Tainted Love - From Nina Simone to Kendrick Lamar

Tainted Love - From Nina Simone to Kendrick LamarTitled after Soft Cell's version of the original 1965 Gloria Jones track, Tainted Love is the first book length inquiry into the subject of the twisted or tainted romantic ballad, its history and contemporary currency. These perfectly formed iconic and emotional songs set themselves apart from more regular, needy and devotional love songs, spinning out into more unusual realms, catching artists and singers at their creative peak. Each chapter of

Mixed up with street and club photography are images of reggae icons like Donald Manning of The Abyssinians

developing friendships with prominent figures such as Friedrich Nietzsche

culminate in his latest marvel of a film

Henri gets tired and falls asleep under a tree

medicinal and spiritual practices throughout history

the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

self-regulating system

complicated and unresolved

Here too are lone

these practices long remained invisible under the glaring light of reason

What follows are accounts that are both joyful and fearful

vying for that definitive crown