your score if you copy Difford’s thick Cockney accent. But you truly wouldn’t want to sing it any other way.

After a few year's estrangement, Difford & Tilbrook revived Squeeze in 2007. Not joining them was keyboardist Jools Holland, who’s become a popular English TV personality (even in the old days, Holland always played the MC at Squeeze gigs). Drummer Gilson Lavis is now part of Holland’s studio band.