The first single from Argybargy is three minutes of musical joy tied up with a gorgeous six-string solo.
Kronomyth 3.1: Nailed it.
The second track on Argybargy completed a calculated one-two punch of pure pop perfection that few bands have ever equaled. Another Nail in My Heart is ridiculously fun and, with “Pulling Mussels from a Shell,” cements the notion that Squeeze had reached the pinnacle of what pop music could achieve. Even Get Happy!! wasn’t this catchy. Add in one impeccable guitar solo for the ages, and you can hear why critics had to go running back to Lennon and McCartney for reference.
Squeeze were, of course, a fitfully brilliant band up to this point, capable of their share of half-baked clunkers too, a point made plain as Argybargy wore on. The non-album B sides that supported “Another Nail in My Heart” are no better than their album filler. Pretty Thing is a Jools Holland track that is surprisingly light on personality. Going Crazy is a holdover from the band’s herky-jerky holiday single, “Christmas Day.” What the Butler Saw is the most interesting of these Bs, a bit of crime-film drama that looks forward to the sophisticated production of East Side Story, but you’d rather be watching the detectives.
Original 7-inch single version
A1. Another Nail in My Heart (Glenn Tilbrook/Chris Difford) (2:55)
B1. Pretty Thing* (Jools Holland) (2:42)
*Re-titled as “Pretty One” in Canada.
Original 7-inch single version (US)
A1. Another Nail in My Heart (Glenn Tilbrook/Chris Difford) (2:55)
B1. Going Crazy (Glenn Tilbrook/Chris Difford) (3:59)
B2. What the Butler Saw (Glenn Tilbrook/Chris Difford) (2:45)
The Pictures
US single… Design by Lynn Robb. Heart by Jeff Kearns. Photos by Paddy Reynolds.
The Players
John Bentley, Chris Difford, Jools Holland, Gilson Lavis, Glenn Tilbrook. Produced by John Wood and Squeeze.
The Plastic
Released on black, swirled brown or clear vinyl 7-inch single on February 8, 1980 in the UK (A&M, AMS 7507), Australia (A&M, K7791), Canada (A&M, AM-496), Germany and the Netherlands (A&M, AMS 7661), New Zealand (A&M, K 7791), Portugal (A&M, PAMS 7507 F) and Spain (A&M, AMS-7661), in 1980 in Japan (A&M, AMP-1077) and in September 1980 in the US (A&M, 2263-S) with regional picture sleeve. Reached #17 on the UK charts (charted on March 1, 1980 for 9 weeks).
- Re-issued as promotional 7-inch single in September 1982 (1983?) in the US (A&M, AM-2534) feat. A only. This single was to promote the compilation, Singles-45’s and Under.
