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.
Memorabilia
Soft Cell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I take a little piece of you
I collect, I reject
Photographs I took of you
Towns that I passed through
I´ve got to have a memory
I have never had you, had you, had you
I can´t remember
Give me a reminder
I collect, I reject
Memorabilia
Memorabilia
I like little bits of glassware
Ashtrays with inscriptions
Plastic things on pencils
Bits of mass production
Postcards, pretty pictures
Little bits of plastic
Covering up the bedroom
To show you I´ve been there
To show you I´ve been there
Keychains and snowstorms
Keychains and snowstorms
Give me a reminder
Give me a reminder
Memorabilia, memorabilia
Keychains and snowstorms
Memorabilia, memorabilia
I can´t remember
Give me a reminder
I collect, I reject
Photographs I took of you
Towns that I passed through
I´ve got to have a memory
Or I have never been there
I have never had you, had you, had you
I can´t remember
Give me a reminder
I collect, I reject
Memorabilia
Memorabilia
Castanets, mantillas
Torremolinos
Castanets and plastic men
Memorabilia
Memorabilia
The song "Memorabilia" by Soft Cell speaks to the human tendency to collect objects that remind us of places, experiences, and people we have encountered. The lyrics express a desire to hold onto memories, to collect physical reminders, whether in the form of photographs or trinkets, to evoke past experiences and prove that they actually happened. The line, "Or I have never been there, I have never had you," speaks to the anxiousness of forgetting or even doubting the validity of one's own memories.
This sense of nostalgia is showcased in the specific examples mentioned in the song, such as collecting "little bits of plastic" and "postcards, pretty pictures." The mention of "Castanets, mantillas, Torremolinos" brings a sense of exoticism to the objects being collected, hinting at a longing for unfamiliar experiences.
Overall, the song seems to speak to the human desire for something tangible to hold onto, to keep memories from slipping away, but also the realization that these objects will never fully embody the experiences they represent.
Line by Line Meaning
Everywhere I go
No matter where I am, I feel connected to you.
I take a little piece of you
I hold onto memories of you, even when you're not physically with me.
I collect, I reject
I gather objects that remind me of you, but sometimes they don't live up to my expectations and I let them go.
Photographs I took of you
I capture images of you to keep as a reminder of our time together.
Towns that I passed through
I visit places that we've been to together, hoping to relive those moments.
I've got to have a memory
I need something to hold onto to keep our memories alive.
Or I have never been there
Without physical objects or memories, I feel like I've never experienced those places or moments with you.
Give me a reminder
Help me remember the good times we had together.
Memorabilia
Objects that I collect to remind me of our memories together.
I like little bits of glassware
I collect small trinkets that remind me of places we've been.
Ashtrays with inscriptions
Even a simple ashtray with a name on it can help me remember where we've been together.
Plastic things on pencils
I collect anything that reminds me of a moment or place we shared, no matter how small.
Bits of mass production
Even mass-produced objects can help remind me of the memories we've shared.
Postcards, pretty pictures
I keep postcards and pictures of places we've visited to help me remember those experiences.
Covering up the bedroom
I surround myself with objects that remind me of you, and it feels comforting.
To show you I've been there
I collect these objects as proof that I've experienced moments and places with you.
Keychains and snowstorms
Even something as small as a keychain or a snowstorm globe can hold important memories for me.
Castanets, mantillas
I collect anything that can help me remember the places we've been together, even traditional Spanish objects.
Give me a reminder
I need help remembering the moments and places we shared.
Memorabilia
These small objects help me keep our memories together and alive.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARC ALMOND, DAVID JAMES BALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@colinrussell2017
@@Brokeninc There was a tradition of NIN doing covers on the B sides up until The Fragile
Sin: Get Down Make Love (Queen)
Broken EP track 98: Physical (Adam and the Ants), track 99 Suck (Pigface)
Closer: Memorabilia (Soft Cell)
Things falling apart: Metal (Gary Numan)
Happy explorations, Blu!
@jamescurrier9699
This song was SO ahead of itS time!!!
@alessandrodalbosco1408
Same thing. Fantastic video indeed.
@ajs41
Isn't this trance? 1981.
@danielfairchapel3133
This is exactly what I was commenting with a friend. Sounds super Avant garde.
That sound is hypnotic
@nemanja6450
@manu ochenta the song is ahead of its time not the video
@trancisfrancis
@@ajs41 Electro with a touch of acid
@AmosAmerica
Easily, one of the most important songs in pop history. What a carnival ride of raw emotion! This video is brilliant and should be placed in a museum collection at the MoMA if its not already. Thank you Marc, Dave, and Cindy!'
@AmosAmerica
And, is that Stevo making a cameo in the video? So fun!
@petems3283
MOMA for MDMA
@PeelPolicefuckmybum
@@petems3283museums rock 🎉😊❤