“Tempted” by Squeeze

"Tempted" was the second single from East Side Story, Squeeze's fourth album, in 1981, and it's the one where the band handed the microphone to their keyboard player. Paul Carrack takes the lead vocal, and it was producer Elvis Costello, running the sessions with Roger Bechirian, who suggested he should.

It was a smart call. Glenn Tilbrook's tune borrows its arrangement ideas from the Temptations, and Carrack sings it like a soul man stranded in a smoky pub, all warmth and easy ache over a tight, slinky groove. Chris Difford's lyric grew out of his own experiences on an American tour. John Bentley's bass and Gilson Lavis's drums keep it moving, Difford and Tilbrook share the guitars, and Tilbrook and Costello chime in behind Carrack on the backing vocals.

It was only a middling hit at first, but it outgrew its chart run and turned into one of the band's best-known songs, turning up in films, TV shows, video games and commercials. It is still a fixture of Squeeze's live shows, where Tilbrook usually sings it himself.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.