Feb 21, 20222 min read

Squeeze Box - The Who (1977) 2/22/22

Imagine, if you will, this scenario: a video starring a famous rock band, surrounded by 100 topless women playing accordions.

Or maybe you'd rather not.

But believe it or not, it was actually proposed video for a 1974 British TV Special, starring The Who.

The song? "Squeeze Box," which, of course, is slang for an accordion.

The video was never filmed, but the song itself became a "Great Song of the '70s."

The Who's Pete Townshend claimed that although the song was inspired by a dirty joke, there was really nothing dirty about the lyrics. Roger Daltrey, however, acknowledged the multiple double-entendres, and thought they were fun.

That's not the only thing the two disagreed about. At the end of 1977, when the song was released as a single from the album "The Who By the Numbers", "Squeeze Box" became a worldwide hit, reaching #1 in Canada, #2 in Ireland, #10 in the UK and #16 in the US.

Pete was shocked and couldn't believe a song like that could be a hit. Roger, on the other hand, thought it was perfect: "a catchy song that doesn't pretend to be more than it is."

I guess it's all in the ear of the beholder. ;)

It's interesting to note that some fairly big names have covered the song over the years: Freddy Fender squeaked onto the bottom reaches of the Country Chart in 1979. Laura Branigan recorded it in 1983. And finally, Posion took a hard rockin' crack at it in 2002. I've provided links to all of those versions below. Just click away!

"Squeeze Box" by the Who: Dirty Joke? Maybe. "Great Song of 1975/76?" Definitely!

The Who: