Northern Soul legend Donnie Elbert sings the definitive version of the song that’s been a hit for The Supremes and Soft Cell. There are so many great versions of this, most notably The Supremes’ 1964 original, sung by Diana Ross, and Soft Cell’s superb segue on the Tainted Love 12-inch in 1981.

Knowing David Ball and his love of Northern Soul, I rather suspect it may have been hearing this 1972 version – and Gloria Jones’s take on Tainted Love – at Wigan Casino that inspired them to put the two together.

Donnie Elbert, whose sweet falsetto was first heard in the mid-Fifties in a doo-wop group, may not be well known in pop circles but he was – and still is – a bona fide legend on the Northern Soul circuit, mostly for his 1965 hit A Little Piece Of Leather.

His mainstream career was cruelly curtailed after Berry Gordy allegedly offered him a deal with Motown in the early Sixties. He declined, perhaps fearing that they wanted to shut down the competition, and the label retaliated by taking his name off the credits of Open The Door To Your Heart, which became a huge hit (and one of the all-time great soul singles) for Darrel Banks.

Donnie played every instrument himself on A Little Piece Of Leather back in 1965 and moved to England to capitalise on its popularity. The song became a hit here when it was re-released seven years later after the success of this song, and another cover version, of The Four Tops’ Can’t Help Myself.

His later success was hindered by another songwriting row, this time over the authorship of Shame, Shame, Shame – a chart topper for Shirley & Company, which his label, All Platinum’s owner, Sylvia Robinson, credited to herself.

Retiring from the stage, he became an A&R man instead, but died at the age of 52 in 1989.