Chris Difford (1,820 views)

[BassSquared]

Christopher Henry Difford (4 Nov 1954 - )
Member Of: Squeeze (1974 - 1982, 1985 - 1999, 2007-present), Difford & Tilbrook (1982-1985)
Vocal Range: C2 - A4

SPOILER: Click to show

{Vocal Summary}Though often overshadowed by his writing partner Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford's rough, gravelly bass-baritone and clever, distinctly English lyrical sensibilities were key to Squeeze's success during the early '80s. Much of Difford's vocals in Squeeze are performed an octave below Tilbrook's "lead", although they are mixed high enough to be considered a sort of co-lead much of the time. Though he has numerous examples of strong low singing throughout the second octave, he is largely incapable of high belting and seldom uses his falsetto, meaning that all told he essentially has no high range to speak of. Nonetheless, he has grown as a vocalist compared to his early career, both in terms of the strength and consistency of his low notes and in terms of maintaining a pleasant, non-croaky tone. A bit of an acquired taste musically, but one who has aged well into his vocal idiosyncrasies.
Written by BassSquared .

SPOILER: Click to show

{Album Ranges}U.K. Squeeze (1978): F2 - C♯4
Cool for Cats (1979): F2 - E4
Argybargy (1980): E2 - A3
East Side Story (1981): E2 - C4
Sweets from a Stranger (1982): D2 - E4
Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti (1985): D2 - B3
Frank (1989): E2 - B3
Play (1991): G2 - C♯4
Some Fantastic Place (1993): D2 - A3
Ridiculous (1995): C2 - G3
Domino (1998): D2 - A3
Cradle to the Grave (2015): D2 - C♯4
The Knowledge (2017): C2 - G3

Difford & Tilbrook:
Difford & Tilbrook (1984): C2 - A3

Solo:
I Didn't Get to Where I Am (2003): E2 - G4 - A4
The Last Temptation of Chris (2008): E2 - D4
Cashmere If You Can (2011): D2 - E4
Pants (2018): C2 - E♭4

Significant High Notes:


A4 ("A World That Passed Me By")
G4 ("Tight Rope")
F4 ("Pole Star")
E4 ("All My Loving", "It's Not Cricket", "The Still and the Sparkling", "The Very First Dance")
E♭4 ("Last Call for Love", "Piece of Cake", "Round the House")
D4 ("Back in the Day", "Come On Down", "Hangin' Round", "One Day", "Parents", "Sidney Street", "Walk a Straight Line")
C♯4 ("Beautiful Game", "His House Her Home", "Like I Did", "Slap and Tickle" South East Side Story ver., "Spanish Guitar", "Strong in Reason")
C4 ("All My Loving", "Battersea Boys", "Fat as a Fiddle", "Hard to Find", "Have You Seen the City", "His House Her Home", "It's All About Me", "Models", "My Mother's Handbag", "No Show Jones", "On My Own I'm Never Bored", "The Other Man in My Life", "Pole Star", "Sobriety", "Someone Else's Heart", "Striking Matches")
B3 ("1975", "Back in the Day", "Cathy Come Home", "Cottontops", "Cowboys Are My Weakness", "Goldfish", "Have You Seen the City", "Julian and Sandy", "Like I Did", "Look Out", "Love Circles", "My Mother's Handbag", "No Show Jones", "One Day", "Playing With Electric Trains", "Piece of Cake", "Shades That Watch Bitches", "The Still & the Sparkling", "Trafalgar Square", "Up the Junction" South East Side Story ver., "Who'd Ever Want to Be", "Wrecked", "You're So Cute")

Significant Low Notes:

B2 ("1975", "Annie Get Your Gun", "Bonkers", "Broken Family", "The Call", "Cinderella", "Elephant Girl", "Everything in the World", "Fat as a Fiddle", "Final Score", "For a Change", "Goldfish", "Got to Me", "Happy Once Again", "Hangin' Round", "It's So Dirty", "The Knack", "I Can't Hold On", "I Can't Get Up Anymore", "In the Morning", "King George Street", "Love Circles", "Never Coming Back", "Onto the Dance Floor", "Open", "Out of Control", "Paris, France", "Piece of Cake", "Pop Noodle", "The Prisoner", "Salsa Verdi", "Strong in Reason", "Talk to Him", "Tempted" live Daytona Beach 1988, "There at the Top", "Touching Me Touching You", "Under the Moon Over You", "Who'd Ever Want to Be")
B♭2 ("Departure Lounge", "Flat", "Good Life", "Hits of the Year", "Hourglass", "Long Face", "No Show Jones",
"Only 15", "On My Mind Tonight", "The Party Is Over", "Tight Rope", "Walrus")
A2 ("859-5937", "Back in the Day", "Black Coffee in Bed" South East Side Story ver., "Breakfast Epiphany", "Break My Heart", "By Your Side", "The Call", "Cat on a Wall", "Come On Down", "Cool for Cats", "Cowboys Are My Weakness", "Crying in My Sleep", "Cupid's Toy", "The Day I Get Home", "Domino", "Fingertips", "The Funeral", "The Gates of Eden", "Goodbye Girl", "Good Life", "Grouch of the Day", "Haywire", "Heaven", "Hope Fell Down", "I Don't Wanna Grow Up", "If I Didn't Love You", "Innocence in Paradise", "I Think I'm Go Go", "It's Too Late", "Julian and Sandy", "Last Time Forever", "Loving You Tonight", "On My Own I'm Never Bored", "Parents", "Passion Killer", "Penny for Your Thoughts", "Piccadilly", "Picking Up the Pieces", "Pinocchio", "Playing With Electric Trains", "Play On", "Please Be Upstanding", "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)", "Revue", "Secrets", "Sidney Street", "Someone Else's Heart", "Sound Asleep", "Tears for Attention", "(This Could Be) The Last Time", "This Summer", "Top of the Form", "Trafalgar Square", "Trust Me to Open My Mouth", "Third Rail", "Two Forks", "Upgrade Me", "The Very First Dance", "Wicked and Cruel", "A World That Passed Me By", "Wrecked", "You're So Cute")
G♯2 ("A&E", "Every Story", "Everything in the World", "Here Comes That Feeling", "I'm At Home Tonight", "In Quintessence", "Labelled with Love" South East Side Story ver., "Love's Crashing Waves", "Mumbo Jumbo", "No Place Like Home", "Out of Control", "Playing With Electric Trains", "Please Please Me" live Abbey Road 2013, "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)", "Round the House", "Tongue Like a Knife", "Who'd Ever Want to Be",)
G2 ("Albatross", "Battersea Boys", "Bonkers", "Breakfast Epiphany", "Broken Family", "Cathy Come Home", "Cigarette of a Single Man", "Cool for Cats", "Cottontops", "Daphne", "Departure Lounge", "Dr. Jazz", "Fingertips", "Flat", "For a Change", "The Gates of Eden", "Gone to the Dogs", "Happy Days", "Heaven", "Hourglass", "In Today's Room", "It's All About Me", "It's Over", "I Won't Ever Go Drinking Again", "Lamas Fayre", "Nirvana", "Only 15", "Parents", "Points of View", "The Prisoner", "Revue", "Sidney Street", "Slap and Tickle", "Sobriety", "Striking Matches", "Sunday People", "Sunny", "Take Me I'm Yours", "Talk to Him", "Third Rail", "To Catch a Girl's Eyes", "Tough Love", "Town and Country Rhythm and Blues", "True Colours (The Storm)", "Upgrade Me", "Wagon Train", "Wandsworth Plain", "You're So Cute")
F♯2 ("Another Nail in My Heart", "Black Coffee in Bed" South East Side Story ver., "Footprints", "Great Escape", "Heartbreaking World", "Hope Fell Down", "If I Didn't Love You", "I Learnt How to Pray", "I'm At Home Tonight", "Is That Love", "No Place Like Home", "Spanish Guitar", "The Still and the Sparkling", "There at the Top", "To Be a Dad", "Tongue Like a Knife", "Up the Junction" live Leeds 2009, "What Goes On")
F2 ("Beautiful Game", "Domino", "In Today's Room", "I Think I'm Go Go", "On My Mind Tonight", "Patchouli", "Pole Star", "Revue", "Separate Beds", "A Short Break", "Stranger than the Stranger on the Shore", "Take Me I'm Yours", "Wandsworth Plain", "What's Wrong With This Picture?")
E2 ("1975, "Another Nail in My Heart", "Back in the Day", "Break My Heart", "Cathy Come Home", "Come On Down", "Every Story", "Goldfish", "Grouch of the Day", "Happy Once Again", "Heaven Knows", "Here Comes That Feeling", "Honeytrap", "In Quintessence", "It's Over", "I Won't Ever Go Drinking Again", "Julian and Sandy", "Labelled with Love" South East Side Story ver., "Lost for Words", "Man for All Seasons", "Open", "Passion Killer", "Play On", "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)" South East Side Story ver., "Slaughtered Gutted and Heartbroken", "Snap, Crackle and Pop", "Striking Matches", "Sunny", "Tempted" live Daytona Beach 1988, "Tough Love", "Trafalgar Square", "Under the Moon Over You", "Upgrade Me", "Up the Junction" live Leeds 2009, "Vauxhall Diva",)
E♭2 ("Beautiful Game", "Round the House")
D2 ("Back in the Day", "Big Beng", "Footprints", "Goldfish", "Heartbreaking World", "Heaven Knows", "Honeytrap", "It's Over", "Long Face", "A Short Break", "Stranger than the Stranger on the Shore", "Up the Junction" South East Side Story ver., "Vauxhall Diva", "Wagon Train", "What's Wrong With This Picture?")
C♯2 ("Albatross")
C2 ("Long Face", "Patchouli", "Wagon Train")

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}
G4 "Sobriety" [2]
F4 "First Thing Wrong" [2], "Lamas Fayre" [2]

G2 "The Call" [5], "Never Coming Back" [1]
F2 "Tight Rope" [1]
E2 "For a Change" [1], "Hangin' Round" [1], "No Place Like Home" [5], "Sidney Street" [1]
D2 "Fat as a Fiddle" [1], "Heaven" [4]
C2 "It's All About Me" [3]
B1 "Cinderella" [1], "Under the Moon Over You" [3]
A1 "Passion Killer" [3]
G1 "Fingertips" [3]
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[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.

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Blue marks falsetto or whistle notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix. Lower octave harmonies relatively present in the mix are not underlined.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.