Thatcher-off: Number three

The best Thatcher's musical legacy can hope for now is a draw. But can it at least stay in the game, and force us to come up with an equivalent of a penalty shoot out, which we have no idea how we'd do and I really wish I had come up with before starting out...

Number 3, April 1979: Squeeze - Cool For Cats



"with the Dancing Girls", the title on YouTube helpfully points out, just in case you hadn't spotted them. A bit of everything chucked in: slightly drunken passes, 1970s television, American history. Difford and Tilbrook's songwriting often lurched towards the kitchen sink drama, but with this one, it was just throw the kitchen sink in. Lovely.

Number 3, November 1990: Kim Appleby - Don't Worry



After Mel, this was Kim's comeback (and, as it turned out, farewell) hit as a solo artist, and it was much more than a sympathy/curiosity purchase. It managed to pull off a combination of introspection with the trademark, upbeat, show-must-go-on ethos of the SAW stable. It's actually a pretty good pop song.

But it's no Cool For Cats.

1979 wins again.

Pre-Thatcher - 6; Post-Thatcher - 2.

Hey! It's a Jay Yay Day

October 11th would have been Matthew Jay's 30th birthday; marking the day and mourning the loss is a special event at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, Further Than Tomorrow. Taking part are a load of Jay admirers and associates, including his backing band, Good Shoes, James 'Starsailor' Walsh and at least one half of Squeeze.