Release "Tempted" was released as the second single from the band's 1981 album East Side Story. The single was only a moderate success on the charts, reaching number 41 in the UK, number 45 in Canada, number 49 in the US, number 90 in Australia. Over the years it has become one of Squeeze's best-known songs; as Stewart Mason of AllMusic remarked, "Although its increasing ubiquity on '80s hits radio and on television (it was used in a successful clothing commercial in 2003) would suggest otherwise, Squeeze's 'Tempted' was not actually a hit single." 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". The song has also appeared in commercials by Burger King and Heineken, 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, vol. 3, of the game soundtrack), and Rock Band. It can also be heard in the TV show Ashes to Ashes. 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. Reception Record World said that Squeeze provides a "somewhat novel approach" to the common pop music theme of temptation. Stewart Mason of AllMusic lauded the track "a blue-eyed soul classic like no other". Rolling Stone praised Carrack's singing on the song, commenting, "Paul Carrack's soulful crooning, a highlight of the blue-eyed R&B strut 'Tempted,' is a welcome addition." 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. Other versions "Tempted" has been covered numerous times, including versions by Sting, OK Go, Richard Thompson, Joe Cocker, Mickey Thomas, Rockapella, Rita Coolidge and Jenny Morris. Jools Holland also covered this song on his album Lift the Lid, which was a nod to Jools' history with the band. In 2017 a version of the song was sung by Minnie Driver in the film "The Wilde Wedding". In 2019, Erykah Badu recorded her version.