Soft Cell is an electronic music duo that came to prominence in the early 8… Read Full Bio ↴Soft Cell is an electronic music duo that came to prominence in the early 80s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and influential multi-platinum debut ''Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret''. In the UK, they had five Top 5 hits, including "Bedsitter", "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye", "Torch" and "What!", and also had four Top 20 albums between 1981 and 1984. The duo split in 1984, but reformed in the early 2000s to tour and released a new album in 2002. Their songs have been covered by various artists including David Gray, Marilyn Manson, Nouvelle Vague and A-ha.

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.

Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go
Soft Cell Lyrics

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Baby, baby, baby don't leave me.
Ooh, please don't leave me all by myself.
I've got this burning, burning, yearning feelin' inside me.
Ooh, deep inside me and it hurts so bad.

You came into my heart (baby, baby) so tenderly,
With a burning love (baby, baby)
That stings like a bee (baby, baby).

Now that I surrender (baby, baby) so helplessly,
You now want to leave (baby, baby).
Ooh, you wanna leave me (baby, baby).
Ooh (baby, baby).

Baby, baby, where did our love go?
Ooh, don't you want me?
Don't you want me no more (baby, baby)?
Ooh, baby.

Baby, baby, where did our love go?
And all your promises of a love forevermore!
I've got this burning, burning, yearning feelin' inside me.
Ooh, deep inside me, and it hurts so bad.

Before you won my heart (baby, baby)
You were a perfect guy.
But now that you got me,
You wanna leave me behind (baby, baby).
Ooh, baby.

Baby, baby, baby don't leave me.

Ooh, please don't leave me all by myself (baby, baby).
Ooh.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Soft Cell's song Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go depict a desperate plea from the singer to their lover, begging them not to leave. The song is about realizing the painful truth that the love they once had is now gone, and the singer is left with a deep yearning for what they once had. The opening lines "Baby, baby, baby don't leave me" and "Ooh, please don't leave me all by myself" set the tone for the rest of the song, which is filled with sadness and desperation.

The lyrics also describe the confusion and hurt the singer feels as they try to make sense of why their lover would want to leave them. The line, "And all your promises of a love forevermore" suggests that the singer was led to believe that their love was permanent, but now they are faced with the painful reality that it was not. The stanza "Before you won my heart (baby, baby) / You were a perfect guy. / But now that you got me, / You wanna leave me behind (baby, baby)" further highlights the singer's confusion over their lover's change of heart.

Overall, the lyrics of Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go convey the feelings of heartbreak, confusion, and desperation that often come with the end of a relationship. The song is a powerful depiction of the pain of lost love and the struggle to move on.

Line by Line Meaning

Baby, baby, baby don't leave me.
Please don't go away, I need you.

Ooh, please don't leave me all by myself.
I don't want to be alone.

I've got this burning, burning, yearning feelin' inside me.
I have a strong desire for you.

Ooh, deep inside me and it hurts so bad.
It's painful to have this feeling.

You came into my heart (baby, baby) so tenderly,
You entered my heart with care.

With a burning love (baby, baby)
Your love is so intense.

That stings like a bee (baby, baby).
Your love hurts like a bee sting.

Now that I surrender (baby, baby) so helplessly,
I have given myself to you completely.

You now want to leave (baby, baby).
But now you want to go.

Ooh, you wanna leave me (baby, baby).
It hurts that you want to leave.

Baby, baby, where did our love go?
What happened to our love?