5. “Tempted”, Squeeze. (1981). Written by Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford.
I don’t have to explain this one, do I? Everyone loves this song, and the only controversy is whether I’ve rated it too low by placing it “way, way down the list” at #5. Everything about this melody is classic, starting with the establishment of the opening circular phrase of the verse which turns unexpectedly, and perfectly, minor as the verse develops its narrative. And by the way, it absolutely floors me how the verse melody continues to serve up unexpected develop-ments as it works its way to the chorus. It definitely takes the long road. And yeah, to land this high in the countdown, it helps to have some length, some substance to your phrasing. If it’s long and still memorable and compelling, then it satisfies every part of my brain, the emotional and the intellectual. If this song were submitted to a critiquing song pushing service today, it would surely be knocked for being too complex and taking to long to get to the point. And that’s what’s wrong with popular music today. So, with a long, brilliant setup, do we get a worthy payoff? Oh yes. The compellingly singable phrase that opens the chorus (“Tempted by the fruit of another”) and is repeated before being developed as the story is told, is replaced on the second chorus go-round by the most fun moment of the song, “There’s no other,” before we dive back into the cho-rus form. The chorus is, appropriately, simpler than the verse, but it’s a classic. Two classic mel-odies in one song, both ridiculously catchy, both intelligent, and one with serious length and multi-layered, complex development. Gourmet pop.
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