Billy Squier -

Billy Squier (born May 12, 1950) is an American hard-rock singer and guitarist who fronted Piper on two 1977 albums, then went solo with the 1980 Capitol release The Tale of the Tape.

Squier shot to fame with his 1981 second album Don’t Say No, which spawned the hits “In the Dark,” “My Kinda Lover,” “Lonely Is the Night,” and his signature “The Stroke,” a much-sampled martial anthem. His momentum held through the 1982–84 albums Emotions in Motion and Signs of Life, fueled by the hits “Everybody Wants You,” “Learn How to Live,” “All Night Long,” and “Rock Me Tonite,” a burlesque rocker famed for its iconic video by director Kenny Ortega.

Background

Billy Squier was born William Haislip Squier on May 12, 1950, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. His grandfather introduced him to classical piano at age nine. Squier sang in church and school groups before taking up ukulele through an uncle who played the instrument.

At age thirteen, he bought a two-pickup Danelectro guitar and Supro amplifier from a neighbor and taught himself guitar through chord diagrams and records. Squier formed the Reltneys at age fourteen and played British Invasion material at school dances and church halls. He pursued guitar more seriously after hearing the 1966 album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton.

Early Bands

Squier saw Cream at the Psychedelic Supermarket in Boston in 1967. After graduating from Wellesley High School the following year, he returned to the club as guitarist with house act the Tom Swift Electrical Band. The group opened Psychedelic Supermarket shows for the Grateful Dead and Steve Miller Band.

Squier moved to New York in 1969 to join schoolmate C.T. Rabinowitz in Magic Terry & the Universe. Rabinowitz supplied poetry while Squier wrote and arranged the music. Jac Holzman signed the project to Elektra, but the deal collapsed before a planned album with John Cale. Magic Terry subsequently recorded material for Atlantic and Columbia before breaking up after a Boston Tea Party appearance.

Squier briefly enrolled at Berklee College of Music in 1971, then returned to New York the next year to form Kicks with drummer Jerry Nolan, who subsequently replace Billy Murcia in the New York Dolls. He joined singer-songwriter Andy Paley in the Sidewinders in early 1973 and played guitar in the post-RCA lineup. The group dissolved within months of his arrival.

Piper

Squier struck up a relationship with Kiss manager Bill Aucoin and built Piper from demos with bassist Danny McGary and drummer Richie Fontana. Piper added guitarists Tommy Gunn and Alan Nolan to complete the three-guitar lineup. Aucoin secured an A&M Records contract for the group.

Squier fronted Piper as lead singer and principal songwriter while sharing guitar parts with Gunn and Nolan. The group released Piper and Can’t Wait through A&M and opened selected Kiss dates, including shows at Madison Square Garden. Squier dissolved Piper after disputes over songwriting and creative control, then left A&M and Aucoin Management.

Capitol employee Ben Edmonds, a junior-high friend of Squier, arranged a modest demo budget through the label’s New York office after the Piper breakup. Squier used the demos to secure a Capitol Records contract in 1979 as a solo artist. He joined English producer-engineer Eddy Offord at the Woodstock, New York, home of Levon Helm. Offord, the famed Seventies soundman for Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, installed a mobile studio for the sessions that became The Tale of the Tape.

The Tale of the Tape

Billy Squier released his debut solo album, The Tale of the Tape, in May 1980 on Capitol.

His credits encompass seven solo compositions, “Who Knows What a Love Can Do” with Fred St. John, and “You Should Be High, Love” with Desmond Child. For the sessions, guitarist Bruce Kulick, bassist Bucky Ballard, drummer Bobby Chouinard, keyboardists David Sancious and Richard T. Bear, percussionist Ernest Carter, singer Alex Ligertwood, and Ellen Todd’s Woodstock Children’s Chorus joined Squier.

A1. “The Big Beat” (3:36)
A2. “Calley Oh” (4:05)
A3. “Rich Kid” (4:39)
A4. “Like I’m Lovin’ You” (3:07)
A5. “Who Knows What a Love Can Do” (3:39)

B1. “You Should Be High, Love” (4:14)
B2. “Who’s Your Boyfriend” (3:34)
B3. “The Music’s All Right” (5:46)
B4. “Young Girls” (4:08)

Squier co-produced the in late 1979 and early 1980 at Helm’s Woodstock home with Offord, who worked in sequence on albums by David Sancious & Tone (Just As I Thought) and Blackjack (Worlds Apart). He engineered and mixed the sessions with Rob Davis. Former Elektra art director and AGI partner Bob Heimall designed the sleeve around a photograph by Dick Kranzler, which shows Squier reclined amid loose magnetic tape.

Capitol issued “You Should Be High, Love” and “The Big Beat” as singles, but neither entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The LP reached No. 169 on the Billboard 200. Chouinard’s opening pattern on “The Big Beat,” reinforced by Squier striking a snare case, later supplied samples for recordings by Run-D.M.C., Big Daddy Kane, Jay-Z, Dizzee Rascal, and Alicia Keys.

Rock Candy reissued The Tale of the Tape on CD in 2006 with John Astley remastering and demo versions of “The Music’s All Right” and “Young Girls.”

Don’t Say No

Billy Squier released his second album, Don’t Say No, in April 1981 on Capitol.

For the core band, he enlisted Chouinard, bassist Mark Clarke, and keyboardist Alan St. Jon, while Cary Sharaf played the guitar solo on “Lonely Is the Night.”

“In the Dark” erupts from a synth rumble into layered riff bursts, then settles over staccato accents. “The Stroke” marches through stop-start blocks and massed chants before a brief horn accent marks its break. “My Kinda Lover” prances across whip-cracking verses and a sliding, sassy bridge to an exuberant chorus and soaring middle. “You Know What I Like” snarls beneath thick, layered riffs. “Too Daze Gone” lurches through a boozy, blues-shaped riff.

“Lonely Is the Night” prowls from an isolated opening lick, settles into a heavy swing, then quickens for a frantic closing pickup. “Whadda You Want from Me” staggers through a loose riff as a slide figure cuts across Squier’s rasp. “Nobody Knows” hushes around a slowly picked acoustic figure and exposed falsetto before a full-band rise. “I Need You” glides on a midtempo bass figure; calm acoustic strums yield to harder section turns. “Don’t Say No” veers between soft acoustic passages and ragged full-band breaks, vanishes into a false fade, then surges back for one final burst.

A1. “In the Dark” (4:09)
A2. “The Stroke” (3:38)
A3. “My Kinda Lover” (3:32)
A4. “You Know What I Like” (2:56)
A5. “Too Daze Gone” (4:05)

B1. “Lonely Is the Night” (4:42)
B2. “Whadda You Want from Me” (3:43)
B3. “Nobody Knows” (4:20)
B4. “I Need You” (3:52)
B5. “Don’t Say No” (3:20)

Squier hired German producer-engineer Reinhold Mack for Don’t Say No based on the German soundman’s production of the 1980 Queen album The Game. Brian May the two parties after Squier first asked the time-strapped Queen guitarist to produce The Tale of the Tape. Mack recorded Don’t Say No with Garry Rindfuss at the Power Station in New York, then completed additional work and mixing at Musicland Studios in Munich.

New York cover designer Spencer Drate art-directed a photograph by Geoffrey Thomas, which shows barefoot Squier seated against a tiled wall with a black guitar.

“The Stroke” reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Mainstream Rock chart, the more-important metric for FM evergreen status. The video received high rotation on the fledgling MTV network and became Squier’s signature tune.

The follow-up singles “In the Dark” and “My Kinda Lover” peaked at No’s. 35 and 45 on the Hot 100, respectively, while album track “Lonely Is the Night” reached No. 28 through rock-radio airplay.

Don’t Say No climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and earned triple-platinum certification from the RIAA.

Shout! Factory issued a thirtieth-anniversary CD in 2010 with a remaster, two live bonus performances, and a new booklet. Intervention Records followed in 2018 with artist-approved 180-gram vinyl and hybrid SACD editions.

Emotions in Motion

Billy Squier released his third album, Emotions in Motion, in July 1982 on Capitol.

Returning members Chouinard and St. Jon worked alongside bassist Doug Lubahn and guitarists Jeff Golub and Kevin Osborn, while Dino Solera played saxophone on three tracks. On the title song, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor sang background vocals.

“Everybody Wants You” locks into a mechanical riff with short synth flourishes; a dramatic middle passage releases a slow bent note. “Emotions in Motion” slinks along a pliant bass figure punctuated by brief saxophone flourishes. “Learn How to Live” unfurls a folk-shaped opening figure before tense sections and a contoured lead break. “In Your Eyes” drifts on acoustic strums, gathers keyboard counterlines and slide figures, then swells toward a broad crescendo. “Keep Me Satisfied” shuffles through a coarse boogie pattern.

“It Keeps You Rockin’” grinds through a slow, stop-start thump beneath Squier’s full-throated wail. “One Good Woman” prowls over a direct beat while keening riffs cross each phrase. “She’s a Runner” broods over a lone opening figure and a rasped lead, then expands into a brief piano break. “Catch 22” lumbers behind its beat as competing riffs circle a methodical thump. “Listen to the Heartbeat” swirls around a flanged opening riff.

A1. “Everybody Wants You” (3:47)
A2. “Emotions in Motion” (4:58) – has a similar bassline and arrangement to “Dragon Attack,” a May-composed Queen track on The Game.
A3. “Learn How to Live” (4:05)
A4. “In Your Eyes” (3:45)
A5. “Keep Me Satisfied” (3:42)

B1. “It Keeps You Rockin’” (4:06)
B2. “One Good Woman” (3:41)
B3. “She’s a Runner” (4:02)
B4. “Catch 22” (5:04)
B5. “Listen to the Heartbeat” (4:25)

Mack and Rindfuss recorded the album at the Power Station, with additional work at Musicland Studios. Squier and Dave Thoener mixed the tapes at the Record Plant in New York with assistant Jim Ball.

Mack’s concurrent Queen assignment, Hot Space, connected the production team to Mercury and Taylor, who added their title-track vocals at Musicland.

Emotions in Motion appeared in a modernist Pop Art cover by Andy Warhol, who divided Squier’s portrait into vertical color fields. Warhol rendered the profile of Diana Ross with similar effects for her 1982 release, Silk Electric.

“Everybody Wants You” spent six weeks atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and reached No. 32 on the Hot 100 survey.

The video places Billy Squier and his touring band in a spare industrial loft, where they open on an exterior balcony, snapping their fingers to the motorcycle-like intro. Squier then leads a performance inside the high-windowed room, wearing a bright pink sleeveless shirt and playing a white electric guitar. Close shots isolate Squier with freeze-frames, fadeouts, and neon psychedelic effects. Peter and Coco Conn directed “Everybody Wants You,” which presaged his defining “Rock Me Tonight” video.

“Emotions in Motion” peaked at No. 68 on Mainstream Rock chart, while “She’s a Runner” reached the No. 75 position.

Emotions in Motion matched the preceding album’s No. 5 Billboard 200 peak and received double-platinum certification from the RIAA.

Fast Times…..

Signs of Life

Billy Squier released his fourth album, Signs of Life, in July 1984 on Capitol.

The returning lineup centered on Chouinard, Golub, St. Jon, and Lubahn, with Larry Fast adding synthesizers and programming across seven tracks. For guest roles, Brian May played the guitar solo on “(Another) 1984,” Alfa Anderson sang on the same recording, and Rory Dodd and Eric Troyer added vocals to “Reach for the Sky” and “Fall for Love.” He wrote all ten songs.

“All Night Long” barrels from a hard opening riff into Squier’s throaty rasp, a high electronic rise, and a closing solo. “Rock Me Tonite” opens with a two-note synthesizer jab that recalls Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice,” then pivots to a burlesque guitar romp that rises through intensified bars to an anthemic chorus; contrasted by the luminous, lucid middle. “Eye on You” prowls beneath a broad keyboard wash, leaving Squier’s growl exposed across its measured chorus.

“Take a Look Behind Ya” drives on a drier six-string figure before a final lead break. “Reach for the Sky” ascends through cinematic sweeps and massed backing lines. “(Another) 1984” lurches through dense electronics and processed phrases, widens into an operatic bridge, then clears space for Brian May’s mid-song solo. “Fall for Love” drifts between spoken passages and subdued sung lines toward a late instrumental bridge. “Can’t Get Next to You” charges through sparse key jabs toward a prominent solo.

A1. “All Night Long” (4:51)
A2. “Rock Me Tonite” (4:56)
A3. “Eye on You” (4:42)
A4. “Take a Look Behind Ya” (5:03)
A5. “Reach for the Sky” (5:34)

B1. “(Another) 1984” (4:56)
B2. “Fall for Love” (4:52)
B3. “Can’t Get Next to You” (4:36)
B4. “Hand-Me-Downs” (4:22)
B5. “Sweet Release” (6:15)

Sessions ran from April through June 1984 at the Power Station in New York, with additional work at Battery Studio One in London. Squier co-produced Signs of Life with Meat Loaf mastermind Jim Steinman, who oversaw the recent Bonnie Tyler comeback album Faster Than the Speed of Night. while engineer Tony Platt entered from AC/DC’s Flick of the Switch and contemporaneous work with Gary Moore.

Racket founder and Jam sleeve designer Bill Smith fragmented Squier’s face into red brushwork and geometric color fields; John Van Hamersveld assembled the rear collage and inner sleeve around photography by Norman Seeff.

“Rock Me Tonite” topped Billboard’s rock chart and became Squier’s highest Hot 100 entry at the No. 15 position. Xanadu choreographer Kenny Ortega directed the bedroom-set video, which gained high MTV rotation. “All Night Long” and “Eye on You” followed with respective Hot 100 peaks at Nos. 75 and 71 on the survey.

Signs of Life reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and received platinum certification from the RIAA. American Beat Records reissued the album in 2008 on compact disc.

The “Rock Me Tonite” video

Ortega directed “Rock Me Tonite” after recent music video credits with The Tubes (“She’s a Beauty”) and the Pointer Sisters (“I’m So Excited”). Filmed on a Los Angeles soundstage, “Rock Me Tonite” turns the act of dressing for a concert into a progression from private room to public stage. Squier’s apartment is a theatrical city loft: a low bed lies beneath a skyline window, an open floor extends toward exposed brick and pipes, and a reflective elevator occupies the far wall beside a slim metal support. Satin bedding in white, blush, and lavender softens the industrial shell, while the uncluttered center gives the camera a full-body view and leaves a clear route among bed, pole, elevator, and doorway.

Warm amber light first brushes the sheets and bare upper body, suggesting sunrise or sunset without fixing the hour. As the track fills out, the room changes to blue and violet washes, with pink accents along the walls and a red glow inside the smoke-filled elevator. Narrow vertical bands, round wall lights, reflective metal, and pools of colored illumination divide the loft into small performance zones. For the final passage, the enclosed apartment gives way to a high-key white studio containing separate musician platforms and framed Signs of Life artwork suspended against the background.

Squier rises in straight pale drawstring trousers, runs both hands through his hair, and pulls on a jagged white top with broad blue, yellow, and red blocks across the chest. A torn arm opening leaves one shoulder exposed; the rough edges make the garment read as an altered T-shirt rather than a polished stage costume.

Percussion governs the movement more closely than a plot does. The opening finger snaps travel into shoulder rolls, hip shifts, head tosses, and loose arm swings; wider shots then record short skips, turning steps, air-guitar phrases, and a slide down the support pole. Midway through the room sequence, he drops to the floor, advances low on his hands and knees, rolls onto his back, flings both arms upward, and returns to a kneel before throwing a light pink tank-top overhead. An overhead angle flattens the body against the floor, and freeze frames land on guitar or cymbal accents, giving several improvised-looking gestures precise editorial punctuation.

He rips that layer apart at the first chorus, then adds the narrow-strapped pink tank over a shredded white sleeveless shirt. The pink top, elevator light, satin accents, and rose-colored electric guitar form a controlled color line, while gray trousers and the white underlayer keep the palette from becoming uniformly pastel. A small neckerchief completes the band sequence.

For the bridge, the pace contracts as he falls backward across the bed under red light, closes his eyes, and sings from a reclined position. The final build sends him upright with the guitar, toward the elevator, and into the white performance space by means of a cut. There he points toward the lens, leans into the other musicians, moves across the group, and replaces the bedroom’s elastic gestures with a more familiar guitar-led stance. That arc gives the clip a readable visual structure: awakening, preparation, solitary release, transit, and ensemble performance.

Positive published assessments are uncommon but traceable. Original MTV VJ Martha Quinn called the clip “a super-fun video and a super-great song,” while American Studies scholar and music-video historian Craig M. Loftin described it as “a joyful celebration of sleazy desires” and “Billy Squier’s greatest moment.” Ortega defended the approach in a record-industry study with the statement, “If anything, I tried to toughen the image he was projecting.”

“Rock Me Tonite” became a durable case study in matching choreography, wardrobe, set design, and camera address to an established public image. Dance scholar Addie Tsai later placed the clip in a study of movement, race, and gender in American film and popular culture, extending the clip’s relevance beyond the reception story attached to the release.

Ortega frames the apartment as a theatrical city loft, with a low bed beneath a skyline window and a broad open floor facing exposed brick, pipes, and a reflective elevator. A slender metal support stands near the center. White, blush, and lavender satin bedding softens the industrial room, while the open layout gives Squier a clear path among the bed, pole, elevator, and doorway.

Amber light catches the sheets as Squier rises bare-chested in loose pale drawstring trousers. He runs both hands through his hair, snaps his fingers, rolls his shoulders, and shifts his hips in time with the opening beat. Once he pulls on a jagged white shirt, broad blocks of blue, yellow, and red move across his chest with every head toss and loose swing of the arms. One torn opening exposes a shoulder, giving the shirt the rough finish of a hand-altered stage garment.

As the arrangement grows louder, blue and violet washes replace the amber glow. Pink accents appear along the walls, round lamps brighten behind him, and narrow shafts of light break the loft into smaller playing areas. Squier skips and turns across those pools of color, mimes guitar phrases, and slides down the metal support. The camera can follow each move without losing the apartment’s geography: the bed remains under the window, the elevator anchors the far wall, and the uncluttered floor connects them.

Near the middle of the room sequence, Squier drops onto his hands and knees, crawls forward, rolls onto his back, and throws both arms above him. He rises to a kneel, grabs a light pink tank top, and tosses it high into the air. An overhead shot briefly flattens his body and the garment against the floor plan. Afterward, he tears open the multicolored shirt at the chorus, sheds it, and puts that same pink tank over a sleeveless white shirt. The gray trousers and white underlayer steady the pastel colors as he resumes the shoulder rolls, quick steps, and air guitar. Freeze frames catch selected gestures on guitar and cymbal accents, imposing sharp stops on otherwise fluid movement.

Red light fills the elevator and spreads across the bed for the bridge. Squier falls backward onto the satin covers, closes his eyes, and sings while reclining beneath the warmer glow. When the track builds again, he gets up with a rose-colored electric guitar and heads toward the smoke-filled elevator. The pink tank, red illumination, and guitar now repeat one color across clothing, set, and prop.

A cut carries him from the elevator into a bright white studio, where the other musicians occupy separate low platforms beneath suspended *Signs of Life* artwork. Wearing a small neckerchief with the layered shirts and drawstring trousers, Squier points toward the lens, leans into his bandmates, and crosses the set with the guitar. His movements become more compact and familiar in this final space, replacing the bedroom’s floor work and broad turns with a conventional rock-band stance. The shift completes a simple visual route from awakening and private preparation to transit and public performance.

By the time director-choreographer Kenny Ortega took on Billy Squier’s “Rock Me Tonite,” he had already established a distinct visual language through narrative-heavy clips for the Tubes’ “She’s a Beauty” and the Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited.” With “Rock Me Tonite,” Ortega leaned into his background in staging, transforming a Los Angeles soundstage into a theatrical city loft. The result was a seamless progression from the intimacy of a private sanctuary to the high-energy display of a public concert.

A Study in Staged Intimacy

The loft functions as a character in its own right. It is an industrial-chic space, defined by exposed pipes, brick, and a massive skyline window. With a low bed, a central pole, and a reflective elevator, the floor plan is purposely uncluttered, allowing for a 360-degree range of motion.

Ortega’s lighting design effectively segments this space. The video begins with warm amber tones—suggesting the ambiguity of sunrise or sunset—before shifting into a moody palette of blue and violet, punctuated by sharp pinks and a crimson glow from within the elevator. These pools of color and narrow vertical lighting bands create specific performance zones, guiding the viewer through a narrative arc that moves from the bed to the elevator, eventually culminating in a high-key, white-lit performance space featuring the rest of the band.

Movement as Narrative

The choreography is governed more by the track’s percussion than by a linear plot. Squier’s movements feel spontaneous, yet they are tightly mapped to the music’s rhythm. Finger snaps dissolve into shoulder rolls and hip shifts; later, wide shots capture a sequence of skips, air-guitar flourishes, and a signature slide down the support pole.

The wardrobe choices reinforce this calculated casualness. Squier appears in loose, pale trousers and a shredded white top featuring blue, yellow, and red blocks. The deliberate tearing of the sleeves makes the garment read as a DIY aesthetic rather than a polished costume. As the song progresses, Squier adds a narrow-strapped pink tank—a choice that works with the lavender bedding and red elevator light to form a consistent, controlled color palette that prevents the video from feeling merely pastel.

During the bridge, the energy contracts as Squier collapses onto the bed. This moment of solitary release provides a necessary breath before the final, energetic build, where he finally transitions into the ensemble performance. The visual structure feels intentional: awakening, preparation, solitary release, and finally, the performance. The four musicians close on a “Singular Sensation” kick line that mirrors the burlesque character of the song’s main riff.

Enough Is Enough

Billy Squier released his fifth album, Enough Is Enough, in September 1986 on Capitol.

For principal backing, he used Chouinard, St. Jon, Golub, bassist T.M. Stevens, and keyboardists Andy Richards, David Frank, and Jeff Bova. Guest drummer Steve Ferrone played on “Lonely One,” while Freddie Mercury co-wrote “Lady with a Tenor Sax,” sang on “Love Is the Hero,” and arranged both recordings. Kortchmar shared authorship of “Shot o’ Love,” and Chouinard co-wrote “Come Home.”

“Shot O’ Love” jabs through a dry, geometric riff and brief keyboard flashes. “Love Is the Hero” rises from a synth-bass throb into a broad choral crest. “Lady With a Tenor Sax” struts through bluesy swing, horn replies, and dense studio sheen. “All We Have to Give” climbs from subdued passages toward a solemn choral peak.

“Powerhouse” grinds through a syncopated figure before a long guitar solo. “Til It’s Over” smolders in acoustic figures, then breaks into a full-band surge. “Wink of an Eye” careens through interlocked lines and abrupt section turns.

A1. “Shot o’ Love” (4:06)
A2. “Love Is the Hero” (4:49)
A3. “Lady with a Tenor Sax” (4:24)
A4. “All We Have to Give” (5:18)
A5. “Come Home” (3:55)

B1. “Break the Silence” (4:59)
B2. “Powerhouse” (4:18)
B3. “Lonely One” (4:16)
B4. “’Til It’s Over” (6:06)
B5. “Wink of an Eye” (4:54)

Work began with mobile-studio demos at Squier’s Montauk home in summer 1985 and continued at the Power Station and Sarm East Studios in London. English producer Peter Collins came from assignments on Rush’s Power Windows and Gary Moore’s Run for Cover; he co-produced with Squier, while James “Jimbo” Barton engineered the sessions. Squier and Dave Thoener mixed the album at the Hit Factory in New York. Queen tour photographer and road-crew chief Peter Hince supplied a low-lit close portrait of Squier in a striped shirt, which Reiner Design framed with white titling.

“Love Is the Hero” reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 17 on the rock chart. Capitol followed with “Shot o’ Love,” which peaked at No. 30 on the latter ranking. Enough Is Enough rose to No. 61 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Hear & Now

Billy Squier released his sixth album, Hear & Now, in June 1989 on Capitol.

The core lineup reunited Clarke with Chouinard, Golub, and St. Jon. To accommodate schedules, guitarist John McCurry and drummer Anton Fig joined selected tracks, while Desmond Child co-wrote “Stronger” and “Tied Up,” Mars Williams played saxophone on the former, and the Uptown Horns appeared on “The Work Song.”

“Rock Out/Punch Somebody” barrels from a simulated-live opening into a blunt, linear riff. “Stronger” strides through polished accents and short sax interjections. “Don’t Say You Love Me” lopes along a hiccupping figure, Hammond traces, and loose-limbed phrasing. “Don’t Let Me Go” glides from acoustic-electric guitar exchange into a folk-tinged, open refrain. “Tied Up” swaggers through bluesy inflections, slide breaks, and horn bursts.

“(I Put A) Spell on You” coils around an insinuating figure and shadowed atmosphere. “G.O.D.” veers through syncopated drive, gospel lift, and several sharp section changes. “The Work Song” swings through brass lines and female responses. “Your Love Is My Life” swells into a soul-shaped refrain and extended instrumental close.

A1. “Rock Out/Punch Somebody” (3:09)
A2. “Stronger” (4:02)
A3. “Don’t Say You Love Me” (4:28)
A4. “Don’t Let Me Go” (5:14)
A5. “Tied Up” (3:56)

B1. “(I Put a) Spell on You” (4:32)
B2. “G.O.D.” (5:29)
B3. “Mine Tonite” (3:46)
B4. “The Work Song” (3:56)
B5. “Your Love Is My Life” (4:46)

Squier began the project at the Power Station with New York engineer-producer Jason Corsaro, then brought in Godfrey Diamond to consolidate the album. Diamond connected earlier work with Lou Reed and Aerosmith to late-Eighties production for I, Napoleon and the Lostboys; he co-produced most of the program with Squier, while Corsaro shared production on “Your Love Is My Life.” Larry Alexander, Dave O’Donnell, Alex Haas, and Corsaro divided recording and mixing across the ten tracks. New York designer John O’Brien and the Bacon/O’Brien studio placed Richard Noble’s high-contrast monochrome portrait between red bands, with Adrian Panaro supplying the back image and Squier and Tommy Steele directing the artwork.

“Don’t Say You Love Me” reached No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the rock chart. Capitol also promoted “Tied Up” and “Don’t Let Me Go,” which peaked at Nos. 20 and 38 on the rock ranking. Hear & Now reached No. 64 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Creatures of Habit

Billy Squier released his seventh album, Creatures of Habit, in April 1991 on Capitol.

The primary band retained Chouinard, Golub, Clarke, and St. Jon. On selected tracks, Kenny Aaronson added lap steel to “Facts of Life” and Jimmy Bralower programmed drums on “Conscience Point.” Squier wrote ten songs alone and completed “She Goes Down” with Laura McDonald.

“Young at Heart” pounds through a dry riff, keyboard filigree, and an extended instrumental tail. “She Goes Down” rips through bright synthesizer stabs and horn accents. “Hollywood” struts through brisk accents and a sturdy beat. “Hands of Seduction” slinks through a sinuous electric figure before a rap passage.

“Facts of Life” rolls through lap-steel bends and a loose, earthy sway. “(L.O.V.E.) Four Letter Word” broadens into a large-scale, slow-burn refrain. “Strange Fire” rasps through dry, abrasive figures, then opens into a direct refrain and atmospheric bridge. “Alone in Your Dreams (Don’t Say Goodbye)” lifts an airy line over firm accompaniment.

A1. “Young at Heart” (5:06)
A2. “She Goes Down” (4:07)
A3. “Lover” (4:48)
A4. “Hollywood” (4:57)
A5. “Conscience Point” (5:27)

B1. “Nerves on Ice” (5:05)
B2. “Hands of Seduction” (5:32)
B3. “Facts of Life” (4:31)
B4. “(L.O.V.E.) Four Letter Word” (4:56)
B5. “Strange Fire” (4:03)
B6. “Alone in Your Dreams (Don’t Say Goodbye)” (5:06)

Diamond returned directly from Hear & Now as co-producer for sessions at the Power Station, where Bill Scheniman recorded the backing tracks and Alex Haas supervised overdubs and mixing. Pre-production at S.I.R. in New York involved the same five-piece lineup heard across most of the album. Canadian illustrator and animation designer Paul Rivoche drew a sunglassed figure with a city skyline reflected in the lenses; rock photographer Mark Weiss supplied the package images, and Walberg Design worked under art direction from Squier and Tommy Steele.

“She Goes Down” reached No. 4 on Billboard’s rock chart, and “Facts of Life” peaked at No. 37 on the same ranking. Creatures of Habit entered the Billboard 200 at a No. 117 peak.

Tell the Truth

Billy Squier released his eighth album, Tell the Truth, in April 1993 on Capitol.

For each track, he assembled a different group from players including Golub, Clarke, Chouinard, St. Jon, Steve Conte, Carmine Rojas, David Palmer, and Tony James. Among the guest singers, Lisa Fischer graces “Time Bomb.”

“Lovin’ You Ain’t So Hard” lingers under a plaintive, melancholic delivery. “The Girl’s All Right” charges through a direct, hard-edged riff with original-group interplay. “Break Down” tightens around a direct full-band performance and repeated falling phrases.

1. “Angry” (4:30)
2. “Tryin’ to Walk a Straight Line” (4:05)
3. “Rhythm (A Bridge So Far)” (7:01)
4. “Hercules” (4:43)
5. “Lovin’ You Ain’t So Hard” (5:18)
6. “Time Bomb” (6:56)
7. “Stranger to Myself” (5:54)
8. “The Girl’s All Right” (4:09)
9. “Break Down” (4:48)
10. “Not a Color” (5:13)
11. “Mind Machine” (3:59)
12. “Shocked Straight” (4:06)

Australian songwriter-producer Mike Chapman brought a catalog that included Sweet, Blondie, the Knack, and Pat Benatar, plus recent work on the first Baby Animals album. Engineer Kevin Shirley arrived after mixing the Black Crowes’ The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion and moved next to Rush’s Counterparts. The team tracked at the Magic Shop, Clinton Recording, and the Power Station, completed overdubs at Electric Lady, the Magic Shop, RPM, and the Power Station, then mixed at Second City and Electric Lady. Designer Andy Engel translated Squier’s cover concept into a yellow eye on a deep-blue field; album and celebrity photographer Ron Slenzak supplied package portraits under Tommy Steele’s art direction.

“Angry” reached No. 15 on Billboard’s rock chart, while CEMA issued “Rhythm (A Bridge So Far)” with “Lovin’ You Ain’t So Hard” as a second promotional pairing. No single entered the Hot 100, and the album missed the Billboard 200 chart.

Flatiron Recordings gave Tell the Truth a first vinyl edition for Record Store Day on April 18, 2026, as a limited two-LP set with expanded notes, extended versions, unreleased material, and alternate mixes.

Later activity

Squier recorded the solo-acoustic Happy Blue without overdubs in his New York apartment and at IIWII Studios in Weehawken, New Jersey; J-Bird issued the album in 1998 on compact disc. He returned to larger stages through the forty-two-city 8101 tour in 2001 and joined Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band for the 2006 and 2008 lineups. Later performances included solo electric and acoustic formats, while a 2023 single, “Harder on a Woman,” received a revised “Don’t Say No” mix the next year.

Discography: