Utter genius. Lyricism, style... Epitome of 80s chic. Gorgeous, soul-destroying beauty. I am young again and lost in the bitter-sweetness of living. Long live Soft Cell.
What an outstanding track this is and my favourite Soft Cell release. Of course, Tainted Love is the track from Soft Cell that everyone knows, but this is by far the best song they released. Melodic, mature, expertly written and composed and still sounds amazing some 30 years later!
It really was this song and composition, that mesmerized me, totally. I've been a big fan of the sound of the clarinet and saxophone ever since. Its music that moves you, the most powerful of all. I used to cry as I believed the words and felt I knew the story too. The fact that I was 14 and knew myself to be gay, was another powerful driver into Soft Cell. Non Stop Erotic Cabaret was a masterpiece, with a song for everyone, at different times and parts of their life. A naughty secret for many but a stark reality for more. Youth and Seedy films, seemed to predict today's insular world, after the essences of youth has flown and perhaps your love too, they highlight what you have left, when your two thirds through, spending your lifes penny. It's an album you need to hear atleast once a year, to keep you grounded, and helps you count your blessings.
The emotions in this song make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Anger, sarcasm, flippant, sad & reflective .. A work of absolute genius. 🥀
Mother of God….the lyrics, the voice…I just got wasted at a friend’s house at a huge party of 40/50-somethings. I’d completely forgotten this song. It came up on the playlist and….I don’t have words. A pal and I had the same reaction: total recognition, total emotion. Dragged us both back to our childhoods. I mean, Lord, we both lived through Soft Cell…but so few of us paid much attention to this song. I’m home now (sober-ish) and I had to put it on. How utterly privileged I was to be an 80s kid. Just to live through it all. Glorious.
Couldn't agree more. Was 11 in the winter of '81 and I always loved this. Now I feel like crying whenever I hear it. We got to experience the brilliance first hand, not some ironic pastiche.
I love this man and appreciate his theatrical talent, music and his amazing voice now even more than back in the 80's. I love and miss the 80's so much.
I'm going through some stuff at the moment, and I'd go back in a heartbeat. It was a troubled time politically and socially, but it was _my_ troubled time and I could handle it.
Aw, shit ! . Bristol , Redland . Living in a bedsit after a break up . The most lonelly year of my life . Loved this song . Bedsit land broke my heart . Marc Almond , you touched my soul 40 years ago . Xx
A Ridiculously good masterpiece of a song, the way the synths build up from beginning up until the end is astonishing in the most wholesome way musically possible.
try and listen too a recording of chris evans breakfast show on radio 2 (bbc) from a few years ago its outstanding with marc singing his hits at 8 am in the morning 👍
Don't you remember how we used to say in the 90's and early 2000's that the 80's were an empty pitt of creativity. But when you give enough time, everything ends up being good through the nostalgia filter :)
I was there at that time. I didn’t quite get it. But watching this at age 59 my emotions are all over the place. For a big hairy construction worker . Wow what a great song.
"Take a look at my face for the last time" "Take your hands off me" When this came out in the 80s, I was about 14. We all just thought it was a pop song and nothing more. Now, 40 yrs later, it says so much more. Such a great song, on so many levels. Siggh, getting old sucks at times 😢
the lyrics, the synth, Marc's voice, the positivity you can feel in a bad relationship ending and a new chapter in your life beginning, a very, very special song.
"take a look at my face for the last time" ...... heartbreaking line, fills me with sadness and regret for a love lost, but never forgotten. If its true love, it stays with you for a lifetime, even when they have long since moved on. Sorry darling, i will always miss you.
so hows life sophie ,, dont be heartbroken you sound lovely and sweet say hello where are you im in ireland ,, come on holidays i think we have lots of long stories ,, bye for now
Sometimes I can't believe I was a young adult during this time. The world has changed so much. We were anxious looking for jobs, but generally happy and so full of hope for the future. Young people don't have the hopes and dreams we had, they're sad and depressed, with little hope. I feel so lucky to have lived my youth when I did.
Well said and so true. I wish I could travel back in a time machine to the 70s and 80s, they were happiest of times I just hadn't realised it at the time.
Growing up in the 70's and 80's and then some more in the 90's, I didn't get Soft Cell. They were part of the 80's New Romantic brigade and I was angry post-punk, indie. I now look back at them and laugh at myself. They were truly brilliant.
I'm much the same mate. At the time I sort of knew I loved it but I told myself I was a rocker and this was "mod music". But I secretly loved it! How foolish we were as teenagers sometimes, denying ourselves.
“What about me, well I’ll find someone that’s not going cheap in the sales…” 😳 Ouch, the lyrics really serve up some heartfelt and painful insults Awesome song, that synth 🥰 Marc Almond’s voice, so iconic
@@skyblazeeterno yes, agreed - “ you and I it had to be the standing joke of the year, you were a sleep around, a lost and found…” . All the lyrics are savage and bitter and really quite sad, as well as so cutting, they are funny too, in a way…🙈🤷♂️🤗🤗 It’s a masterpiece, IMO.
This is a wonderful song. It's a classic now many of them are. This is actually a great song for anyone having undergone domestic violence or abuse in shutting the door on a toxic relationship.
@@sgtscheetje The other two being OMD - Messages and Visage - Fade To Grey. SynthPop just means everything to me and that’s what I’m gonna make everyone listen to at my funeral. 😉
@@paddyeejit1954 How about "the standing joke of the year" and "I've put up with all the scenes and this is one scene that is going to be played my way"
This brilliant & completely ageless creation puts a lump in the throat and tears in the eyes of this absolute lump of a late 50's year old Scotsman... pure unadulterated class.
That's it, british music that popped into our heads in '80, me, my brother and some few friends ....from Romania, we have become anti-tyrany because of brithish music, we've finished the dictatorship of Ceausecu with no fear at all, because we have listened these songs....it's not a joke, we have become free years before, just listening to forbiden music, it must be something in our human nature, our mom was too afraid to speak....we realised blindly, we knew it in a moment, that's it !
Good to know east and western Europeans were listening to the same things in the early 80s either side of the iron curtain, with the same feelings. Greetings from Manchester UK
Pezzo incredibile... romantico, evocativo, nostalgico. La musica, i sinth e la voce di Marc Almond si fondono alla perfezione formando un capolavoro assoluto. Mamma mia che bellezza...che bellezza ❤️
@@Serifinity thanks as I was curious. I have all the soft cell albums and 12 inch singles great music and did not know what this drama or tv series was. thank you.
@@paolobenmore3504 you are welcome, it's a great show on Netflix at the moment, really funny but the end of that episode is very poignant and this song is a perfect accompaniment. Hope you enjoy it.
i was 14,, this song came out,,, i loved it soooooo much,, bought the single, played it in my aunties shed on record,, learned the words,,, 36 years later ,,,,,,,,,, oh my god,,,,,,,,,,, i still love it,,,, still sing it,,,, still dance to it,,,,, soft cell i love ya,, xxx
@@SC-jh9qp Yep,i remember buying it!A while later i remember buying the Art of falling apart album,i was one of the first to buy it,first few copies came with a little flexi disc single of a Jimi Hendrix cover,of all things!!Ended up being worth a fair bit of money,even a few months after. 12 inch singles were great,the amount of times i heard a song and thought why in the hell wasn't that longer,and hey presto! ;-)
Great song. Watched it on Snub TV in the U.K. when I was a teenager and instantly grew my hair the same way 😅 We all wanted a Fender Jaguar too, a Jag and a decent haircut was the answer to life back then. Good times 🙂
Every time I hear this it takes me back to the 80s I was in the military posted to Cyprus ,the chorus is as good as it gets in music,one of my all time top favorite songs ,take you’re hands of me wow just blows me away hearing it again,happy days
I was training as a nurse at Broomfield hospital Essex 1980-1984 at the nursing’s social club at the Chelmsford and Essex great times with my friends Debbie Barnes penny thornhill wish I could go back for the day good times
This is such a fantastic song. I think a lot of people only know the David Gray version these days, but this original version with its glorious early 80s synths is so beautiful and epitomises the New Romantic movement. It's also way superior to "Tainted Love"!
Not superior to dance to though. TL is a dancefloor classic. Well it was in the 80s when I was a denizen of bedsit land. No way I was staying in my seat if TL was played (and I was a punk with a green mohawk then, still loved this band to bits).
I agree, even though i wasn't a new new romantic. he had a wonderful way of expressing himself. "quite genious". you can sit in a room and only envision the situation with !hello meeting a person" and when things dont work out "!say good bye". its quite an emotional time during those years. it' makes you wonder and experience adult lessons " quite a scary time" :) x
Marc Almond, Jimmy Somerville, Andy Bell - and many others. Stood up for who they were, and their community, and made great music. The Pride bit went over my head when I was younger, but I look back now and so admire these folks.
Back then no one really cared about identity politics as the artist and content was what mattered and was what got you in the charts or attention. Soft Cell and Bronski Beat were great bands and it was the music that was so good and of course the performance art were great too and great lyrics but it was all about great songs and music which I must say is sadly missing these days.
sorry Paolo your wrong in the no one cared if the artist was gay or whatever but the press destroyed Marc Almond with lies same as they tried with George Micheal boy George etc.. and Jimmy sommerville bronski beat song small-town boy was about purely that , it was all identity issues back then
@aclark903 nonsense morrissey was hated by the right wing press like the sun and mail every article was negative, thats until he destroyed his and the smiths legacy by becoming a one of them .
The TV and radio version said "you were a run around"...cos "sleep around" was considered too risque. Now we have Cardi B, whos audience is mainly children, 'singing' about her W.A.P.. So much change in four decades. And it's not progression, it's regression
