Sex Dwarf (song)

Origin
The song was inspired by a headline in British tabloid newspaper News of the World, which was spotted by Marc Almond: “Sex dwarf lures a hundred disco dollies to a life of vice.” It instantly gave duo an idea for a ‘bizarre pervy dance track’, with a song that would poke fun at people obsessed with rumors and their distorted perception.

Record and release
Like most of the tracks on Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, “Sex Dwarf” was recorded in Mediasound studio, New York, in 1981, and produced by Mike Thorne. Vicious Pink Phenomena provided additional vocals and sounds. According to Dave Ball, the work on album was coming to an end and it was an opportunity for everyone to have fun while recording the song.

The album with the song was released in late 1981. Years later, it received a self titled single release for Record Store Day 2016.

Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing
“Sex Dwarf” was one of the songs to be re-recorded for Soft Cell's first ‘dance remix’ release, Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing mini album. Almond recorded new, more sinister and raw vocals, with shortened lyrics, while the music got more aggressive, borderline industrial percussion and sounds and harsher synth and bass lines. Vocal parts by Vicious Pink Phenomena undergo various distortions. It later also would appear on 2016 Sex Dwarf single.

Remixes
Beside of Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing version, the most recognized remix was made by The Grid for Heat: The Remixes compilation in 2008. It incorporates elements of both ‘Original’ and ‘Ecstatic’ versions. It later was included on the same Record Store Day single in 2016.

The remixer duo Razormaid released their mix of the song in 1989 on their Class-X - Volume Eleven album, which was available to purchase exclusively for registered members of their service. This mix is essentially a fusion of two first versions without original elements, like in case of The Grid remix.

Live versions
The earliest and officially released live version of “Sex Dwarf” would be from Soft Cell's performance on BBC TV music show The Old Grey Whistle Test, on 4 February 1982: it appears as video on At The BBC CD compilation, and later as both video and audio in Keychains And Snowstorms box set.

The next live recording is from band's 2000s reunion tour and was released on 2003 album Live. A video recording from the same time, during concert in Italy, was released on 2002 video album Live In Milan.

The last time “Sex Dwarf” was performed by the band is during their final 2018 show in O2, London, which was released as both audio and video with Say Hello Wave Goodbye: The O2 London.

Original version
The music video for “Sex Dwarf” was filmed as part of Soft Cell's video album Non-Stop Exotic Video Show, which accompanied Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret and Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing releases, using the latter, ‘remix’ version of the song. It wasn't planned to be used as promotional video, like “Bedsitter” and “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” previously, but album's content was broadcasted on US cable channels such as newly launched MTV. Like most of the videos on the album it was filmed in St. John's Wood Studios, London, and directed by Tim Pope as well.

The idea of the video was to push the absurdity of the song further visually; the outcome is a BDSM play, taking the place in Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspired environment.

Controversy
In the end news about scandal have reached video retailers who raised an ultimatum: if producers won't remove offensive content they are not going to sell the video.

Final version
The controversy around original video is played trough several in-between sketches in Non-Stop Exotic Video Show and short ‘clean’ version filmed as a replacement. After “Tainted Love” video, in the Some Bizzare office, excited Almond shows and reads Record Mirror article about scandalous video, followed by a commentary from Stevo. After “Memorabilia”, Almond and Ball enter a porn cinema joint in Soho, where the owner, played by Tim Pope, gives them keys telling that they are showing “Sex Dwarf” video − only to ruin Almond's exhilaration afterwards that it's ‘another version’, and then assuring him that they got original as well.

In new version Almond and Ball appear in suits and glasses as school choir conductors with dwarf assistant (this time an actor), by comically misplaced music stands with official Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret sheet music books. Almond is singing the beginning of ‘Ecstatic’ version, conducting imaginary choir and in an irritated manner turning pages of assistant's book. Meanwhile, Kelly, the bartender from the Golden Girl club sketch, is sitting still in front of them, and the cleaner lady from pre-“Tainted Love” sketch, portrayed by Jane from Some Bizzare, is lurking around.

The new video is followed by another sketch, before “What”: a still frame of original “Sex Dwarf” shows up for a very short moment, during Almond's talk in the beginning, and when he comes to Ball, trying to remember title of the next song, the choir assistant dwarf shows up and attacks Almond, stating he was exploited.

Current status
According to director Tim Pope (interviewed in 2011 for an unreleased documentary) the original “Sex Dwarf” video remains to be banned in UK. At the same time its fragments were used in several documentaries about Soft Cell and Pope himself, all shown on British television.

The digital copy of original video was published by Pope on his official web site around 2007, accompanied by his side of the story of its making with aftermaths and several magazine clippings. There he also stated that original tapes were destroyed by rot and thus video now exists only on VHS bootlegs. This video file end up being copied and spread on the Internet by fans. Currently the video is not available on director's web site, but a fragment appears in his show reel.

In 2018 Marc Almond planned to include original video on Keychains And Snowstorms box set DVD, but retracted this idea, preferring to keep the video ‘a myth’ which some people have seen, some not. However, Dave Ball is aware about digital copy circulating online.

Personnel

 * Written-By (lyrics), vocals – Marc Almond
 * Written-By (music), instruments – David Ball
 * Additional vocals – Vicious Pink Phenomena
 * Production – Mike Thorne

Availability
“Sex Dwarf” appears on following records.

All officially released versions are also available on streaming platforms.

Legacy
As noted by producer Mike Thorne, “Sex Dwarf” has become ‘one of the first pop songs to laugh with funny sexual areas rather than just at them.’

Listen

 * Official uploads on YouTube

Trivia

 * A ‘special commemorative sex dwarf T-shirt’ was produced and sold exclusively by the Cellmates fan club in 1983, featuring color prints of photographs from making of original video and small bottom caption ‘Police raid on Soft Cell's offices’ on the front, and chorus of the song on the back.