Tainted Love

In 1981, British synth-pop duo Soft Cell were putting together their album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret when they recorded a reworked cover of "Tainted Love". The song had been written by Ed Cobb, formerly of the American group the Four Preps, and their version brought it worldwide fame, later ranking at number 305 on NME's 2014 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song's history stretched back nearly two decades. Gloria Jones, an American soul musician, made the first recording in 1964, with Glen Campbell playing lead guitar. Cobb produced the track and Lincoln Mayorga arranged it. It appeared as the B-side of her 1965 single "My Bad Boy's Comin' Home", which flopped on both sides of the Atlantic. Cobb had reportedly offered the song to the Standells, whom he managed, but they rejected it, though the band later disputed this, saying it was never offered to them and that they did not sign with his company Greengrass Productions until 1966.

The song found a second life through British club culture. In 1973, DJ Richard Searling bought a copy of the old single on a trip to the United States and found its Motown-influenced sound, with its horns and female backing vocals, suited the Northern soul scene perfectly. He played it at Va Va's in Bolton and later at Wigan Casino. This underground popularity led Jones to re-record the song in 1976 with her boyfriend Marc Bolan producing, but that single also failed to chart.