Story of the Song: Tempted by Squeeze

From The Independent archive: Robert Webb on one of white pop’s greatest soul moments

Squeeze (from left): Jools Holland, Chris Difford, Gilson Lavis, Glenn Tilbrook and Harry Kakoulli (Shutterstock)

Chris Difford, Squeeze's lyricist, doodled the bare bones of “Tempted” on a cigarette packet in the back of a cab to Heathrow. “I bought a toothbrush, some toothpaste/ A flannel for my face/ Pyjamas, a hairbrush/ New shoes and a case.” The lines reveal all the more for their mundane brevity.

In the book, Squeeze: Song by Song, Difford explains how one of white pop’s greatest soul moments was written as autobiography. “I was married by then, but going on the road means that you are tempted,” he says. “It's like being in the merchant navy… you're going to every port in the world, and there are women of easy virtue there.” Difford follows himself to the car park, the airport, the baggage carousel and, ultimately, home again with a bunch of flowers and a guilty conscience.

He handed over the finished lyrics to his Squeeze fellow-front man and co-songwriter, Glenn Tilbrook. Blown away by his partner's confessional, Tilbrook was concerned to get the melody right. “I had the first two lines for days, but couldn't get any further,” he says. “It was like climbing a rock face and it took me about a week.” Recorded for the album East Side Story, early takes were produced by Dave Edmunds, with Tilbrook on vocals. “It sounded like ELO,” the singer says. Elvis Costello stepped in as producer and pushed the band's keyboard player, ex-Ace pianist Paul Carrack to the mic. “He recognised what a wonderful soulful voice Paul had,” says Tilbrook. “He did a remarkable job, even though my ego was bruised initially.”