Temptation

Album: The Bridge (1986)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Billy Joel became a father for the first time when his wife Christie Brinkley gave birth to their daughter, Alexa Ray, on December 29, 1985. He was in the midst of working on his 10th studio album, The Bridge, and constantly fighting temptation to stay at home with his baby, which inspired this wistful piano tune.

    "Some people think it's about a love affair, but it's really about being a new dad and seeing my baby and not wanting to live the life I'd been living before," he told Sirius XM in 2016. "I wanted to just stay home and be with my baby. She's such a temptation. I don't wanna go anywhere. I don't wanna do anything. I don't wanna go on the road. I don't wanna leave her, I wanna be with her. That's the essence of what the song is - she's a temptation."
  • The Bridge yielded two Top 10 hits on the Hot 100: "Modern Woman" (from the movie Ruthless People) and "A Matter Of Trust."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?