Let the Music Play
by Carroll Thompson
Writers - Barbaros/Chisholm
First released - 1992
Original album - The Crying Game (original soundtrack, various artists)
Subsequent albums - Disco 5 (Pet Shop Boys)
Producer - Pet Shop Boys
Subsequent albums - (none)
Other releases - (none)
Chris and Neil produced and co-mixed this cover of the
great 1983 dance classic, originally sung by Shannon, on the soundtrack of The
Crying Game. Intriguingly, the Boys saw fit to include this track on their 2025 Disco 5 collection, which otherwise consists entirely of
As described in Issue 8 of their fan club magazine Literally, the PSB/Thompson recording began life as a demo of a new song somewhat influenced by Shannon's "Let the Music Play" that Neil and Chris had recorded during the 1990 Behaviour sessions. Perhaps fearing it was too similar to the older song, they opted to turn their demo into a full-fledged remake. They then tapped Thompson, who had sung backup during their 1989 tour, to handle the vocals. But they chose to withhold it from release until the film soundtrack came along a few years later.
There's some confusion as to when this recording—indeed, the entire The Crying Game soundtrack album—was first released. The better known, more widely distributed version of the soundtrack album, titled The Crying Game (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), was released in February 1993. But a lesser known European version titled The Crying Game (Music from the Motion Picture), came out a few months earlier, in late 1992.
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