John Squire (born John Thomas Squire on November 24, 1962) is an English mu… Read Full Bio ↴John Squire (born John Thomas Squire on November 24, 1962) is an English musician, guitarist and artist. He was a founding member of The Stone Roses and The Seahorses.

From 1984 to 1996 he was the guitarist for The Stone Roses, one of the most influential acts of its era. He grew up on Sylvan Avenue in Timperley and after attending Heyes lane Junior School, he passed the 11+ exam and went on to attend Altrincham Grammar School for Boys where he met Ian Brown - who co-incidentally also lived on Sylvan Avenue but went to a different primary school. His partnership with Roses' lead singer Ian Brown (who he had been friends with since their teens when they had bonded over a love for punk rock) formed the heart of the band's lyrical and musical output. As a guitarist, Squire was known for his spiralling riffs and amazing live solos. He was arguably the most accomplished British rock guitarist of the 1980s.

Band infighting and rumoured cocaine abuse led to his departure from The Stone Roses in 1996. He promptly formed his own band, The Seahorses (an anagram of 'he hates roses', but whether this was intentional is disputed). The album Do it Yourself was released in 1997, but The Seahorses disbanded due to creative differences in 1999.

Following a three year hiatus, Squire finally released his first solo album, Time Changes Everything in 2002. A concept album followed in 2004 entitled Marshall's House .

Besides music, Squire is also an accomplished artist. His artwork has adorned album covers and promotional posters for his music. In the 1980s, Squire's artistic style was heavily influenced by the action painting technique of Jackson Pollock. In recent years, Squire has shown a broader use of mediums and has incorporated newer influences to his work. One of his artworks formed the cover for Travis's 1997 release U16 Girls. In 2004, Squire held two well-received art exhibitions in London and Manchester.

Although it has almost been a decade since he left the Roses, Squire still has a lasting feud with ex-bandmate Ian Brown. In a 2005 Q magazine article, Squire blasted Brown, claiming that "When he (Brown) was stoned, he was at best a tuneless knob and at worst a paranoid mess" (but he was only responding to queries about what went wrong with the Second Coming sessions and the state of Brown's vocal due to his marijuana habits). Although both Brown and Squire have performed Stone Roses songs in their solo gigs, a band reunion seems unlikely. Surprisingly, in May 2005 Squire hinted at intentions for a Roses reunion at Glastonbury that year.

Gas
John Squire Lyrics

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Oh how the night shines
On pale blue cotton collar
Hope your wife don't mind
These late night speeding callers

Bye bye baby
I never heard you call
Bye bye baby

I never heard you call

There used to be a boy who loved you
He held your oily hand
Do you think he knew your secret
Or was he too young to understand

Bye bye baby
I never heard you call
Bye bye baby
I came here to break your fall

Could you be looking for someone
The mold from which I was cast
Didn't stop for your council
Your food, water or gas

Bye bye baby
I never heard you call

Bye bye baby
I came here to end it all

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song Gas by John Squire depict a story of a man who has been wronged and is seeking revenge on someone he was once associated with romantically. In the opening lines, the singer refers to the night as being beautiful but dark, perhaps alluding that the clarity of the night only makes the pain he is feeling more noticeable. The phrase "pale blue cotton collar" may be a reference to his own attire or the cloths that the woman he is referring to might be wearing. The line, "Hope your wife don't mind, these late-night speeding callers," implies that the singer is calling or visiting the woman he is speaking of, and he is not perturbed by the fact that she may already be married or in a relationship.

The chorus of the song, "Bye Bye Baby, I never heard you call," reinforces the idea that he has lost contact with this woman and that she has moved on with her life, despite their shared history. The next stanza hints at the presence of another man who has been in love with the woman, and the singer questions if he knew about her dark secrets or if he was too naive to grasp the situation. “He held your oily hand,” might be an allusion to secrecy or dirty dealings down the line. The next verse sees the singer trying to determine the motive behind the woman's actions, and his contributions to the relationship. The lines, “Could you be looking for someone, the mold from which I was cast. Didn't stop for your council, your food, water or gas,” suggests that maybe the woman wanted someone more civilized or sophisticated than the singer, one who could cater to her needs and be sympathetic to her plight. Lastly, the chorus, “Bye bye baby, I came here to end it all,” can be interpreted in different ways, maybe the singer has not taken the break-up well, or perhaps he has planned some form of revenge on this woman which he is finally enacting.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh how the night shines
The night is bright and beautiful

On pale blue cotton collar
The singer is noticing the collar of someone's shirt

Hope your wife don't mind
The singer is addressing someone who may have a spouse

These late night speeding callers
The artist is observing cars speeding by at night

Bye bye baby
The artist is saying goodbye to someone affectionately called 'baby'

I never heard you call
The singer has not received any communication from 'baby'

There used to be a boy who loved you
The singer is discussing past love interests of 'baby'

He held your oily hand
The artist describing an intimate moment between 'baby' and her previous love interest

Do you think he knew your secret
The artist is questioning whether the previous love interest knew something about 'baby'

Or was he too young to understand
The artist is questioning the level of emotional maturity of 'baby's' previous love interest

Could you be looking for someone
The singer is questioning 'baby's' intentions