Singles Remind Me Of Kisses, Albums Remind Me Of Plans

Squeeze “If I Didn’t Love You” – The full line is “If I didn’t love you, I’d hate you,” and the more I hear this song, the more I realize that ultimately the singer is erring on the side of the latter. The woman being addressed is a total cipher — an object, an objective, a source of unending sexual frustration. He fumbles through these forced, cliched romantic scenarios — all of which seem distinctly early 80s to me; I’ve always imagined this being played out by Sam Malone and Diane Chambers — but for a song about trying to get laid, it seems rather short on lust. Glenn Tilbrook normally sounds warm and friendly, but here he’s chilly and aloof, especially when he stutters like a broken robot on the hook. (Click here to get it for cheap on a greatest hits record, or here to spend a lot more money and get the original Argybargy album.)

David Bowie “What In The World (Live)” – Halfway through this live recording from the Stage tour, Bowie and his band cycle back to the beginning of the song, but kick up the tempo to the point that its extreme romantic angst becomes an overwhelming physical sensation. The song seems as though it could derail at any moment, which speaks to the emotional truth of its words while also turning the key line “I’m just a little bit afraid of you” into a hilarious understatement. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)