A 1981 UK number one: a synth-pop remake of a 1964 Gloria Jones B-side that had become a northern soul favourite (1981)
"Tainted Love", written by Ed Cobb — a number one in seventeen countries.
Popular music · Electronic
Soft Cell
1978–1984; reunited 2001–2004 and 2018– · English
Synth-pop — Leeds art school and the Some Bizzare label
Soft Cell were Marc Almond, a singer of seedy cabaret melodrama, and David "Dave" Ball, who built the electronics behind him. They met as art students in Leeds and in 1981 had a worldwide hit with a synthesiser remake of a 1964 Gloria Jones B-side that had become an anthem of the northern soul scene — the perfect illustration of how British synth-pop was built on obscure American soul records. Almond and Ball split in 1984 and reunited twice; Ball died in October 2025.
How to spot them
- ▸A two-man line-up: a theatrical vocalist and a silent man behind a synthesiser
- ▸Sleazy, bedsit-and-nightclub subject matter; Leeds Polytechnic; the Some Bizzare label
- ▸A cover version that swallowed the original whole, with the two-note 'bink-bink' hook
- ▸Marc Almond's later solo career, including a duet with Gene Pitney
Songs & albums
A 1981 debut album produced by Mike Thorne, containing their worldwide hit and three other UK Top 5 singles (1981)
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.
A 1982 single about parting at the end of a night at the club, nine minutes long in its extended form (1982)
"Say Hello, Wave Goodbye", later covered by David Gray.
A 1981 single about a young man alone in rented rooms, hungover and broke (1981)
"Bedsitter" — UK number four.
A 1982 single with a prominent trumpet solo, which reached number two in Britain (1982)
"Torch".
A 1983 second studio album, recorded as the duo were disintegrating in New York, closing with a Jimi Hendrix medley (1983)
The Art of Falling Apart.
A 2022 comeback album, their first studio record in twenty years (2022)
*Happiness Not Included.
A 2018 farewell concert at the O2 Arena in London, billed as their last ever show (2018)
It was not: the duo recorded again from 2021.
Quick-fire facts
- •Marc Almond and David Ball met as students at Leeds Polytechnic and formed the duo in 1978
- •"Tainted Love" was written by Ed Cobb and first recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964, released as the B-side of "My Bad Boy's Comin' Home"
- •Jones's original flopped on release but became a northern soul floor-filler in the clubs of northern England, where she was dubbed the Queen of Northern Soul
- •Gloria Jones was Marc Bolan's partner and was driving the car in which he was killed in 1977
- •Soft Cell's version was UK number one for two weeks in 1981 and set a then-record 43 consecutive weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100
- •They recorded for Some Bizzare, the label run by Stevo Pearce, which also handled The The and Einstürzende Neubauten
- •The duo split in 1984, reunited in 2001 and again from 2018
- •Marc Almond was appointed OBE in 2018 for services to arts and culture
- •Dave Ball died on 22 October 2025, aged 66, weeks after a final festival appearance; the duo had just completed the album Danceteria
Drill it — 7 cards
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Sources
- Official Charts Company — Tainted Love — full Official Chart history
- uDiscover Music — The Queen Of Northern Soul: Gloria Jones
- Variety — David Ball, of 'Tainted Love' Hitmakers Soft Cell, Dies at 66