This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song #500 and going until I reach Song #1. When you see the song title listed as something like: Song #XXX (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song #xxx (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.
KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.
Song #477: Tainted Love by Soft Cell.
“Tainted Love” opens with some of the most recognizable notes of any song in music history. For generations since its release in the 80s, people have delighted in replicating those opening notes on ATM machines and other push-button, tone-inducing devices. It is a happy-sounding song that people, like my beautiful wife, Keri, like to sing aloud. But, at it’s core, “Tainted Love” is about a relationship gone wrong and the singer’s desperate struggle to free himself from it.
“Tainted Love” was originally written in the year of my birth, 1964. It was written by a man named Ed Cobb and was first recorded by a lady named Gloria Jones. It had a Motown-feel to it but, it failed to chart and was considered a flop at the time. Jones re-recorded the song in the late 70s but, the song failed to chart again. In the early 80s, with the rise of Synth-Pop bands taking hold, the song was purchased and released by a group called Soft Cell. Soft Cell was comprised of singer Marc Almond and David Ball on synthesizers. Their synthesizer-infused version of the song reached #1 on the UK charts and remains their only career chart-topping hit. As one-hit wonders go, Soft Cell is pretty near the top of the list when it comes to having a recognizable, well-loved song. So, enjoy this version of “Tainted Love”. See everyone tomorrow.
The link for the music video for Tainted Love by Soft Cell can be found here. ***The lyrics version can be found here.
Soft Cell has their own website that can be found here.
Thanks KEXP for inspiring the writing of this post. A link to their website can be found here.
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Tom MacInnes, Writer 