"Tempted" was the second single released from Squeeze's fourth album, East Side Story. Though it failed to crack the Top 40 in the UK or the U.S., over the years "Tempted" has become one of Squeeze's most well known songs, especially in North America. The song's distinctive lead vocal is mainly by keyboardist Paul Carrack, though guitarist/co-composer Glenn Tilbrook and producer Elvis Costello also each get to sing lead on a few lines in the second verse.
Tempted has been covered numerous times, including versions by Sting, Joe Cocker, and Rockapella. Jools Holland also covered this song on his album Lift The Lid, which was a nod to Jool's history with the band.
In 1993, Squeeze remixed and overdubbed the original recording to create a 'new' version of the song for the soundtrack to the film Reality Bites. This version received some radio airplay and was dubbed "Tempted '94."
