Both Marc Almond and Dave Ball grew up in seaside towns (the former, Southport, and the latter, Blackpool), and later met while students at the Leeds Polytechnic Fine Arts University (now Leeds Metropolitan University). Almond, a performance artist, collaborated with Ball on a few avant-garde multi-media performances at the university. Although Ball's musical background consisted of guitar, he had access to the university studio and was experimenting with the nascent synthesizer technology at the time. The two students became the prototypical synth duo and were initially associated with other New Wave scenesters dubbed "New Romantics" by the British Press. Other bands associated with this scene included Visage, Duran Duran, and Spandau Ballet.
Marc Almond had a productive career as a solo artist later in the 80s and 90s and with Marc & the Mambas and other collaborations. Dave Ball has done a few solo productions with other British new wave acts in the early 80s. He also later was involved in the electronic dance act The Grid with Richard Norris.
Almond and Ball's reunion as Soft Cell became official with well-received initial concerts - they performed at the opening of the Ocean nightclub in London in March 2001 to strong reviews, and a mini tour followed later in the year. The track "God Shaped Hole" featured on the Some Bizzare compilation titled "I'd Rather Shout at a Returning Echo than Kid Someone's Listening", released in 2001. The album Cruelty Without Beauty was released in late 2002, followed by a European tour and a partial US tour in early 2003. The new album featured their first new songs together in almost twenty years. One of those songs was their 2003 single "The Night" (UK #39). Interestingly, Soft Cell had considered recording "The Night" in place of "Tainted Love" back in 1981 as their last-ditch attempt to score a chart hit. In a 2003 interview with BBC's Top of the Pops, keyboardist David Ball asserted, "I think history has kind of shown that we did make the right choice [in 1981]."
In August 2007, the band announced they were working on a remix album, "Heat - The Remixes". The remix album is expected to be released in May 2008 and will include classic Soft Cell tracks remixed by such acts as Manhattan Clique, Cicada, Richard X, Ladytron, MHC, Mark Moore, Kinky Roland, Spektrum, George Demure, Yer Man and many more.
Heat
Soft Cell Lyrics
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Or it could've been the effect of the drink
But I had to brush away the flies
That started to collect around your eyes
I've still the taste of the sweat and the dust
You're still playing games and abusing my trust
In the heat of the night
It's the back and the bite
That's feeling alright
Do you use up bodies like cigarettes
Do you need them for ego
Do you need them for sex
It was a bite of a night gone wrong
And the effect of listening to negative songs
Stuck in a love scene from blood and sand
And the way the room keeps spinning around
I steal the taste of the sweat and the dust
(Now I know what they mean by looks can kill)
You're still playing games and abusing my trust
(And they're having a strange effect on the way I feel)
In the heat of the night
In the glow of the light
It's the back and the bite
That's feeling alright
Do you use up bodies like cigarettes
Do you need them for ego
Do you need them for sex
And you're moaning about your wasted life
Lying there listening to "Spanish Eyes"
With the cups on the floor
And the plates in the sink
And the room full of smoke
And then you full of drink
You skin's going dry
And the color of sand
Ignore the cigarette burning your hand
The lyrics to Soft Cell's song "Heat" describe a night of passion gone wrong. The singer seems to be reflecting on the aftermath of a heated encounter with their lover, while also questioning their motives and actions. The opening lines suggest that the heat of the night or perhaps an alcoholic drink has led to an uncomfortable situation, as flies start to collect around the lover's eyes. The singer speaks to the taste of sweat and dust, perhaps referencing a moment of intimacy, while still feeling a sense of mistrust and emotional abuse from their partner. The chorus repeats the lines, "In the heat of the night, in the glow of the light, it's the back and the bite, that's feeling alright." These lyrics suggest that the physical pain of a bite marks or other rough behavior is a way of turning emotional pain into physical sensations. The singer then asks if their partner uses up bodies like cigarettes, either for their own ego or sexual pleasure. The final lines describe the scene of the aftermath of the encounter, with the room full of cigarette smoke and empty cups and plates scattered around, with the singer ignoring the cigarette burning their hand.
Line by Line Meaning
It was the heat of the night I think
I must have been feeling the hot weather at that moment
Or it could've been the effect of the drink
Alternatively, I may have been under the influence of alcohol
But I had to brush away the flies
I had to shoo away the insects that gathered around your eyes
That started to collect around your eyes
The bugs were settling around your eyes, which was pretty unpleasant
I've still the taste of the sweat and the dust
I still remember the taste of the sweat and dirt
You're still playing games and abusing my trust
You continue to manipulate me and take advantage of my faith in you
In the heat of the night
While it was still very hot and humid outside
In the glow of the light
Amid the reflection of the light inside the room
It's the back and the bite
It's the sting following pain that gets me going
That's feeling alright
I find pleasure in this sensation
Do you use up bodies like cigarettes
Do you treat other people as disposable as one uses up cigarettes
Do you need them for ego
Do you use others to feed your ego
Do you need them for sex
Or are you only interested in others for sexual reasons
It was a bite of a night gone wrong
It turned out to be a night that didn't go as planned
And the effect of listening to negative songs
The negative music I listened to before affected my mood
Stuck in a love scene from blood and sand
As if I was trapped in a dysfunctional love story from a movie set in the desert
And the way the room keeps spinning around
The room keeps rotating, which may be due to dizziness or drunkenness
Now I know what they mean by looks can kill
I understand the phrase 'looks can kill', which suggests the power of one's expressions
You're still playing games and abusing my trust
You're still manipulating me and making use of my confidence
And they're having a strange effect on the way I feel
You're having a peculiar effect on my emotions
And you're moaning about your wasted life
You're complaining about how much you think you've squandered in life
Lying there listening to "Spanish Eyes"
You're lying down and listening to a song called 'Spanish Eyes'
With the cups on the floor
There are cups lying on the ground
And the plates in the sink
There are plates piled up in the sink
And the room full of smoke
The room is hazy due to the smoke
And then you full of drink
And you're heavily drunk
Your skin's going dry
Your skin is becoming dry
And the color of sand
It looks dull and dry, like sand color
Ignore the cigarette burning your hand
You're not paying attention to the cigarette that's burning your hand
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID JAMES BALL, MARC ALMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind