Squeeze Box (song)
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Released
November 1975 (US)
16 January 1976 (UK)
Recorded 30 May 1975
Studio Shepperton soundstage, Surrey, England
Genre Rock
Length 2:42
“Squeeze Box” is a song by 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, seen in Townshend’s guitar finger picking.
“Squeeze Box” was a commercial success, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and number 16 in the US Billboard Hot 100. The song is also their only international number-one hit, reaching number one in Canada, and reached number two on the Irish singles chart.
“Squeeze Box” was originally intended for a Who television special planned in 1974. In the planned performance of the song, the members of the band were planned to have been surrounded by 100 topless women playing accordions as they played the song.
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”. This demo appeared on Pete Townshend’s demo collection, Scoop.
Personnel
Roger Daltrey – lead vocals, tambourine
Pete Townshend – acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, accordion, harmony vocals
John Entwistle – bass guitar, harmony vocals
Keith Moon – drums