Chris Difford

Born in Greenwich, southeast London, Chris Difford emerged in the mid-1970s as a founding member of Squeeze, an English band that mixed pop rock, new wave and highly narrative pop songwriting. In the duo he formed with Glenn Tilbrook, Difford focused mainly on the lyrics, which are rooted in British everyday life, social observation, urban detail and a quiet ironic tone, evident in songs such as Up the Junction, Cool for Cats, Tempted and Black Coffee in Bed. After Squeeze’s first split in the early 1980s he continued writing for other artists—among them Jools Holland, Elvis Costello and Wet Wet Wet—and in 1984 released the album Difford & Tilbrook with Tilbrook. Difford later pursued a stripped-down solo path, between acoustic pop, light folk and intimate songwriting, with releases including I Didn’t Get Where I Am (2002), South East Side Story (2006), The Last Temptation of Chris (2008), Cashmere If You Can (2011), Fancy Pants with Boo Hewerdine (2016), Let’s Be Combe Avenue (2017), Pants (2018) and 50 Years (2025), alongside regular Squeeze reunions.