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.
Secret Life
Soft Cell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got the names
And the favourite persuasions
Of the people in the headlines
I'm in there under A
And I'm rated under be
You've got photographs to prove it
And I swear to God it's not me
Being hard is your art
You think love is a dirty dirty word
You pick up the phone
And you ring me when I'm at home
And then you put it down
And I'm reaching for my valium
My secret life
Living life
On a knife edge of life
Tell my wife
And she's just had a breakdown
And I
I'm not rich
But you know I'm top in my pitch
And you'll ruin the lot
Finish everything I've got
My secret life
Secret life
I'll give you anything
Anything to shut you up
Why do you hate me so much
What have I ever done to you
But leave you
I don't want to play
Cat and Mouse
Have the neighbours looking over At my house
All the secret smiles
When I walk in the room
And I think I'm going to
Crack up soon
I'm going to run away
Find a place in the dark
Where I don't have to hear
The nasty nasty talk
Change my sex
Change my hair
Be hard to find anywhere
My secret life
Living life
On a knife edge of life
Tell my wife
And she's just had a breakdown
And I
I'm not rich
But you know I'm top in my pitch
And you'll ruin the lot
Finish everything I've got
My secret life
Secret life
My secret life (x5)
The Soft Cell song "Secret Life" is a haunting, moody tune that taps into the anxiety and desperation of a person whose private life has been exposed in a little black book. The song's lyrics describe the book as containing the names and "favourite persuasions" of famous people, with the singer being listed under A and rated under B. They also suggest that there are photographs in the book to prove these allegations, which are not true. The book in question is owned by someone with a "hard heart" who thinks that "love is a dirty dirty word," and who periodically phones the singer and then quickly hangs up, leaving them on edge and anxious.
In the second half of the song, the singer details the toll that this secret life has taken on them. They have been driven to the brink of a breakdown, and their wife has recently had one. The singer feels that everything they have worked for is at risk of being ruined by the exposure of their secret life, and they are so desperate for it not to get out that they are willing to consider extreme measures, including changing their sex and hair to disappear entirely. The song's climax features the repeated refrain of "my secret life," underscoring the fact that the singer's situation is an ongoing, inescapable nightmare.
Line by Line Meaning
In your little black book
You keep a record of all the famous people's names and their favorite interests.
You've got the names
You know the names of all these celebrities.
And the favourite persuasions
You know their favorite hobbies and interests.
Of the people in the headlines
You keep the records of the people that are talked about in the media.
I'm in there under A
My name is recorded under 'A' in your book.
And I'm rated under be
You have rated me according to some criteria.
You've got photographs to prove it
You have photographic evidence to support your claims.
And I swear to God it's not me
I can swear to God that I am not involved in whatever you think I am.
You've got a hard heart
You have a cruel and unfeeling nature.
Being hard is your art
You make a living by being cruel and heartless.
You think love is a dirty dirty word
You consider the idea of love as unpleasant and worthless.
You pick up the phone
You call me on the phone.
And you ring me when I'm at home
You make phone calls to me when I'm at home.
And then you put it down
You hang up the phone without speaking to me.
And I'm reaching for my Valium
I become incredibly anxious and stressed after the phone call.
My secret life
I have a private life that nobody knows about.
Living life
I am trying to go on with my life.
On a knife edge of life
I am living on the edge of something dangerous.
Tell my wife
Inform my wife about my secret life.
And she's just had a breakdown
And she is already in a terrible mental state.
And I
And I am scared of the consequences.
I'm not rich
I am not wealthy.
But you know I'm top in my pitch
But I am at the top of my professional field.
And you'll ruin the lot
You will destroy everything that I have worked so hard for.
Finish everything I've got
You will make sure that I have nothing left.
I'll give you anything
I am willing to do whatever it takes to make you stop.
Anything to shut you up
I just want you to stop talking about my secret life.
Why do you hate me so much
Why do you harbor so much animosity towards me?
What have I ever done to you
What did I ever do to deserve your hatred?
But leave you
All I did was leave you.
I don't want to play
I don't want to continue this game with you.
Cat and Mouse
This game we are playing is cat and mouse.
Have the neighbours looking over At my house
I don't want my neighbors to get involved in this issue.
All the secret smiles
All the sneaky or secretive smiles from people who are 'in the know'.
When I walk in the room
When I enter a room everyone is looking at me.
And I think I'm going to
And I fear that I will
Crack up soon
Lose my nerve and my sanity soon.
I'm going to run away
I will have to leave this place and start anew.
Find a place in the dark
I want to live somewhere hidden, away from the limelight.
Where I don't have to hear
A place where I don't have to listen to the gossip and rumors.
The nasty nasty talk
The incredibly negative and false comments about me.
Change my sex
Start living as the opposite gender.
Change my hair
Get a new haircut and change my physical appearance.
Be hard to find anywhere
Disappear from everyone's sight and be untraceable.
My secret life
My secret life that I am trying to escape from.
Secret life
A life that nobody knows about or has any idea.
My secret life
My secret life that I am trying to escape from.
My secret life
My secret life that I am trying to escape from.
My secret life
My secret life that I am trying to escape from.
My secret life
My secret life that I am trying to escape from.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID JAMES BALL, MARC ALMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@WolfieDany
In your little black book
You've got the names
And the favourite persuasions
Of the people in the headlines
I'm in there under A
And I'm rated under be
You've got photographs to prove it
And I swear to God it's not me
You've got a hard heart
Being hard is your art
You think love is a dirty dirty word
You pick up the phone
And you ring me when I'm at home
And then you put it down
And I'm reaching for my valium
My secret life
Living life
On a knife edge of life
Tell my wife
And she's just had a breakdown
And I
I'm not rich
But you know I'm top in my pitch
And you'll ruin the lot
Finish everything I've got
My secret life
Secret life
I'll give you anything
Anything to shut you up
Why do you hate me so much
What have I ever done to you
But leave you
I don't want to play
Cat and Mouse
Have the neighbours looking over At my house
All the secret smiles
When I walk in the room
And I think I'm going to
Crack up soon
I'm going to run away
Find a place in the dark
Where I don't have to hear
The nasty nasty talk
Change my sex
Change my hair
Be hard to find anywhere
My secret life
Living life
On a knife edge of life
Tell my wife
And she's just had a breakdown
And I
I'm not rich
But you know I'm top in my pitch
And you'll ruin the lot
Finish everything I've got
My secret life
Secret life
My secret life (x5)
@KpopStan2009
The most creative people I've ever seen in the Music industry. Unique songs, Unique style, Unique Fashion, Unique voice, Unique duo. Way ahead of it's time. Love all of their songs 💖
@mazzymuso
His voice sounds very pure and young here. I’d forgotten how great this song is. Can’t stop listening to it now!
@henrym6411
Marc is one of my vocal heroes! Non Stop Erotic Cabaret is easily one of my favorite albums ever
@laurabarss3543
Utterly charming, totally original. Marc has such a talent for writing such perfect lyrics to where u can actually feel and visualise the story he’s telling cause he’s written it so to a T and with such soul and raw emotion, and Dave is such a skilled and intuitive musicians he always perfects the tone and vibe to any piece and makes it catchy and different every time!
@sustainfem
"And I'm reaching for my vay-lium" Always loved this line and his pronunciation! Best song on the album.
@henrym6411
Non Stop Erotic Cabaret is up there as one of my favorite albums of all time next to Purple Rain, not a bad track on this!
@oregonlee
For me it's next to Sgt. Pepper and your profile picture, Era Vulgaris
@adamk39
That's right brother
@deerheart87
Amen
@thetriumphofthethrill2457
My fave of theirs, excellent track. One of the best and most underrated groups.