<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> "My Bad Boy's Comin' Home" / "Tainted Love" (1965) </Td> <Td> "Come Go with Me" (1966) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> "My Bad Boy's Comin' Home" / "Tainted Love" (1965) </Td> <Td> "Come Go with Me" (1966) </Td> </Tr> <P> "Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964 . It attained worldwide fame after being covered by Soft Cell in 1981 and has since been covered by numerous groups and artists . </P> <P> 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 denies 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 . </P>

Who was the first to record the song tainted love