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.
Slave To This
Soft Cell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another life, another day, another life of existence
Oh, fear, threat and filth, tender in hate
Slug and grab, trap and take away
Another track, meat rack and ruin
Boarded up and beaten up, roaming the streets
Have no respect for a life, a limb, a love
Mother smiles, narrow smiles
Drink up your poison like a good little girl
Can't have your coke and beat it you know
Sick of seeing you bruised and burnt out
Ugly and low, so sick and tired of
Being sick and tired of being used and abused
That's right
(That's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right)
Pushing through the pavement sprawl
Round the late night supermarket, dirt locked lady
Who hits you in the chest
Give her all your money, Mr. Barefoot
All the year round, please don't breathe on me
Oh and hi there, Zizi Jean
(Night)
Mare
Still sticky from you, still sticky from me
(I hear voices)
Still sticky from you, still sticky from me
Smack, kerpow
Into cold grease burger prance
Call me Chico, Chico from Puerto Rico
Guilty of another cold handed sperm murder
Forever the crunch of makeup under foot
Where will you take me
When this is all over?
Somewhere where I don't have to
Shiver in the shadows
So sick and tired of being used and abused
Everyday you set up go to work
Floating like the ash
In the Coffee Pot café
(That's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right)
Throwing upon an over-diet of slob culture
Overdose and out, I'm scared for you
For me, for you, no
For me, I got so tired of reading about the anguish of being
That I ended up being without and where will you take me?
Where will you take me?
Away from this hell to be
(Or not to be)
Pull up the vacancy sign in your eyes
I've seen it and I don't like it
I've seen it and I don't like it
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired
Of being used and abused
Hey, is this the last night in Sodom?
(That's right, that's right, that's right)
Sick and tired
A day today of a life of existence
And his name is Jesus
(You have never known love)
(Till you've known the love of God, that's right)
Only God may find a way
Where there is no way, that's right
Is this the last night in Sodom?
(You have never known love)
(Till you've known the love of God, that's right)
What a waste
And they never shed a tear
For Jesus Christ when He died on the Cross
And they drove a spike in His side
And hammered a crown of thorns on His head
What a waste
Soft Cell's song, "Slave to This," is a commentary on the relentless nature of urban life, existential ennui, and societal constraints that crush the human spirit into submission. The lyrics portray a bleak picture of a world full of fear, hate, and filth, where people are reduced to the status of slaves, driven by primal instincts such as greed, lust, and violence. The song opens with the line, "Oh, another day, another way, Another life, another day, another life of existence," which sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics, alluding to the hopeless monotony of life, which offers no respite from the daily grind.
The chorus, "So sick and tired of being used and abused," is an anthem against oppression and subjugation, with the line "That's right" serving as a rallying cry for anyone who has ever felt trapped in a system that doesn't care about their well-being. The second verse delves deeper into the theme of exploitation and powerlessness, with the lines "Have no respect for a life, a limb, a love, Whose love are you anyway?" suggesting that people are seen as mere commodities to be exploited and discarded once their usefulness has expired.
The bridge of the song is a lament for freedom, with the lines "Where will you take me when this is all over? Somewhere where I don't have to shiver in the shadows," expressing a longing for escape from the cruel reality of urban life. The song closes with a reference to Jesus Christ, with the lines "And they never shed a tear For Jesus Christ when He died on the Cross And they drove a spike in His side And hammered a crown of thorns on His head What a waste," suggesting that humanity has become so indifferent to suffering that even the ultimate sacrifice of the son of God has become just another footnote in the annals of history.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, another day, another way
Another day, another cycle of this existence
Another life, another day, another life of existence
A new day brings another cycle of an unfulfilling life
Oh, fear, threat and filth, tender in hate
Living in fear, surrounded by threats and filth, accompanied by a strong feeling of hatred
Slug and grab, trap and take away
People taking advantage and exploiting each other
Another track, meat rack and ruin
Another day of feeling trapped, objectified, and ruined
Boarded up and beaten up, roaming the streets
Constantly moving around, feeling beaten down and abandoned by society
Have no respect for a life, a limb, a love
People don't value human lives, body parts, or love
Whose love are you anyway?
People are forced to question whom they truly love or if they even have the capacity to love
Mother smiles, narrow smiles
Even after seeing their children suffer, mothers only give fake narrow smiles
Drink up your poison like a good little girl
Women are expected to accept and internalize damaging situations like drinking poison
Can't have your coke and beat it you know
You cannot indulge in drugs and expect to escape the consequences of addiction and abuse
Sick of seeing you bruised and burnt out
Tired of witnessing people being battered and emotionally drained
Ugly and low, so sick and tired of
People feel inferior and worn out, longing for relief from ceaseless suffering
Being sick and tired of being used and abused
Exhausted from being mistreated and manipulated by others
That's right
An affirmation of the overwhelming feeling of exploitation and exhaustion
Pushing through the pavement sprawl
Making one's way through a crowded, dirty city
Round the late night supermarket, dirt locked lady
Passing by a homeless, trapped woman outside a closed grocery store
Who hits you in the chest
Trying to shake you into a realization of your own privilege and complacency
Give her all your money, Mr. Barefoot
Being generous and compassionate to those who are in a less fortunate situation
All the year round, please don't breathe on me
Expressing the desire to be left alone and avoiding intimacy or vulnerability
Oh and hi there, Zizi Jean
Greeting someone who is typically seen as promiscuous and unrefined
(Night)
Mare
Demonstrating a sense of emotional discomfort through a play on words
Still sticky from you, still sticky from me
Revisiting and carrying the emotional and physical residue of past traumas and unhealthy relationships
(I hear voices)
Still sticky from you, still sticky from me
Struggling with intrusive thoughts and memories of past trauma and pain
Smack, kerpow
The suddenness and violence of addiction, abuse, and negative situations
Into cold grease burger prance
Indulging in unhealthy, fast food and materialistic culture, despite its negative effects
Call me Chico, Chico from Puerto Rico
Adopting a persona that masks one's true self and cultural background
Guilty of another cold handed sperm murder
Feeling responsible for the heartbreak and emotional damage that comes from engaging in casual, hollow sexual encounters
Forever the crunch of makeup under foot
A symbol of the unrealistic expectations and standards of beauty that people are forced to conform to
Where will you take me
When this is all over?
Asking what happens after life and if there is any hope of escape from the current situation
Somewhere where I don't have to
Shiver in the shadows
Desiring a place that is free from fear and uncertainty
Everyday you set up go to work
Floating like the ash
In the Coffee Pot café
Feeling stagnant and exhausted, trapped in a monotonous routine
(That's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right)
Repeating the affirmation of exploitation and exhaustion
Throwing upon an over-diet of slob culture
Indulging in a culture of laziness and unhealthy habits, further perpetuating feelings of worthlessness and despair
Overdose and out, I'm scared for you
Acknowledging the damaging and dangerous nature of addiction and sympathizing with those who struggle with it
For me, for you, no
For me, I got so tired of reading about the anguish of being
Expressing disappointment and frustration with the lack of change and progress in addressing and preventing pain and suffering
That I ended up being without and where will you take me?
Feeling disillusioned and directionless, asking for guidance and hope
Away from this hell to be
(Or not to be)
Desiring escape from the overwhelming and all-consuming nature of existence, even if that means death
Pull up the vacancy sign in your eyes
I've seen it and I don't like it
Seeing the emptiness and lack of emotional depth in the eyes of others and expressing dissatisfaction with it
Sick and tired
A day today of a life of existence
Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted with the cyclical and meaningless nature of life
And his name is Jesus
(You have never known love)
(Till you've known the love of God, that's right)
Finding love and salvation in Jesus and expressing the need for divine intervention and guidance
Only God may find a way
Where there is no way, that's right
Putting faith in a higher power to provide guidance and hope when there is none to be found on Earth
What a waste
Expressing disappointment and frustration with the futility and meaninglessness of life
And they never shed a tear
For Jesus Christ when He died on the Cross
And they drove a spike in His side
And hammered a crown of thorns on His head
Making a biblical allusion to the suffering of Jesus Christ and the seeming indifference of humanity to his sacrifice
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID JAMES BALL, MARC ALMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind