Synopsis

Soft Cell perform "What?" in a brightly stylized, Pop Art-inspired studio. Marc Almond sings the song's pleading account of romantic confusion while Dave Ball plays keyboards amid a deliberately artificial, retro-pop setting. Comic-book lettering, bold graphic decorations, go-go dancers in geometric mod dresses, and a Marilyn Monroe lookalike give the clip a playful 1960s flavor. The band's performance is presented as a colorful visual counterpoint to the song's underlying sense of heartbreak and emotional uncertainty.

Factoids & Trivia

• "What?" was released in 1982 as the only new song on Soft Cell's remix mini-album *Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing*.

• The song is a cover of a 1965 recording by Melinda Marx. Judy Street's 1968 version later became particularly associated with the Northern Soul scene, providing an important link between the source material and Soft Cell's revivalist approach.

• Soft Cell recast the soul song with synthesizers, programmed rhythms, prominent electronic bass, and a deliberately early-1960s pop feel.

• The video uses a chess-patterned studio set and a collection of visual references to Pop Art, mod fashion, girl groups, and 1960s television variety shows.

• New wave singer Mari Wilson makes a cameo appearance.

• "What?" reached No. 3 on the UK singles chart, matching the chart position of "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye."

• The clip was included in *Soft Cell's Non-Stop Exotic Video Show*, the 1982 video companion to the duo's early work.