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.
I Feel Love
Soft Cell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, love to love you baby, oh, love to love you baby
Oh, love to love you baby, oh, love to love you baby
Love to love you pretty baby, love to love you pretty baby
Love to love you pretty baby, love to love you pretty baby
Love to love you pretty baby, love to love you pretty baby
Love to love you pretty baby, love to love you pretty baby
Love to love you pretty baby, love to love you pretty baby, oh baby
Ooh it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good
Ooh I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love
Ooh, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love
Ooh, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love
Ooh what'll it be, what'll it be, what'll it be, yeah
Ooh, you and me, you and me, you and me, you and me, yeah
Ooh I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love, yeah
I'm in love, I'm in love, ooh, yeah, I'm in love, I'm in love, ooh, yeah
I'm in love, I'm in love, ooh, yeah, I'm in love, I'm in love, ooh, yeah
I'm in love
Johnny remember me, Johnny remember me
Johnny, oh Johnny why don't you remember me
Johnny, oh Johnny why don't you remember me
I feel love, love, love, I feel love, love, love
I feel love, love, love, I feel love, love, love
I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love
I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love
Oh, love to love you baby, oh, love to love you baby
The lyrics to Soft Cell's song "I Feel Love" are fairly simple, consisting mainly of repetitions of the phrase "love to love you baby" and "I feel love". These lines convey a sense of infatuation and passion, with the singer expressing his love and desire for someone. The repeated use of "love to love you" emphasizes the singer's devotion to the object of his affection, while the phrase "I feel love" suggests a physical and emotional connection, as well as a sense of ecstasy and pleasure.
The inclusion of the lines "Johnny remember me, Johnny remember me / Johnny, oh Johnny why don't you remember me" adds a layer of mystery and sadness to the song. It is unclear who Johnny is or what their relationship was, but the repeated pleas for him to remember the singer suggest a lost love or relationship that has ended. The juxtaposition of these lines with the joyful declarations of love and sexual desire in the rest of the lyrics creates a sense of complexity and conflicting emotions.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Feel Love" convey a sense of intense desire, pleasure, and longing, as well as hints of sadness and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, love to love you baby, oh, love to love you baby
Expressing the artist's passion for their lover and their desire to engage in intimate activities.
Love to love you pretty baby, love to love you pretty baby
The artist being infatuated with the physical appearance of their lover and their desire to love them.
Ooh it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good
The artist expressing their pleasure and satisfaction with their intimate encounter with their lover.
Ooh I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love
The artist conveying their strong emotional attachment and attraction towards their lover.
Ooh, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love
The artist experiencing intense feelings of love towards their lover.
Ooh what'll it be, what'll it be, what'll it be, yeah
The artist pondering the possibilities and potential outcomes of their relationship with their lover.
Ooh, you and me, you and me, you and me, you and me, yeah
The artist emphasizing their desire for a strong and intimate relationship with their lover.
Johnny remember me, Johnny remember me
The artist addressing their previous lover, Johnny, and expressing their desire to be remembered by him.
I feel love, love, love, I feel love, love, love
The artist again experiencing intense feelings of love towards their lover and repeatedly expressing it.
Oh, love to love you baby, oh, love to love you baby
Reaffirming the artist's passion and desire for their lover.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Donna Summer, Giorgio G. Moroder, Pete Bellotte
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind