What's New? – Recent Updates & Additions
May 12, 2026
Indexes, Expanded Bibliography, Addenda, and Errata for My Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Books
Thanks so much to David Baker for catching and reporting two previously undiscerned errors in Volume 2 of my Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song books:
- p. 87: I erroneously state that the titles Elysium and Electric both consist of seven letters, which is obviously untrue for Electric. I thought I had mastered the skill of counting to ten before I started school, but apparently not. Deeply embarrassing. Not so incidentally, this error also appeared here on my website's page for Electric and went unnoticed for more than a decade; I've only now corrected it thanks to David having noticed it in the book.
- p. 93: A typo in which “soldier” is misspelled "solider." Far less embarrassing, but still quite unfortunate.
I've noted these flaws in an update to my additional materials for Volume 2, accessible in my Extras section.
Updates/Corrections
Speaking of typos, thanks also to Marc R for finding a long-standing typo (I'm sure it's been there for well over a decade), now corrected, on my page devoted to the song "Yesterday, When I Was Mad."
May 11, 2026
Song Annotations
Thanks to some input from a site visitor (whose permission I'm awaiting before identifying him by name here and/or adding him to my Thank You page), I've expanded a bit on my annotation for airline "business class" on my page devoted to the song "Single."
Personal Observations
Look at what just arrived via FedEx! But it's NOT the copy of Annually 2026 that I pre-ordered from the U.S. PSB Store back in December. It's a copy that I ordered from the U.K. PSB Store less than two weeks ago—an order that I placed after the copy I had ordered in December had proven long overdue and I still hadn't received any word as to when I would get it. And I still haven't received it. So, OK, I may eventually wind up with two copies. I'd much rather pay for two than ultimately end up not having any copy at all!
May 10, 2026
Strange But True Incidents Involving the Pet Shop Boys
Thanks to Nigel Brand for telling me about a report yesterday by BBC Chief Political Correspondent Henry Zeffman in which the PSB rendition of "Go West" plays a role. I discuss this briefly in a new entry in my list of strange but true incidents involving the Pet Shop Boys.
May 9, 2026
Updates/Corrections
Thanks again to Andrew Shaw, this time for identifying the producers of "Zero Hour" (Hugh Padgham and Wix Wickens, once more from the CD booklet). I've made the appropriate update.
May 8, 2026
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to Andrew Shaw for sharing lyrics and other important information from the Collaborations CD booklet for "Zero Hour," Neil's collaboration with Michael Berkeley and David Gilmour. I've drawn upon this new info to significantly expand my commentary on that track. And thanks as well to Raymond Merkh for catching a typo there, now corrected.
May 7, 2026
Updates/Corrections
I'm indebted to the PSB, Please Facebook group (administered by Stevie Boy Nicholl and Iain Tough; moderated by Felix Henry, John McFadden, and Mariana Alvarado) for informing me of the fact that "An Ra"—the Kneecap track cited in my May 3 addition (see below) to my list of tracks that mention the Pet Shop Boys by name—apparently refers to the IRA (the Irish Republican Army). I've made the appropriate update to the entry for that track at #59 in that list.
I'm always delighted when someone finds a typo that's been there for years, perhaps even well over a decade. And that's again the case this time around. Thanks so much to Raymond Merkh for catching and reporting a long-lasting typo, now corrected, in my list of notorious rumors about the Pet Shop Boys.
May 6, 2026
Song Annotations
Thanks to Steve N. for suggesting a possible allusion to Vera Lynn's famed World War II-era song "We'll Meet Again" in the lyrics of "Zero Hour," Neil's collaboration with Michael Berkeley and David Gilmour. I cover this in a new annotation to my commentary on that song.
May 4, 2026
Tracks That Mention "Pet Shop Boys"
Thanks so much to Danish site visitor Lasse Jefsen (whose name I've just added to my Thank You page) for letting me know about the track "Fastelavn" by the Danish hip-hop duo Ukendt Kunstner, which includes a punning reference to the Pet Shop Boys and "Go West." I've added it to my list of tracks that mention the Pet Shop Boys by name at #60.
May 3, 2026
Tracks That Mention "Pet Shop Boys"
Thanks to leesmapman for telling me (having gotten the info himself from members of the Pet Shop Boys Community Forum) about "An Ra," a new track by the Irish band Kneecap that mentions the Pet Shop Boys by name. For the record, it's not very complimentary. Regardless, I've added it as #59 in my list of such recordings.
May 2, 2026
Song Annotations
Thanks to Nigel Brand for suggesting an intriguing alternate interpretation of the lyrics of "The Last to Die," the Bruce Springsteen song covered by the Pet Shop Boys on their album Electric. I discuss it briefly in a new final bullet-point annotation to my commentary on that song.
April 30, 2026
Updates/Corrections
Thanks so much to Steve Pafford for catching several errors (two longstanding typos and an apparent factual error about whether Neil had ever met Kevin Spacey), all now corrected, in my list of notorious rumors about the Pet Shop Boys.
Song Annotations
Thanks to Steve N. for raising a few interesting coincidences—at least I strongly suspect they're coincidences—regarding the name Jack and some of the people mentioned or referred to in the song "Jack the Lad." I've now added a new bullet-point annotation for this song on this intriguing subject.
April 21, 2026
Books About PSB
I received my copies of Volume 2 of my Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song books this afternoon! Needless to say, I'm thrilled! I hope those of you who have ordered it will receive your copy soon, if you haven't already (although U.S. publication apparently won't take place until sometime in June).
April 19, 2026
Personal Observations
A quick heads-up – For the text two days, at least through Tuesday afternoon, I'll be busy hosting an out-of-town houseguest. So I'll have little if any time to devote to emails and my website. If you write to me during this period, please don't be dismayed if I take longer than usual to reply. And I won't be making any site updates during this time as well. I'll catch up as needed afterward. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!
April 18, 2026
Song Annotations
Lately I've been hearing and reading about how Neil has said (such as in some of the Boys' recent Obscure shows) that his lyrical persona in the song "The Performance of My Life" is a drag queen as opposed to the "female diva" he had previously described. I've therefore provided a brief new annotation to this effect to my commentary on that song. Thanks so much to Nigel Brand for giving me a bit of a nudge on this "new" interpretation!
April 17, 2026
Books About PSB
Having received my copy yesterday, I've added the Classic Pop Presents Pet Shop Boys 40th Anniversary Special to my list of books about PSB. I'm still waiting, however, for my pre-ordered copy of Annually 2026 to arrive. For that reason, I would greatly appreciate not receiving any website update suggestions gleaned from it at this time. Thanks so much for your understanding!
April 15, 2026
PSB Concert Tours
The Pet Shop Boys' official website has announced two more dates for their ongoing Dreamworld Tour: on August 20 and 22 in Oslo, Norway and Esbjerg, Denmark respectively. I've updated my PSB Concert Tours page accordingly.
April 12, 2026
Indexes, Expanded Bibliography, Addenda, and Errata for My Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Books
Thanks so much to Raymond Merkh for catching and reporting three typos, now corrected, in my new index and expanded bibliography for my book Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Volume 2 (2005-2025).
April 11, 2026
Breaking News!
I've just received the exciting news from one of my site visitors that Volume 2 of my books Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song has now been published and is available directly from the publisher, several days later than its originally scheduled publication date but a couple of weeks sooner than expected in view of that delay! I hope that means that online retailers like Amazon will be stocking it very soon as well. And I hope I'll be getting my own copies shortly, although I'll probably have to wait at least a few weeks myself. Whatever the case, I'm pleased as can be that at least some of you now have it in hand!
Since it has now been released, I've posted a link to an index and expanded bibliography for Volume 2 on my page set aside for such additional materials for both of my PSB books.
Song/Lyric Interpretions
Thanks to Steve N. for suggesting two different interpretations for the line "Never seeing red" in "My Ocotober Symphony." I've employed his insights to create a new sixth bullet-point annotation to my commentary on that song.
By the way, I've just noticed that the lyrics for "My October Symphony" on the Pet Shop Boys' own website are incomplete, stopping after only three verses—a most curious oversight.
April 9, 2026
Song/Lyric Interpretations
Thanks to Nigel Brand for suggesting that I address the seemingly begged question posed by the line "Find the will" in the opening verse of "The Survivors" in a new second bullet-point annotation to my commentary on that song.
Thanks as well to Dave F for recommending that I note at least briefly in my still somewhat tenative commentary on the new song "I Dream of a Better Tomorrow" its likely inspiration not only within the context of the planned stage musical Naked but also within the current sociopolitical climate.
April 8, 2026
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to leesmapman for (1) pointing out a typo, now corrected, on my page devoted to songs that the Pet Shop Boys have performed live and (2) suggesting that, since "Music for Boys" and "Euroboy" appeared in the Obscure shows as introductory recordings (rather than actually "performed" live), they ought to be acknowledged as such on that page. I've now taken care of that as well.
Thanks also to Danny Edmunds for sharing with me his transcription of most of the lyrics of the new song "I Dream of a Better Tomorrow." I've drawn upon his efforts in my still tentative entry for that track to provide a few additional lyrics to those I had already discerned myself.
Incidentally, I'm not going to keep warning SPOILER ALERT! with regard to my updates related to the Obscure concerts. I'm sorry, but it strikes me as more than a little silly. By now it should be obvious to all that I'm indulging in such "spoilers," so if you don't want to encounter any, you should know to avoid my website until after this run of shows is complete. That being said, I've once again used info obtained from the Pet Shop Boys Community Forum, this time about the third Obscure show, to make further modifications to my page devoted to songs that they've performed live. Seeing as how that's proving a routine occurrence, I probably won't bother making note here of any such changes tomorrow and Friday. You can just expect it.
April 7, 2026
Updates/Corrections
ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT! - I've added a very tentative, incomplete page for the new song that the Pet Shop Boys unveiled live last night, "I Dream of a Better Tomorrow." But I'll undoubtedly making further additions as I learn more about it in the days and weeks (and probably months) ahead. Also, based on info once again collected from the Pet Shop Boys Community Forum about the second Obscure show, I've made some adjustments to my page for songs that they've performed live.
Books About PSB
While I await the delayed publication (I hope not too much longer) of Volume 2 of my own PSB books, I can take consolation in that today I received my copy of their new "official" publication Pet Shop Boys Volume. It looks fantastic, and I can't wait to dive into it! Chances are good that I'll be making some updates here on my website over the next few days using information gleaned from this book.
April 6, 2026
Songs That the Pet Shop Boys Have Performed Live
Several regular site visitors have already written to me (thanks so much!) with information about the songs performed this evening by the Pet Shop Boys at the first of their Obscure shows at London's Electric Ballroom. I've also gleaned some information from recent postings in the Pet Shop Boys Community Forum. SPOILER ALERT! - I've therefore made some updates to my page devoted to songs that they've performed live. So if you're planning to go to some of the upcoming shows and don't want any spoilers, don't click on that link, and you might now want to read any further. The updates I've made on that page should be considered tentative and adjustments are forthcoming in the days ahead since the Boys have already confirmed that the setlists for their shows on different nights may not be identical, with some songs dropped on certain evenings and others added. So the colors for the newly added songs and the list of songs itself are subject to modifications. They also performed a brand new song, but other commitments will prevent me from posting a new page for it right now; that will probably have to wait until tomorrow. Stay tuned!
April 1, 2026
Personal Observations
Books About the Pet Shop BoysNo, this isn't an April Fool's joke. Although I'm still awaiting definitive word from my publisher, Amazon's U.K. site is now reporting that my book Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Volume 2 (2005-2025) will be available at the end of April, one month later than its originally scheduled publication date. And just as Volume 1 (now in its second printing) was originally released in the States two months after its U.K. release, it appears the Amazon U.S. site is now citing a release date at the end of June. As disappointing as these delays are, they're certainly a lot better than the August release dates that were apparently being reported recently. Let's hope those prove to be badly mistaken!
March 30, 2026
PSB Concert Tours
The Pet Shop Boys' website has announced that they will appear at the Medimex Festival in Taranto, Italy, on June 20. I've updated my PSB concert tours page accordingly.
Updates/Corrections
Thanks so much to Edwin Green for sharing data gleaned from the October 9, 1993 edition of the U.K. trade publication Music Week that provides a fascinating fact about the sales of Very Relentless as opposed to those of the standalone Very album. I've used this information to add a new concluding paragraph to my main entry for Relentless.
Personal Observations
Over the past week I've heard from quite a few patient individuals who have finally gotten their copies of my book Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Volume 1 (1984-2004) now that it has gone into its second printing. I'm sorry that it took so long, but at the same time I'm delighted that they're getting it at last.
In the meantime, as far as I know, Volume 2 is still slated for its U.K. publication today (with U.S. publications scheduled for a month or two later). But I'm quite troubled to see that, if I search for Volume 2 on the Amazon U.K. site, it's no longer popping up in the results. That's not a good sign. (Could it be because it has sold out in pre-orders?) Because of some unexpected hold-ups along the way, I had long feared that Volume 2 publication would be pushed out. But we made a lot of rapid progress toward the end of the process and I thought we had got pretty much caught up. Whatever the case, I'll see if I can learn more about this from my publisher. Stay tuned!
March 26, 2026
PSB Concert Tours
Yesterday the Pet Shop Boys' official website announced that they will perform in Valencia, Spain, on July 23. I've now added this date and venue to my page devoted to their concert tours.
March 23, 2026
Mixes/Versions
Thanks to Harald Ihle for pointing out that the 4:28 "Alternative Mix" of "Domino Dancing" was missing from my list of mixes/versions of that track. I've now rectified this oversight.
March 21, 2026
Personal Observations
Although my publisher had previously told me that the second printing of my book Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Volume 1 (1984-2004) would be published on March 30, it appears to have already taken place, with Amazon and some other retailers already distributing copies apparently from its second print run. I hope those of you who have been hoping to obtain a copy but were disappointed when the first printing sold out will now be able finally to get it! In fact, I've already heard from one such patient buyer earlier today! Meanwhile, I hope the first printing of Volume 2 will indeed take place as scheduled at the end of this month in the U.K., with the U.S. publication to occur one or two months later. So far I haven't heard anything suggesting otherwise. Fingers crossed!
March 20, 2026
PSB Songs That Have Been Used in TV Commercials
Thanks to Alberto Sánchez Paz for letting me know that the Pet Shop Boys' rendition of "Always on My Mind" is used extensively in a new promo piece celebrating 70 years of TVE (Televisión Española). I've therefore cited this fact in the entry for this song at #8 in my list of PSB songs used in television commercials. And if you would like to see this lengthy commercial yourself, it's available online (though please note that AOMM doesn't begin until nearly halfway through).
March 19, 2026
PSB Concert Tours
The Pet Shop Boys' official website this morning has announced an upcoming Dreamworld Tour show in Santander, Spain on July 25, with more dates in Spain to follow. I've updated my PSB Concert Tours page accordingly.
March 16, 2026
Personal Observations
I find it a little hard to believe, but today marks the silver anniversary of my website, which I first posted online to a general audience exactly 25 years ago today.
March 13, 2026
PSB Songs Used in Films and "Non-musical" TV Shows
Thanks to Mark Binmore for letting me know that "I Want a Dog" could be heard playing on the radio during a 1989 episode of the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather. I've now noted this fact in the entry for that song at #27 in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs that have been used in films and non-musical TV shows.
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