Remember When Paul Carrack Made the Most of a Single Lead Vocal With Squeeze in 1981?

It should have been a massive hit if judged solely by the quality of the song. “Tempted” by Squeeze at least earned the distinction of being the British band’s most famous song, a sleek combination of New Wave precision and old-school soul.

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But it holds a strange distinction among the signature songs of lauded, long-running bands. It featured an unusual lead vocalist, one who was in and out of the band quickly but left a major impression.

Keyboard Key Change

Squeeze ruled the British New Wave scene in the late 70s and early 80s with a series of melodically rich, lyrically intricate singles. They weren’t able to cross over to the US charts at that time. But they easily could have continued in that vein and scored even greater successes in Great Britain.

To their credit, the band branched out on their 1981 album East Side Story. They tackled a wide range of genres far afield of their typical power-popping approach. And songwriters Glenn Tilbrook (music) and Chris Difford (lyrics) raised their game exponentially.

The band was also forced to make a lineup change for the album. Jools Holland, who had been with the band since they formed and played keyboards, decided to leave before the making of East Side Story. Squeeze chose as his replacement a guy who could do a little bit more than just man the organ.

Sing It, Paul

Paul Carrack came into Squeeze already having written and sung lead on the song “How Long”, a 1975 Top 10 hit for the band Ace. When that band crumbled, Carrack released a solo album in 1980 that few people heard. He took Squeeze up on their offer to join the band.

Chris Difford wrote the lyrics to “Tempted” based on his own experiences of being out on the road while married and trying to stay faithful. The band recorded a version of the song with Tilbrook on lead vocals and Dave Edmunds, a top artist in his own right, in the producer’s chair.

But that take never made it out of the studio. They pivoted when Elvis Costello, who took on a co-producer role on East Side Story, suggested that Carrack sing lead once the song’s arrangement shifted in a more soulful direction. Tilbrook felt a bit stung at first but relented for the good of the track.

One and Done

Tilbrook did add a brief lead vocal to the second verse of “Tempted”, a section of the song that also featured an almost unrecognizable Costello at the mic in a very low register. But aside from that, “Tempted” served as the ideal showcase for Carrack’s impassioned style.

For Squeeze’s sake, however, maybe the song displayed Carrack’s talents too well. He left the band after East Side Story to go back to searching for a solo career. Carrack found success in the 80s not only as a solo act but also later as one of the lead singers for Mike + The Mechanics. In 1993, Carrack returned to Squeeze for one more album (Some Fantastic Place) before leaving again shortly after.

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