THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT: THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET with THE "MIGHTY MEZ" - SONGS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD - EPISODE #24: PULLING MUSSELS (FROM THE SHELL) / SQUEEZE (A&M, 1980)

Squeeze was unlike any other band, though quintessentially English. They appeared in that “Post-Punk” “Power-Pop” era of the early 80s, and definitely shared some sinister lyrical themes with such contrarian contemporaries as Elvis Costello, but their tunes were always delivered in such a quirkily upbeat style that any ill intent was mitigated.  Also, the themes were just obscure enough, so that I never was really sure what I was singing along with.Pulling Mussels is one of those infectious pop enigmas, and, even though I never knew exactly what it was saying, (William Tell? Maid Marian?) its jaunty images of a seaside holiday resort aligned so endearingly with my memories of family outings in Atlantic City, NJ: (Lobster at Hackney’s, taffy, the carnival atmosphere of the boardwalk, the brackish sparkle of the Atlantic Ocean….), that I embraced its charms immediately and wholeheartedly. I read on the internet that the term “Pulling Mussels” refers to sexual encounters. Another blogging pundit said it’s about masturbation. Perhaps. But to the 10 year old me in the lobster bib, getting ready to crack open a crustacean’s claw, it’s an incantation, conjuring up a world of pre-pubescent wonderment.