Lista de algunas de las versiones de la canción:

Selected list of recorded versions·
1964 Gloria Jones, northern soul
· 1976 Gloria Jones with Marc Bolan, glam rock
· 1981 Soft Cell, synthpop
· 1985 Coil, gothic/industrial
· 1990s Tainted Cash, rave music
· 1993 Inspiral Carpets
· 1990s Jon K, freestyle music
· 1990s Señor X
· 1992 Flying Pickets, a cappella version
· 1999 The Living End
· 1996 Bluekilla, skapunk
· 1997 Skinny Puppy, industrial music
· 1998 Atrocity on album Werk 80, industrial metal
· 1999 Club 69, electro-house remixes
· 1999 My Ruin, alternative metal
· 2000 Mark 'Ruff' Ryder - Joy (Strictly Underground Records, Garage)
· 2000 Wild Strawberries on album Twist
· 2000 Head Like A Hole on the album Honky Tonk Jukebox
· 2001 Marilyn Manson, glam/hard rock, on album Not Another Teen Movie O.S.T. and Lest We Forget: The Best Of Marilyn Manson. Also as a bonus track on The Golden Age of Grotesque
· 2001 La Unión, on album Rock en español
· 2003 Anandi, on album Forever Days
· 2005 The Pussycat Dolls, Pop
· Hootie and the Blowfish
· Billy Idol
· Pennywise, punk rock
· Shades Apart, punk Rock
· 29Died
· Rihanna samples "Tainted Love" on the single "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)" from her album A Girl Like Me

In the media (en otros medios: videojuegos, TV, etc.):

· Gloria Jones' original version is played on the in-car radio in the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
· The song has been used in film: Coneheads and TV: the Doctor Who story "The End of the World".
· The TV soap opera Port Charles named one of its story arcs "Tainted Love" after the song.
· Spike Jonze featured the song in a popular 1997 commercial for Levi's jeans, matching the synthesized beat to an EKG machine.
· It was covered live by The Clash but was never released
· The character Boyce in the British TV sitcom Green Wing sang the Soft Cell version at the beginning of the last episode to raise money for charity.
· Dishwalla played live on radio in the late 1990's at KNRK in-studio performance.