Tainted Love
Perfect Pitch Lyrics

The lyrics to Perfect Pitch's "Tainted Love" tell a story of a toxic and suffocating relationship. The singer feels trapped, unable to escape the pain inflicted upon them by their lover. They acknowledge the love they share has lost its way and that they've lost their light. The beat and insistent pace of the song reflect this feeling of being trapped and anxious, with the singer unable to sleep at night and feeling driven to run away. The chorus is a refrain of "tainted love," a phrase that evokes something soiled, corrupt, and spoiled. The singer recognizes the depth of their love and the anguish of its loss, yet they must run from it. In the second verse, they assert their own identity and refusal to be controlled by their lover's desires. The singer offers to give all they can, but they recognize it's not enough to fix what's broken. The song ends with another repetition of the chorus, almost like a desperate plea to cleanse themselves of the "tainted love" and start again.

In terms of interesting facts about the song, "Tainted Love" was originally written by Edward Cobb and became a hit for Gloria Jones in 1964. However, it was Soft Cell's 1981 synthpop cover that became the most famous version, hitting #1 on the UK charts and charting well around the world. The cover's popularity helped to revive interest in the original, helping Jones to become a cult favorite among Northern Soul fans. Soft Cell's version was initially recorded as a B-side, but it quickly became more popular than the A-side and was re-released as the lead track. The distinctive pounding bassline was created using a Roland CR-78 drum machine, and the entire song was recorded in a single day. The music video for "Tainted Love" features frontman Marc Almond in a top hat and tails, juxtaposed with shots of dancers wearing leather and carrying whips. It was a controversial video for its time, but it helped to cement Soft Cell as icons of the early MTV era. In recent years, "Tainted Love" has been covered by various artists, including Marilyn Manson, Imelda May, and Hannah Peel.