"Annie Get Your Gun" is a single released by Squeeze in 1982. It was not featured on any studio album, but has been included on a number of compilations, including ''

Singles – 45's and Under ''Singles – 45's and Under'' is a compilation album by Squeeze, released on the A&M Records label on 22 October 1982. The album consisted of all their singles from 1978 to 1982 in chronological order, with the exception of "Bang Bang", "Christ ...

''. "Annie Get Your Gun" (which borrows its title from a popular musical) was the last single released by the band before they broke up, though they reunited in 1985.

Background

After the failure of the band's previous album, ''

Sweets from a Stranger ''Sweets from a Stranger'' is the fifth studio album by the British new wave group Squeeze, released in September 1982 through A&M. The album peaked at number 20 in the UK Albums Chart. The band split up soon after a world tour for the recor ...

'', Squeeze's record company, A&M, asked them to make a new single.

Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957) is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the music for Squeeze's son ...

already had put together two songs, " Action Speaks Faster" and "Annie Get Your Gun". He then asked the rest of the band to pick the one to be recorded, resulting in "Annie Get Your Gun" being unanimously chosen. The band was then sent to producer Alan Tarney, for whom Tilbrook played the song. When the band was brought back by Tarney they found the producer had already completed the backing track to the song, only needing Tilbrook and

Chris Difford Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954) is an English singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze. Musical career Born in Greenwich, London, Difford has written ly ...

's vocals. Glenn Tilbrook reflected on the song's recording, "It was like we were in The Monkees. Alan did a very good job, but it was devastating for us because we could all play so well, although I didn't mind as much as the others because I was singing the lead vocal." Drummer Gilson Lavis, however, was insistent that he record a drum track. The song reached number 43 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, but the song later gained fame as part of Squeeze's live set. The group performed "Annie Get Your Gun" on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' on 20 November 1982. Difford said that he did not know what the song was about and was "not sure ecare about it very much either". He concluded, "It's not a great song, but a good vocal performance". The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' described the song as being "about the boisterous pleasures of rocking out". ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "it’s the devil-may-care rhyme schemes of masters Difford and Tilbrook that make this song.

Track listing

# "Annie Get Your Gun" (3:22) # "Spanish Guitar" (2:38)

Charts

Live version

"Annie Get Your Gun" (live) was released as a single in the US from Squeeze's live album, '' A Round and a Bout''. The CD included the band's entire debut EP, ''

Packet of Three ''Packet of Three'' was the first releasehttps://www.packetofthree.com/squeeze-singles-discography/packet-of-three-uk-7-picture-sleeve/ from the new wave rock band Squeeze. It contained three songs produced by John Cale of the Velvet Undergrou ...

'', as bonus tracks.

Track listing

# "Annie Get Your Gun" (live) (3:24) # "Is It Too Late" (live) (3:22) # "Back Track" (2:21) # "Night Ride" (3:03) # "Cat on the Wall" (3:13)

References

External links

Squeeze discography at Squeezenet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Annie Get Your Gun (Song) Squeeze (band) songs 1982 singles 1990 singles Songs written by Glenn Tilbrook Songs written by Chris Difford 1982 songs Song recordings produced by Alan Tarney A&M Records singles