On the US chart dated January 16, 1982, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 90. It appeared to peak at number 64 and fell to number 100 on February 27. After spending a second week at number 100, it started climbing again. It took 19 weeks to crack the US Top 40. The song reached number 8 during the summer of 1982 and spent a then record-breaking 43 weeks on the Hot 100.
A possible theory about the song is that it talks about homosexuality and heterosexuality. In this music video the man is harassed by two celestial women (solo visible as stars that draw their bodies) who want to turn him heterosexual, but he rejects them after he is homosexual, preventing the "tainted love" of women.
(at 0:10 mins) When the boy of the music video is reading the newspaper, camera focuses the page where he is reading his horoscope. A visual effect shines the text of the zodiac sign of Virgo (darknening the rest) where it can be read: "(Aug 24 - Sep 23) Hold on tight, boys - The Full Moon means you're soon in for a bumpy ride! Planetary alignment brings you trouble in love."
"Tainted Love" was the best-selling single of 1981 in the UK and has sold 1.35 million copies as of August 2017.
Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love" ranked number 5 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 1980s.