|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Tainted Love
Soft Cell
from the album Non-stop Erotic Cabaret
1981
Synth player David Ball and singer Marc Almond originally worked together while at art school in the UK. It was when they discovered a mutual interest in soul music that Soft Cell was born, as they explored putting an electronic spin to the emotion and sincerity of motown. Their first hit was appropriately an electronic remake of "Tainted Love," a classic if somewhat obscure soul piece written by Edward Cobb and originally recorded by Gloria Jones. For the single a touch of Supremes was tacked on to the song for good measure.
Soft Cell was by no means alone in their fascination with '60s soul. At the close of the '70s the Stranglers made a hit out of "Walk On By" and the Beat did the same with their cover of Smokey Robinson's "Tears of a Clown." Elvis Costello was blending motown, punk and reggae, leading confused critics to slap a new wave label on him. By 1981 cool cats Squeeze had become less a new wave band than a born-again motown act, with such soulful original compositions as "Tempted" and "Black Coffee in Bed." The new romantic bands of the early '80s embraced the look and sound of motown and made it their own, as such bands as ABC and Spandau Ballet donned suits and thin ties and crooned their soulful tunes with as much feeling as a young white man could muster. Scritti Politti likened themselves to Aretha Franklin, ABC sang about when Smokey sings, Japan covered Smokey's "I Second That Emotion," the immortally pessimistic Love and Rockets covered the Temptations, and Paul Weller turned his back on the Jam to form soulsters Style Council.
Reaching number 1 in the UK and number 8 in the US, Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" remained on international charts for months and became one of the top selling singles of all time. Unable to repeat their initial success, Almond and Ball had a few lesser hits before calling it quits as Soft Cell in 1984. After forming bands with such clever names as Marc and the Mambas and Marc Almond and the Willing Sinners, Almond had a hit with Bronski Beat before wisely chosing to release material simply under his own name.
Tainted Love
Sometimes I feel I've got to Once I ran to you (I ran) Now I know I've got to Once I ran to you (I ran) Don't touch me please Touch me baby, tainted love...
Run away I've got to
Get away
From the pain that you drive into the heart of me
The love we share
Seems to go nowhere
And I've lost my light
For I toss and turn I can't sleep at night
Now I'll run from you
This tainted love you've given
I give you all a boy could give you
Take my tears and that's not nearly all
Oh...tainted love
Tainted love
Run away I've got to
Get away
You don't really want any more from me
To make things right
You need someone to hold you tight
And you think love is to pray
But I'm sorry I don't pray that way
Now I'll run from you
This tainted love you've given
I give you all a boy could give you
Take my tears and that's not nearly all
Oh...tainted love
Tainted love
I cannot stand the way you tease
I love you though you hurt me so
Now I'm going to pack my things and go
Tainted love, tainted love...