Always
Writers - Tennant/Lowe
First released - 2002
Original album - Format
Producer - Pet Shop Boys
Subsequent albums - Release 2017 reissue Further Listening 2001-2004 bonus disc
Other releases - bonus track with single "Home and Dry"; bonus disc with the U.S. "special edition" of Release
You might say that this song (originally titled "Tomorrow") expresses a philosophy of "optimistic fatalism." In this midtempo, synth-dominated track, Neil sings in a gentle, high-pitched, almost weary voice, subtly distorted in such a way as to give it a mysterious, other-worldly quality. He seems to be offering advice to those less schooled in the ways of the world than he. Yes, life is tough. Sometimes it's enough to make you feel like giving up. But he wants us to remember that no matter how bad life gets, it will eventually take a turn for the better. You just have to give it time. "Always—summer comes" after the bleakness of winter.
This track was seriously considered for inclusion on Release and would have fit quite nicely into the overall sound and mood of the album, but it failed to make the final cut. Hence it was relegated to b-side/bonus track status.
Annotations
- "Caution to the winds—throw it, throw it" – An allusion to the old English-language idiomatic expression "to throw caution to the
wind(s)," which means to go ahead and do something despite the significant risks involved. The idiom dates back at least to the 1800s, and is probably even older than that.
List cross-references
- PSB songs with literary references (as a tentative "addendum")
- Early titles for Pet Shop Boys songs
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