The song, “Tainted Love”, was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964
“Tainted Love” was written by Edward Cobb (1938-1999) and recorded by American singer Gloria Jones (b.1945) in 1964 as the B side to her single “My Bad Boy’s Comin’ Home”. The song was a commercial flop on both sides of the Atlantic, although it received a revival in British clubs in the mid 1970’s and failed to chart after a second re-release in 1976.
British synth wave duo Soft Cell (Marc Almond, b.1957 and Dave Ball, b.1959) recorded the song for their debut album, “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret”, in 1981 and released it as the third single. It became their breakout hit when it topped the charts the world over, being Platinum certified in the UK and Canada and Gold certified in Australia and in many other countries. It peaked at No.8 in America.
Rock band Marilyn Manson recorded their version in 2001 for their fifth studio album, “The Golden Age Of Grotesque”. This new version of the song went to No.5 in the UK and into the top ten in a dozen other countries worldwide, although it never charted on the US singles chart, it did make a small dent in the Billboard rock tracks chart, albeit briefly.
But which version is the best? GLORIA’s original, SOFT CELL’s cover or MARILYN MANSON’s rock version?
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