Who Originally Sang “Tainted Love”? It Wasn’t Soft Cell
Soft Cell didn’t originally sing “Tainted Love”.
Gloria Jones did.
Her version was released in 1964.
It sounds almost nothing like the icy electronic recording that made Soft Cell famous nearly two decades later.
And that transformation is precisely what makes the story so good.
Who is Gloria Jones?
Gloria Jones is an American singer whose career crossed soul, Motown-associated songwriting and British rock culture.
She recorded “Tainted Love”, written by Ed Cobb, in 1964.
It wasn’t a hit.
For most songs, that would have been the end.
Instead, British Northern soul DJs found it.
What is Northern soul?
This is crucial to the story.
In northern England during the 1970s, clubgoers became obsessed with rare American soul records.
Not necessarily famous Motown hits.
They wanted obscure, fast, danceable recordings.
DJs hunted for forgotten singles.
Rarity became valuable.
“Tainted Love” found exactly the audience it had missed in America.
Years after failing commercially, Gloria Jones’ recording became a club favourite in Britain.
How did Soft Cell discover it?
Marc Almond knew the song through the Northern soul scene.
Soft Cell then did something much smarter than simply reproducing Jones’ arrangement.
They removed almost everything.
Soul band?
Gone.
Horns?
Gone.
Warmth?
Mostly gone.
Instead:
synthesizers.
Drum machine.
Marc Almond.
The song suddenly sounded lonely and claustrophobic.
Why does Soft Cell’s version work so well?
Because the production fits the title.
“Tainted Love” isn’t describing healthy romance.
It’s about needing to escape a relationship that has become emotionally damaging.
Soft Cell’s electronics sound cold.
Mechanical.
Trapped.
That atmosphere makes the song feel less like a soul performance and more like somebody pacing alone at 3am.
When did Soft Cell release it?
Their version became a huge hit, reaching No. 1 in the UK and becoming a major international success.
It also helped define the emerging synth-pop sound of the early 1980s.
The irony is wonderful.
A song from 1964 became futuristic 17 years later.
What is the “Where Did Our Love Go” section?
Some versions of Soft Cell’s recording transition into a cover of The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go”.
That creates a miniature history lesson inside the track.
A Northern soul rediscovery flows into a Motown classic, both rebuilt through British synth-pop.
Was “Tainted Love” sampled by Rihanna?
Yes, in a slightly indirect but unmistakable way.
Rihanna’s 2006 hit “SOS” prominently uses elements associated with Soft Cell’s recording.
Radar already covers it in its wider guide to famous songs that borrowed from older hits.
So the chain becomes:
Gloria Jones.
Soft Cell.
Rihanna.
Three eras.
One musical idea.
Did Marilyn Manson cover it too?
Yes.
His version arrived in the early 2000s and turned the song toward industrial/gothic rock.
Again, the composition survived another complete stylistic change.
That’s usually the sign of a strong song.
Strip away the original production and it still works.
What genre is “Tainted Love”?
Gloria Jones:
Northern soul retrospectively, although originally American soul.
Soft Cell:
synth-pop and new wave.
Marilyn Manson:
industrial rock.
Same composition.
Three completely different shelves in the record shop.
Songs like Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love”
Try:
Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough
New Order – Blue Monday
Yazoo – Don’t Go
Human League – Don’t You Want Me
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams
OMD – Enola Gay
Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy
Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls
Visage – Fade to Grey
Soft Cell – Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
Who originally sang “Tainted Love”?
Gloria Jones.
Soft Cell didn’t create the song.
They did something arguably more interesting.
They heard an old soul record and realised it could belong to the future.