"Tempted" is one of a few Squeeze songs with Paul Carrack as lead vocalist, at the suggestion of producer Elvis Costello.

The single was only a moderate chart hit at the time; however, it has since become one of the band's most famous songs, appearing in movies, TV shows, video games, and commercials.

According to Carrack, this was the result of a suggestion by co-producer Elvis Costello: They’d actually recorded a version of that song before I was on board.

"[1] 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.

The song has also appeared in commercials by Burger King and Heineken,[9] and in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (on the in-game radio station Emotion 98.3, and subsequently on the real-world CD, volume three of the game soundtrack), and downloadable content for Rock Band 2.

In 2010, the song appeared in re-recorded form on Spot the Difference, a retrospective of Squeeze hits performed by the 2010 edition of the band.

Though Carrack was no longer a member of Squeeze at this point, he sat in as a guest and sang lead vocals on this re-recorded track.

"[14] American Songwriter similarly praised the song, calling it the "centerpiece" of East Side Story and stating, "Difford and Tilbrook, with a big assist from Carrack, sure captured Beatlesque pop perfection with 'Tempted.

'"[15] "Tempted" has been covered numerous times, including versions by Sting, OK Go, Richard Thompson, Joe Cocker, Mickey Thomas, Rockapella, Rita Coolidge and Jenny Morris.