Question 1

Did Soft Cell write their own songs?

Accepted Answer

Almost all of them, and always as a pair. Marc Almond and Dave Ball share the credit on 49 of the 52 album tracks and neither writes anything alone. The three they did not write are covers: "Tainted Love", "Down in the Subway" and "The Night".

Question 2

Who wrote "Tainted Love"?

Accepted Answer

Ed Cobb, in 1964, for Gloria Jones. Soft Cell's version reached number 8 on the Hot 100 and number one in Britain, which makes the biggest hit of their career the one they had no hand in writing.

Question 3

Did either of them write alone?

Accepted Answer

No. There is not one solo credit across the five albums.

Question 4

How many albums did they make?

Accepted Answer

Five so far: Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret in 1981, The Art of Falling Apart in 1983, This Last Night in Sodom in 1984, Cruelty Without Beauty in 2002 and *Happiness Not Included in 2022.

Question 5

Is there another album coming?

Accepted Answer

Danceteria, finished before Dave Ball died and scheduled for 25 September 2026, which Marc Almond has described as a tribute to Ball and to the New York club.

Question 6

What happened to Dave Ball?

Accepted Answer

He died on 22 October 2025. He had played every keyboard part and co-written every original song since 1978.

Question 7

Who else has a writing credit?

Accepted Answer

Ingo Vauk, on "Darker Times" from Cruelty Without Beauty. He is the only person other than Almond and Ball to write on a Soft Cell song.

Question 8

How well did they sell?

Accepted Answer

In excess of ten million records worldwide, with twelve top 40 hits in Britain.

Question 9

Why did they split in 1984?

Accepted Answer

The duo broke up after This Last Night in Sodom, reformed in 2001 for touring and a new album, and played what they called their last UK show together in 2018.

Question 10

Which single did best in America?

Accepted Answer

"Tainted Love", at number 8. None of the other singles entered the Hot 100.