Into the Heart of Me
February 1, 2023 8:25 AM   Subscribe

Artifact, Relic, and Monument The story of Coil's 'Tainted Love,' the first musical AIDS benefit and the first music video to be added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

(A cover of a cover, the song originated with Gloria Jones's 1964 soul version, which remained relatively obscure until being rediscovered in the '70s by England's Northern Soul scene, and then redone as synth-pop by Soft Cell.)
posted by box (12 comments total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 
Well that was pretty lugubrious, even for Coil
posted by aubilenon at 8:34 AM on February 1, 2023 [1 favorite]


Has always been a favorite since the late night I first saw it on Much Music. Article abruptly ended, and with no mention of Marc Almond's appearance in the video—which I always saw as a tacit nod to this being the true interpretation of the song. Now I'm off on a Coil and Meat Beat Manifesto spiral.
posted by grimley at 9:36 AM on February 1, 2023 [1 favorite]


I’ve always thought this cover was genius. Marc Almond from Soft Cell is in the video as well.
posted by vanitas at 9:36 AM on February 1, 2023 [1 favorite]


I have both Coil and Soft Cell 12-inch records of this song, bought as "imports" when I was a young person driving all over town visiting my hometown's then-rich record store culture (I have no idea what it is like now.)

The Coil video always gave me the shivers.
posted by 41swans at 9:56 AM on February 1, 2023 [1 favorite]


I grew up on the Soft Cell version and had no idea that it was a cover! All 3 versions are worth listening to, especially as they contrast with each other. They all have a darkness at the core but in very different ways.
posted by bgribble at 10:09 AM on February 1, 2023 [1 favorite]


Also, a Levis commercial.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:51 AM on February 1, 2023 [2 favorites]


Just because I love Coil and I and I enjoyed this article, here is some more Coil, from one of their final albums, the brilliant and terrifying Ape of Naples
posted by SystematicAbuse at 11:12 AM on February 1, 2023 [2 favorites]


i've always hated this song (primarily soft cell's version) but this context is making me reassess it dramatically.
posted by i used to be someone else at 11:16 AM on February 1, 2023 [1 favorite]


Holy shit, how had I never seen the Soft Cell video before? Yeah, the Coil video is amazing, but the Soft Cell version belongs in the Louvre.
posted by phooky at 11:49 AM on February 1, 2023 [2 favorites]


Ah this is great. I've made it something of a mission to tell people about Coil's incredible version, and have recommended/reflected on it on at least 5 occasions during the past 18 (!) years on Metafilter: 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014. As I've said before (that I've said before), it's a magnificent piece of art that changes the way you think about the phrase "tainted love."
posted by googly at 12:11 PM on February 1, 2023 [6 favorites]


My favorite Weird Coil Fact (and there are many) is that Clive Barker used to hang out at their house and got the inspiration for Hellraiser from some extreme body modification magazines they had lying around.
He got them to do the original soundtrack (main theme) but the production company insisted on something more orthodox.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 12:47 PM on February 1, 2023 [2 favorites]


This great BBC documentary on 80s British synth bands features Dave Ball from Soft Cell playing Tainted Love and talking about the song. He comes in just about the hour mark, but the whole thing's worth watching.
posted by GeorgeBickham at 1:12 PM on February 1, 2023 [2 favorites]


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