Can You Forgive Her?
Writers - Tennant/Lowe
First released - 1993
Original album - Very
Subsequent albums - Disco 2, PopArt
Other releases - single (UK #7, US Dance #1)
The first single from Very is set to perhaps the Boys' most over-the-top arrangement since "It's a Sin," Tennant tells the poignant, almost comically pathetic story of a young man who refuses to accept his own gayness. He's persistently tormented by his girlfriend, who's aware of his insecurities (particularly with regard to his memories of love for a male school chum) and uses them against him to get him to behave according to her wishes. Neil insists that it's not autobiographical—thankfully, since he manages to evoke an almost palpable sense of self-loathing in the central character.
As he has done on more than one occasion (see "Up Against It"), Neil borrowed the song's title, but not its subject matter, from a literary work, in this case a Victorian novel by Anthony Trollope. Chris wrote the music in 6/8 time. As Neil puts it, this time-signature, which is unusual for them, "makes it sound sneaky."
By the way, one of my site visitors pointed out something that had completely evaded me for years. I had always taken the couplet that opens the second verse—
You drift into the strangest dreams
Of youthful follies and changing teams
—specifically the "changing teams" part—as simply referring to the homoerotic environment of the sports locker room. But it could also be an extremely clever double-entendre that uses the metaphor of "changing teams" to describe switching from one sex to another in choice of sexual partners. I love how PSB lyrics are rich enough that you can continue to make new discoveries long after you've first heard them!
Annotations
- As noted above, the song's title is borrowed from that of an 1864 novel by the British author Anthony Trollope (1815-1882).
- "… you dance to disco and you don't like rock" – Surely the Boys were fully aware of the delicious irony of this line when they composed and performed it: they were essentially identifying the song's protagonist as a serious candidate for Pet Shop Boys fandom. Of course, it also plays with the stereotype that "straight" guys like rock music whereas gay guys like dance music. Like many if not most stereotypes, it's utterly false as a sweeping generalization, yet it contains enough truth to have given rise to the stereotype in the first place.
- "Remember when you were more easily led / Behind the cricket pavilion and the bicycle shed" – In one of their most unforgettable couplets, it's probably no accident that the Boys employ iconic British public school imagery to decidedly subversive (not to mention homoerotic) effect.
Mixes
Officially released
- Mixer: Stephen Hague and Mike "Spike" Drake
- Album/single version (3:54)
- Available on Very
- Album/single version (3:54)
- Mixer: Mark Kinchen
- MK Bicycle Dub (6:04)
- MK Dub (5:53)
- MK Remix (7:28)
- MK Remix Edit (4:04)
- Mixer: Rollo Armstrong and Rob Dougan
- Rollo Dub (4:51)
- An abbreviated version (4:03) appears on Disco 2
- Rollo Dub Edit (3:33)
- Rollo Remix (6:00)
- Available on the bonus third disc ("Mix") with the "Special Edition" of PopArt
- Rollo Dub (4:51)
- Mixer: Richard Niles and Pet Shop Boys
- Swing Version (4:55)
- Available on certain "Yesterday, When I Was Mad" singles
- Swing Version (4:55)
- Mixer: Stuart Price
- Pandemonium CD live version in medley with "Pandemonium" (4:05)
Official but unreleased
- Mixer: Mark Kinchen
- MK Edit (First Pass)
- Mixer: Rollo Armstrong and Rob Dougan
- Rollo US Mix
- Rollo US Dub
- Rollo US Dub Edit
- Mixer: Stuart Price
- Studio version of mashup with "Pandemonium" (4:05)
- Mixer: unknown
- USA Album Remix
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