Cover art for Tainted Love by Gloria Jones
May. 1, 19651 viewer19.4K views

Tainted Love Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Sometimes I feel I've got to
Run away, I've got to
Get away from the pain you drive into the heart of me
The love we share seems to go nowhere
And our love's not right
For I toss and turn, I can't sleep at night

[Pre-Chorus]
Once I ran to you (I ran)
Now I run from you (Now I run)
The tainted love you're giving
I gave you all a girl can give you
Take, not give
And that's not nearly all

[Chorus]
Tainted love (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Tainted love

[Verse 2]
Now I know I've got to
Run away, I've got to
Get away, you don't really want any love from me
To make things right
You need someone to hold you tight
And who think love is to play
Well, I'm sorry, I don't play that way
[Pre-Chorus]
Once I ran to you (I ran)
Now I run from you (Now I run)
The tainted love you're giving
I gave you all a girl can give you
Take, not give
And that's not nearly all

[Chorus]
Tainted love (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Tainted love

[Verse 3]
Don't touch me, please (Please)
I cannot stand the way you (Tease)
I know you a-hurt me so
If I do not pack my things and go (Oh-oh-oh)

[Chorus/Outro]
Tainted love (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Tainted love (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Tainted love, oh-oh-oh-oh (Oh)
Tainted love (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Talkin' 'bout the tainted love (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Talkin' 'bout the tainted love (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Talkin' 'bout the tainted love

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About

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Genius Annotation

American artist Gloria Jones recorded the original version of “Tainted Love”, which was written and produced by Ed Cobb. It was the B-side of her 1965 single “My Bad Boy’s Comin' Home”, which was a commercial flop, failing to chart in either the US or the UK. Before Jones recorded the song, Cobb had offered it to the Standells, whom he managed and produced, but they, according to Nick Talevski, rejected it. The Standells themselves in their Facebook page deny a fact of offering from Cobb, as they weren’t signed to Cobb’s company Greengrass Productions until 1966, some two years after Jones recording.

In 1973, British club DJ Richard Searling purchased a copy of the almost decade-old single while on a trip to the United States. The track’s Motown-influenced sound (featuring a fast tempo, horns, electric rhythm guitar and female backing vocals) fit in perfectly with the music favoured by those involved in the UK’s Northern Soul club scene of the early 1970s, and Searling popularised the song at the Northern Soul club Va Va’s in Bolton, and later, at Wigan Casino.

Owing to the new-found underground popularity of the song, Jones re-recorded “Tainted Love” in 1976 and released it as a single, but it also failed to chart. This version was released on her album Vixen and was produced by her boyfriend Marc Bolan.

In 2014, NME ranked it number 305 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

  1. 36.
    Sunny
  2. 99.
    Stop
  3. 105.
    Tainted Love
  4. 123.
    I Do
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