“Tainted Love” (10) American artist Gloria Jones recorded the original version in 1964; the song was written and produced by Ed Cobb and arranged by LIncoln Mayorga. It was the B-side of her 1965 single “My Bad Boy’s Comin’ Home”, which was a commercial flop, failing to chart in either the US or the UK. According to Nick Talevski, before Jones recorded the song, Cobb had offered it to the Standells, whom he managed and produced, but they rejected it. The Standells say that the song was never offered to them, and that they were not signed to Cobb’s company until 1966, some two years after Jones’s recording. In 1973, British club DJ Richard Searling purchased a copy of the almost decade-old single while on a trip to the United States. The track’s Motown-influenced sound (featuring a fast tempo, horns, electric rhythm guitar and female backing vocals) fit in perfectly with the music favoured by those involved in the UK’s Northern Soul club scene of the early 1970s, and Searling popularised the song at the Northern soul club Va Va’s in Bolton, and later, at Wigan Casino.
English vocal-and-synth duo Soft Cell became aware of the song through its status as a UK “Northern soul” hit. In 2010, DJ Ian “Frank” Dewhirst claimed he was the first person to play the song for Marc Almond, the vocalist for Soft Cell. Some time after, Soft Cell began performing the song in their live setlist. Phonogram Records chose to release “Tainted Love” in 1981 as Soft Cell’s second single. The label’s representatives implied that this single would be Soft Cell’s final release on Some Bizzare if it did not sell. Thanks to a memorable performance on the BBC’s Top of the Pops chart show, “Tainted Love” reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, and was known as the best-selling single of 1981 in the UK. A video was recorded specially for Soft Cell’s video album Non-Stop Exotic Video Show, featuring David Ball as a cricketer meeting Marc Almond in a toga on what seems to be Mount Olympus.
A re-recorded version of the song was issued in 1991, seven years after Soft Cell’s dissolution in 1984, as a tie-in to the compilation album Memorabilia -The Singles . “Tainted Love ’91” became Top 40 hit from the collection and peaked at number 5 in the UK charts, making it Soft Cell’s sixth Top 10 hit (as records with re-recorded vocals were seen as a new hit by the chart compilers of the time). The video for the version, directed by Peter Christopherson, features a man pacing at night and dancing with starry apparitions, while Almond sings amongst the stars.
Christopherson’s band Coil had covered “Tainted Love” in 1985, with a music video that included a cameo appearance by Almond.
American band Marilyn Manson covered “Tainted Love” with an arrangement based on Soft Cell’s version. It was released in November 2001 as a single from the Not Another Teen Movie soundtrack. The accompanying music video featured cast members Chyler Leigh, Mia Kirshner, Chris Evans and Jaime Pressly. The eponymous vocalist said that he was not “really thinking about ’80s nostalgia” during the recording, while recognizing it as a main concept behind the soundtrack. “Tainted Love” topped the charts in Portugal and peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom. It also peaked within the top ten of the charts throughout the rest of Europe, including Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Norway. It was nominated for the Kerrang! Award for Best Single in 2002, and won the Kerrang! Award for Best Video. It was also nominated for Best Video at the 2002 Q Awards.
Tainted Love has been covered by many other artistes who have brought their own musical style to bear on the song. The Scorpions and Black Rainbow both produced rock driven versions.
Whereas Imelda May and the Rockabilly Ravens brought their distinctive rockabilly vibe to the song.
I am also choosing to featureversions by two of my favourite artistes whose take on the song are in themselves delightful and quirky. The wonderfully named Pomplamousse has a version which brings a little more of a jazz feel to the song.
Finally, who could forget Broken Peach, who I have featured previously on this blog, who make the song their own with the music and the costumes. Enjoy.
