"Torch" is a song by English synth-pop duo Soft Cell. It was released as a single in 1982, and in mid-June peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart,[1] ranking 45 for the year. It also reached number 31 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart,[2] number 12 in the Netherlands[3] and number 6 in the Flemish Ultratop 50[4]
| "Torch" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Soft Cell | ||||
| B-side | "Insecure Me" | |||
| Released | 7 May 1982 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:08 | |||
| Label | Some Bizzare | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Marc Almond, David Ball | |||
| Producer(s) | Mike Thorne | |||
| Soft Cell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singer Marc Almond duets towards the end of the song with Cindy Ecstasy, an American clubgoer the band had met at the after-hours bar Club Berlin in New York the year previously.[5]
The single was originally intended to be double A-sided, coupled with the eventual B-side song "Insecure Me"; as such, both songs were included in the band's 2018 singles compilation Keychains & Snowstorms: The Singles.[6]
"Torch" ranked 49 in the New Musical Express critics' list of the year's 50 best singles.[7]
Charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 68 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] | 6 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[10] | 7 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] | 12 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[12] | 2 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts)[13] | 75 |