VOL. 1, TRACK 11: THE STRANGLERS, “(GET A) GRIP (ON YOURSELF)”

Bravo to the Stranglers for putting out a garage band video that is WAY more garage band than New Wave. Which, in itself, is pretty New Wave. I also love that this is such an apparently low-budget video, so much so that they didn’t even pretend to find some extra to play the sax or trombones or whatever that solo in “(Get a) Grip (On Yourself)” is. Instead, they just kept the camera fixed on the lead singer’s face for the duration of the horn solo.

For me, this song is somewhere betwixt and between, in the New Wave genre. It’s not exactly punk, although the Stranglers look like they could be punk, although on second thought, they look awfully clean and put-together to be punk. And it’s not a dance track, although the kids in the video look very much like they want to be dancing to this song, and they are… it’s just a little awkward, that dancing, because the song doesn’t have a firm enough beat.

So I guess you could just call “(Get a) Grip (On Yourself)” a pop track. Which is fine, it’s just that it’s not a standout pop track. It doesn’t make me feel anything — no joy, no empathic sadness, no conspiratorial winks, no existential angst, nothing. It’s just a song, just a video, just a band. Oh, God, WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN????

I’m giving this video a 7/10 because even if nothing makes sense and it will all amount to more nothing, I can at least be generous. Also, the keyboard player here is fantastic. Forgot to mention that.

💘