Another Nail In My Heart
Encyclopedia
"Another Nail in My Heart" is a 1980 song by the new wave
band Squeeze. Written by Chris Difford
and Glenn Tilbrook
, it was released on the album Argybargy
, received positive critical reviews, and charted in the United Kingdom and Canada. Squeeze has since included the song in their concert setlists and compilation albums.
and Squeeze. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
called it a "nervy breakup tune." In his review of the song, Stewart Mason wrote, "The topic, as usual, is a cocktail of lost love and heavy drinking, culminating in the memorable chorus 'And in the bar, the piano man found another nail from my heart.'"
.
wrote that it "made great use of Difford and Tilbrook's signature high register / low register harmonies." Allmusic's Stewart Mason wrote that "it's one of Squeeze's finest singles, marrying one of Glenn Tilbrook's most memorably McCartneyesque melodies to a typically wry and clever Chris Difford lyric." The New York Times
Jon Pareles
cited it as one of Squeeze's "catchiest" songs.
at #65 on March 1, 1980. It stayed on the chart for nine weeks, peaking at #17 on March 29. In Canada, it was on the singles chart
for 11 weeks and peaked at #56 on June 28. In the United States, it was a hit on college radio but did not appear on the charts.
s Kathy Gillis wrote that it "was odd, almost eerie, to hear so many of the old songs just as they sounded before." Glenn Tilbrook played the song at solo concerts in 2009 and 2011.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Squeeze. Written by Chris Difford
Chris Difford
Chris Difford is a singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer....
and Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Martin Tilbrook 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 melody for Squeeze, while his writing partner, Chris Difford, wrote the lyrics...
, it was released on the album Argybargy
Argybargy
Argybargy is a 1980 album by the British New Wave group Squeeze. It would be the last album featuring founding member Jools Holland until Squeeze's first reunion album, 1985's Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti....
, received positive critical reviews, and charted in the United Kingdom and Canada. Squeeze has since included the song in their concert setlists and compilation albums.
Background
"Another Nail in My Heart" is two minutes and fifty-five seconds long. It was written by Squeeze members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, and it was produced by John WoodJohn Wood (music producer)
John Wood is an English sound engineer and producer, best known for his work with Fairport Convention, John Martyn, Cat Stevens, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, the Incredible String Band, Pink Floyd, Nico and Squeeze.-Career:...
and Squeeze. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
called it a "nervy breakup tune." In his review of the song, Stewart Mason wrote, "The topic, as usual, is a cocktail of lost love and heavy drinking, culminating in the memorable chorus 'And in the bar, the piano man found another nail from my heart.'"
Release
The song was released as a single in January 1980 with the b-side "Pretty Thing". Later that year, it was released as the second track on Squeeze's full-length album, Argybargy. It has also been included on several of Squeeze's compilation albums, such as Singles – 45's and Under, Greatest Hits, and The Big Squeeze – The Very Best of Squeeze. The band re-recorded the song for the album Spot the DifferenceSpot the difference
Spot the difference is a name given to a puzzle where two versions of an image are shown side by side, and the player has to find differences between them. Usually, the image on the left is the original, and the image on the right has the alternates...
.
Critical reception
"Another Nail in My Heart" received positive reviews from music critics. The song has been called a "piece of pop mastery", a "pop classic of the new wave era", and an "ingenious pop-rock confection". John M. BorackJohn M. Borack
John M. Borack is a music critic and musician from California.-Writer:Borack's reviews, columns and feature articles have appeared in periodicals such as Goldmine, Amplifier, The Garden Grove Journal, Audities and Popsided...
wrote that it "made great use of Difford and Tilbrook's signature high register / low register harmonies." Allmusic's Stewart Mason wrote that "it's one of Squeeze's finest singles, marrying one of Glenn Tilbrook's most memorably McCartneyesque melodies to a typically wry and clever Chris Difford lyric." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
cited it as one of Squeeze's "catchiest" songs.
Chart performance
The song entered the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at #65 on March 1, 1980. It stayed on the chart for nine weeks, peaking at #17 on March 29. In Canada, it was on the singles chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
for 11 weeks and peaked at #56 on June 28. In the United States, it was a hit on college radio but did not appear on the charts.
Music video
A music video for "Another Nail in My Heart" was released in 1980. It features shots of the band performing on a set and singing at a bar.Live performances
Squeeze performed the song at their concerts throughout the 1980s and 1990s. After a 1985 show, BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Kathy Gillis wrote that it "was odd, almost eerie, to hear so many of the old songs just as they sounded before." Glenn Tilbrook played the song at solo concerts in 2009 and 2011.
Charts
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
17 |
| Canadian Singles Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
56 |