This Pub Rock Artist Sang These Hit Songs a Decade Apart, and You Probably Didn’t Realize It’s the Same Guy

As far as pub rock hits go, Paul Carrack has penned some notable songs that you may recognize. What most people don’t realize is that he sang these hits decades apart and with three different groups. With stints in groups such as Ace, Squeeze, and Mike + The Mechanics, Carrack’s voice somehow found its way onto these smooth, soft-rock hits. With “Tempted” by Squeeze, Carrack wasn’t supposed to be the lead singer on the track until producer Elvis Costello decided the group should let Carrack take over the lead vocal.

Paul Carrack Earned His First Hit in 1974

The soft rock band Ace formed in 1972, with Paul Carrack on vocals and keyboards. On the group’s debut release, Five-A-Side, Carrack penned a No. 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “How Long”. The song is smooth and easy listening, often categorized as pub rock. The lyrics were written about Ace’s bass player secretly working with other artists behind the band’s back. To make the song more accessible to listeners, Carrack reworked the lyrics to reflect relationship infidelities. It was the group’s only hit song. The band’s next two albums were unsuccessful commercially, and Ace disbanded in 1977.

Carrack released a solo album in 1980 before replacing keyboardist Jools Holland in the band Squeeze. With Squeeze, Carrack played on only one studio album, East Side Story in 1981. The album became the band’s biggest seller, and Carrack sang on the band’s biggest hit, “Tempted”.

Carrack wasn’t originally supposed to sing “Tempted” as they had already recorded an upbeat version with Glenn Tilbrook on lead. While recording other songs for the album, the group jokingly played a slower Motown-sounding version of “Tempted”, channeling The Temptations. Producer Elvis Costello busted into the studio, demanding the group record this version, replacing the already recorded upbeat Tilbrook version. Additionally, Costello insisted Carrack now take over lead vocals. Maybe Costello had been a fan of the 1974 Ace hit “How Long” and knew Carrack had hit-making vocal capabilities.

With Yet Another Group, Carrack Earned a No. 1 Hit in 1988

In 1985, Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford created a side project, Mike + The Mechanics. Following Paul Carrack’s departure from Squeeze, he released a solo album before working briefly with Nick Lowe and his Cowboy Outfit. Following their breakup in 1985, Rutherford recruited Carrack for Mike + The Mechanics. Carrack sang on their 1985 hit “Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)” which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Carrack followed up with another solo album in 1987, earning a No. 9 hit with the single “Don’t Shed A Tear”.

On Mike + The Mechanics’ second studio album, Living Years, in 1988, Carrack sang lead on the No. 1 hit song “The Living Years”. It reached No. 2 on the UK Singles chart and No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was written because Rutherford and BA Roberston had lost their father around the same time. They later discovered Carrack had also lost his father at a young age, so he was handed lead vocals on the track.

That makes three hit songs with three different groups throughout this career. Combined with some solo success, as well as later co-writing Eagles’ 1994 hit “Love Will Keep Us Alive”, Paul Carrack is considered one of the most overlooked artists of the 20th century.