West End Girls was a smash hit and really got people on the dance floor. Little story about poor boys and rich girls mingling. Is still a personal favorite of mine.
Wait, what? I feel so bad for you. Pet Shop Boys are LEGENDARY! Dance floors were packed! And Dusty....ICON! You just entered a Discography of awesome sounds! Enjoy!
I'm a 1970s/1980s hard rock/prog rock fan, but I've always adored this song. The contrasting voices of Neil Tennant and Dusty Springfield(RIP) is enchanting, the sarcasm in the lyrics is biting and funny, the music works well. A joy
OMG They Pet Shop Boys is one of my favorite groups of all time. Neil Tennant's voice and the way he sings is emblematic of the 80s. This is a great song and Dusty Springfield is the legendary British soulful singer from the 60s, with 1968's "Son Of A Preacher Man" being a favorite of mine. From their very first album "Please", I was a devout follower. In fact, "Please" is one of my favorite albums of all time and the entire album is on my "Life Soundtrack" playlist. My favorite song however, and my personal anthem, is "It's A Sin" from the "Actually" album.
You are in for such a treat with PSB. They are dance floor intellectuals...always a great groove with super smart lyrics. And their aloof demeanor is so sophisticated, artsy and cool!
Finally! Love Pet Shop Boys! A rabbit hole!❤ I don't know much about music, but for me, they made hip hop, techno and rap, long before these became fashionable. My favorite is Rent, so so funny!
OMG, what a rabbit hole you've stumbled on! Pet Shop Boys are incredible and have many many hits. Definitely need to hear West End Girls next, it's amazing. It's a Sin, Lov Comes Quickly (dance mix), Domino Dancing, Paninaro, You Know Where You Went Wrong, It's Alright (extended mix), Opportunities... that can get you started. They are amazing and still putting out music today!
Check out more of the Pet Shop Boys but you definitely need to check out Dusty probably one of the highest regarded singers both in the UK and the USA. She a bit of an Icon in my opinion.
@@joemachine4714 not so much musically in the US but on both sides of the Atlantic she was a champion for other musicians. She was completely opposed to segregation in music anywhere, she helped Motown artists to achieve recognition in the UK they deserved. Her Memphis album has been recognised as one on greatest albums recorded. The PSB’s gave her career a massive boost so richly deserved but sadly shorted lived because of her health.
West End Girls…I am sure you have gotten this feedback already but I am just confirming that it is a must listen to!! LOVE the Pet Shop Boys and appreciate that they were not just a band but individually scholarly. Absolute gold, in my opinion 😍
It's one of the best duos of all times doing one of the best duets of the 80's. And yes, as you clearly experienced the "What have I, what have I, what have I..." was brilliantly catchy. There's much more to delve into with PSB, enjoy!
"West End Girls" was the song that put them on the map globally. Please however check out their other notable hits besides that and this one, including "It's A Sin", "Opportunities" and their unique cover of "Always On My Mind" made famous previously by singers such as Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson. Other global hits of theirs include "Domino Dancing" and "Suburbia".
I'm so luck to been at my prime in the 80s! It certainly was a renaissance of music. I miss those days so much. My favorite song of their's is Always On My Mind, Prime Cuts mix.
The amazing, classy, and inimitable Dusty Springfield! One of the highlights of Neil Tennant’s career was working with Dusty. He adored her...and rightly so!
Salvo, great reaction! Pet Shop Boys are a rabbit hole well worth going down!! Not surprised they're considered most popular duo in UK! The album this came from, Actually, has so many hits, it's ridiculous! Opener 'One More Chance' is amazing. 'Shopping', 'Rent', 'Heart', and especially 'It's a Sin' are all essential listening. Their previous (and first) album, Please, is equally awesome. Tracks like: West End Girls, Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money), Two Divided By Zero, Love Comes Quickly, Suburbia...all are musts! And this is just their 80's stuff...
I adore your joy in discovering the music of my youth. That's how I felt too. This was played on a loop for ages at our apartment. The most feel good break up song.
My favorite PSB track. Not as big as the others, but if this is playing somewhere, I’ll stop and absorb. Dusty made this song. Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), RIP, only 59 when she passed. Big in the 60s, this track helped bring her back in the spotlight for a bit with new audiences. It was Dusty who suggested to a music executive that he should sign Led Zeppelin to their label (Atlantic). Dusty was friends with John Paul Jones. Zep was signed for a $200,000 contract, the biggest of its time.
There's so much to love from Pet Shop Boys and Dusty's well worth checking out. I'm thinking somebody needs to do some fun Cure. Why can't I be you, great song, funny video. Hey You is a nice little ditty. The love cats of course. Good one here.
love the pet shop boys. so many great tracks from these two. bought west end girls twelve inch single and was hooked from then on. would love to see you react to more of them. cheers
I have always loved this song! I was 10 years old when it came out, and I still have 'What have I, what have I, what have I done to deserve this?' stuck in my head 36 years later! I also love Dusty Springfield, both in this song and just in general. She is an incredible singer, and her 'Dusty in Memphis album is worth a listen (it's one of my favorites of all time). By the time Pet Shop Boys worked with her in the late 80s, she had been in a career slump, and this song was a comeback for her. She released a dance/pop album in 1990. She sadly passed away in the late 90s.
You really have to pay attention to the lyrics to fully appreciate the meaning. If you get all wrapped up in an instrument or one line from the chorus you're missing most of the rest. It was so cool they got Dusty to sing on it, giving her the first hit she'd had in 18 years.
thank you!! my parents play a lot of 80-90s music when i was a child so i grew up loving and appreciating older songs. this is my favourite from pet shop boys
This really WAS Huge - but the big significant factor was Dusty Springfield, who had already been a pop icon from Britain had a 'resurgence' in popularity with this hit. She had a lot of hits, but try SON OF A PREACHER MAN from her 1968 album Dusty In Memphis, for starters.
The Pet Shop Boys totaly difided convention and did it thier way. 'It's A Sin' and their debut single 'West End Girls' ar eiconic. Though my favorite is their versions of 'You Were Always On My Mind' and the Village Peoples sng 'Go West'. Please check out Dusty she was an incredible British female singer of the sixties with massive hits like 'You Dont Have To Say You Love Me', I Close My Eyes and Count To Ten' and 'Son Of A Preacher Man'.
An internet friend of mine is tutoring me on the 80’s and the bands he is concentrating on are Depeche Mode, The Cure, Duran Duran, Culture Club and Pet Shop Boys. All of which I had heard about but none had I paid much attention to. It’s been fun!
This brought back a memory (for some reason) of my cousin and I having parties and every time Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" came on the radio, we'd rock out. One time, we were driving somewhere and had to pull over because I was singing so loud she couldn't concentrate on the road.
OMG! Yay! I was 16 when this came out and they were a huge influence on my music listening for years. They are so much fun. I think you need more PSB...
So, this is actually an interesting song to listen to if it’s the first time you’ve heard Pet Shop Boys. They have a plethora of amazing songs which you should dive into. I would suggest you try and cover them chronologically so you can get the progression of their music through the years and starting with “West End Girls” and “Opportunities” would be a great way to kick off a PSB deep dive. They are masters of electronic music and in fact one of their albums titled “Electric” is a masterclass in combining the best of classic synth pop with current electronic music. But, if you do decide to take that journey on the Pet Shop Boys music catalogue, the tracks from the “Electric” album will be a bit down the road since it’s one of their more recent releases, actually the first in a trio of albums which were produced by the brilliant Stuart Price.
Hope you check out West End Girls. Was their breakout international smash hit from their debut album Please. It was released in 1984 but was only available on 12-inch was a club hit LA and San Francisco minor dance hit in Belgium and France. So it was re-recorded in 1985 as a single and was the turning point for the duo’s careers.
The album that the song is from is called “Actually” and is brilliant. You should check it out. My favourite song by The Pet Shop Boys is “Always on my mind”. You should listen to this! How can you have not heard of this band?
PSB are a factory of hits. They even dare to put down some policies and social problems (Thatcherism, homophobia, Capitalism, Communism, consumerism, et cetera) in their songs. People would tell you dozens of singles, wich I probably love, but if you ask me I'll tell some out of the average: · Left To My Own Devices · Being Boring · Where the Streets Have No Name (I can't take my eyes off you) (U2 & Frankie Valli covers together) · Se a vida é (That's the way life is) (wich it didn't has good critics but it was quite visionary or avant garde of a "latin mania" in music a few years later · West End Girls (is still one of my favourites.) And, why not?! a cover of one of their hits: IT'S A SIN, live, by Years & Years and Sir Elton John. Trivia: Chris Lowe lived for a while as squatter in London, hard times. He share the same building with Jimmy Sommerville from Bronsky Beat and The Communards. You should have already reacted to "Small Town Boy", "Why?", "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes version) and/or "(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real" (Sylvester version).
"Always on My Mind" - Check it out Salvo: Pet Shop Boys #4 US Billboard 100 (1987) ---- Willie Nelson #5 US Billboard 100 (1982) ---- Elvis Presley #16 US Billboard Country (1972) ---- Brenda Lee #45 US Billboard Country (1972)
Love this song. You should check out some of Dusty Springfield's hits from the 1960s, such as "Son of a Preacher Man" (1968) and "Wishin' and Hopin' " (1964).
Interesting that you were reminded of the Cure. In the 80s the radio stations in the US that played the Cure (KROQ, for example) also played Pet Shop Boys. Neil Tenant found it funny that we had an ear for them as alternative here when in the UK and the rest of the world considered them Pop, even Disco.
The outfits the female dancers are wearing in this video are old costumes from a James Bond film. It's the same outfit Annie Lennox wears in the 'Why' video. 🤓
One of the less talked about things that luckily never came to overshadow their talents but actually may have added to their popularity was that they were completely open about their sexuality, wink, wink! ❤them!
“The Proclaimers” would also be contenders for the title of “best UK duo”. They consist of twin brothers Charlie & Craig from Scotland. Their song “Letter From America” is my favourite. “Sunshine On Leith” is another belter. ✌️
Chronologically 10 + 1: West End Girls, Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money), Love Comes Quickly, Suburbia, It’s a Sin, What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Rent, Always on My Mind, Heart, Domino Dancing, Left to My Own Devices.
Can You Forgive Her from the early 90s is one that’s under appreciated on RU-vid. Great song, even if its video is very dated by today’s standards. Def check it out if you dig them.
