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.
Loving You Hating Me
Soft Cell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Playing black games again
Black mellow lies
And the narrowing of eyes
Playing those games again
You hold the reins again
But then I turned the card
And you know I hit hard
Loving you, hating me
It's the other side of love
It's the side that you don't want to see
Shaking your head that way
It's so true when they say
That love is a pain in the heart
A pain that pulls apart
I'm breaking rules again
You're breaking hearts again
Pretend to despise
When there's love in your eyes
Loving you, hating me
It's the other side of love
It's the side that you don't want to see
And I'm loving you
And you're hating me
It's the other side of love
It's the other side of love
The lyrics to Soft Cell’s “Loving You Hating Me” convey the dynamic of a tumultuous and complicated love-hate relationship. Two individuals who are intensely attracted to each other despite recognizing their own flaws and the flaws of their partner. The “black games” they play and the “black mellow lies” they tell demonstrates that they are aware of the dark side of their relationship, but they continue to play the game anyway. The “narrowing of eyes” is a metaphor for the tension that builds when they are in the heat of the moment, displaying their feelings in subtle ways.
The chorus is where the title comes from, “Loving you, hating me / It’s the other side of love / It’s the side that you don’t want to see.” The singer recognizes that the passion they feel and the intense emotions they experience with each other is not always healthy. The “shaking your head that way” suggests that they are both aware that they are trapped in this cycle of love and hate that causes them pain. The pain they experience is “pulling apart” and breaking them down, but they continue to play by the rules of the game.
In the second verse, they continue to play games, both breaking rules and breaking hearts. They pretend to despise each other while there is still love in their eyes. Again, this symbolizes their awareness of the toxicity of the relationship, yet they still cannot stay away from each other. The final chorus is a repetition of the first, emphasizing the cyclical nature of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
We've hit those depths again
We've sunk to our lowest point in our relationship, again.
Playing black games again
Engaging in dishonest and manipulative behavior again.
Black mellow lies
Telling smooth yet false stories to deceive and manipulate.
And the narrowing of eyes
Giving a suspicious and judgemental glance.
Playing those games again
Participating in deceiving and manipulative behavior again.
You hold the reins again
You have control and power in the relationship again.
But then I turned the card
But I made a move to change the situation.
And you know I hit hard
And you know I made a big impact with my move.
Loving you, hating me
Having conflicted emotions in our relationship.
It's the other side of love
It's the negative and painful aspect of loving someone.
It's the side that you don't want to see
It's the part of love that people try to ignore or pretend doesn't exist.
Shaking your head that way
Disapproving or being doubtful in a physical manner.
It's so true when they say
The cliche is correct when stating that love can be painful.
That love is a pain in the heart
Love can be emotionally exhausting and cause heartache.
A pain that pulls apart
A pain that physically and/or mentally tears you apart.
I'm breaking rules again
I'm not following the norms or expectations of our relationship again.
You're breaking hearts again
You're causing emotional pain to others again.
Pretend to despise
Pretending to hate or loathe when there is actually love or affection.
When there's love in your eyes
When you display affection and emotion through your eyes.
And I'm loving you
And I still have feelings of love towards you.
And you're hating me
And you have negative feelings and emotions towards me.
It's the other side of love
It's the negative and painful aspect of loving someone.
It's the other side of love
It's the negative and painful aspect of loving someone.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID JAMES BALL, MARC ALMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Luis Cardenas
We've hit those depths again
Playing black games again
Black mellow lies
And the narrowing of eyes
Playing those games again
You hold the reins again
But then I turned the card
And you know I hit hard
Loving you, hating me
It's the other side of love
It's the side that you don't want to see
Shaking your head that way
It's so true when they say
That love is a pain in the heart
A pain that pulls apart
I'm breaking rules again
You're breaking hearts again
Pretend to despise
When there's love in your eyes
Loving you, hating me
It's the other side of love
It's the side that you don't want to see
And I'm loving you
And you're hating me
It's the other side of love
It's the other side of love
Allis Jacobo
Hemos vuelto a caer en esas profundidades
Volviendo a jugar a los juegos negros
Chantaje y mentiras
Y el estrechamiento de los ojos
Jugando a esos juegos de nuevo
Usted tiene las riendas de nuevo
Pero entonces giré la carta
Y sabes que golpeé fuerte
Amándote, odiándome
Es el otro lado del amor
Es el lado que no quieres ver
Sacudiendo la cabeza de esa manera
Es tan cierto cuando dicen
Que el amor es un dolor en el corazón
Un dolor que se separa
Estoy rompiendo las reglas de nuevo
Estás rompiendo los corazones de nuevo
Pretende despreciar
Cuando hay amor en tus ojos
Amándote, odiándome
Es el otro lado del amor
Es el lado que no quieres ver
Y yo te estoy amando
Y tú me odias
Es el otro lado del amor
Es el otro lado del amor
Luis Cardenas
We've hit those depths again
Playing black games again
Black mellow lies
And the narrowing of eyes
Playing those games again
You hold the reins again
But then I turned the card
And you know I hit hard
Loving you, hating me
It's the other side of love
It's the side that you don't want to see
Shaking your head that way
It's so true when they say
That love is a pain in the heart
A pain that pulls apart
I'm breaking rules again
You're breaking hearts again
Pretend to despise
When there's love in your eyes
Loving you, hating me
It's the other side of love
It's the side that you don't want to see
And I'm loving you
And you're hating me
It's the other side of love
It's the other side of love
Allis Jacobo
Hemos vuelto a caer en esas profundidades
Volviendo a jugar a los juegos negros
Chantaje y mentiras
Y el estrechamiento de los ojos
Jugando a esos juegos de nuevo
Usted tiene las riendas de nuevo
Pero entonces giré la carta
Y sabes que golpeé fuerte
Amándote, odiándome
Es el otro lado del amor
Es el lado que no quieres ver
Sacudiendo la cabeza de esa manera
Es tan cierto cuando dicen
Que el amor es un dolor en el corazón
Un dolor que se separa
Estoy rompiendo las reglas de nuevo
Estás rompiendo los corazones de nuevo
Pretende despreciar
Cuando hay amor en tus ojos
Amándote, odiándome
Es el otro lado del amor
Es el lado que no quieres ver
Y yo te estoy amando
Y tú me odias
Es el otro lado del amor
Es el otro lado del amor
Justine Bourke
@Jon Tallon thats what i always thought 👍
MrCarliso1
1980’s Guy right back to my youth also
Jon Tallon
The lyrics websites say black mellow lies, but surely It's Blackmail and lies
Steven Robertson
I knew Marc would come back one day and sing these songs and remind us of what we felt in the 1980s. It happened for the first time tonight in San Diego but will happen again in LA and SF this week.
Derek Stiles
Never gets old.
guiltseeker
What an absolutely brilliant song.... i used to skip this every time......decades later i can't stop listening to it ... shame on me x
Caroline Gray
What are you on about hox vox
Hox Vox
ahahah, you discovered the strenght in this minimal gaypop delikatessen