Chris BeazerTainted Love
June 22nd 2006 04:17
Tainted Love must surely be one of the most influential songs of the 1980s. Known most widely as a song performed by the band Soft Cell, this song was actually originally a 1964 Northern Soul song written by Ed Cobb and performed by Gloria Jones. However, Soft Cell's completely reworked cover version was propelled to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 43 weeks.
Today, there are many cover versions of the song, some very similar and others radically different. These include covers by 29 Died, Alterno Daze, Coil, Deathline International, Dishwalla, Marilyn Manson, Shades Apart, The Living End, The Pussycat Dolls, The Ramones.
Tainted Love has also influenced many songs, having been sampled in songs such as the 2004 German techno single Tainted Schall by producer Thomas Schumacher. Most recently, Rihanna’s S.O.S. made use of the hit, and her song is now the current Australian number one on the singles chart.
In itself, Tainted Love is a remarkably likeable song. The fact that it has been covered and sampled so extensively proves its ability to transcend both genre and context. Yet, perhaps the most interesting thing about it is that it is the lyrics are so fiercely debated over, and there are so many different interpretations floating around. For me, the significance of this ambiguity is that I can interpret the lyrics any way I want, and transform them so that they are relevant to me, or any situation. I think that is probably the reason this song has been covered so often. The song has so much character that it can be bent and twisted to fit many different bands without losing its individuality.
Today, there are many cover versions of the song, some very similar and others radically different. These include covers by 29 Died, Alterno Daze, Coil, Deathline International, Dishwalla, Marilyn Manson, Shades Apart, The Living End, The Pussycat Dolls, The Ramones.
Tainted Love has also influenced many songs, having been sampled in songs such as the 2004 German techno single Tainted Schall by producer Thomas Schumacher. Most recently, Rihanna’s S.O.S. made use of the hit, and her song is now the current Australian number one on the singles chart.
In itself, Tainted Love is a remarkably likeable song. The fact that it has been covered and sampled so extensively proves its ability to transcend both genre and context. Yet, perhaps the most interesting thing about it is that it is the lyrics are so fiercely debated over, and there are so many different interpretations floating around. For me, the significance of this ambiguity is that I can interpret the lyrics any way I want, and transform them so that they are relevant to me, or any situation. I think that is probably the reason this song has been covered so often. The song has so much character that it can be bent and twisted to fit many different bands without losing its individuality.
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