What's New? – Recent Updates & Additions
November 14, 2025
Personal Observations
So far I've heard from about a half-dozen of my site visitors who have received copies of my book Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Volume 1 (1984-2004). Thanks so much to all of you for keeping me posted! I hope the printing and/or dispatching delays that have so far prevented everyone who has ordered it from getting it right away will soon be cleared up. As for me, I still don't yet have my own copy, but I know that it's in transit from the U.K. and has now gotten as far as Connecticut. So all it now has to do is make it across the country. That means I could get it tomorrow, or I may get it a week from now—or later. Shipping across the States can be a real coin-toss.
November 12, 2025
Books About the Pet Shop Boys
There's exciting news on the Pet Shop Boys' official site regarding the release in the spring of their book Volume (an update of Catalogue). I've now updated my PSB Books page to include it.
Meanwhile, having received his permission to do so, I've added Michael Bennett's name to my Thank You page in recognition of his assistance yesterday (see below).
November 11, 2025
Films That Have Featured PSB Songs
PSB Songs That Have Been Used in Films and "Non-musical" TV ShowsThanks to Paolo Malucelli for letting me know that the 2025 Italian comedy-drama La vita da grandi (released internationally under the title Siblings) features the Pet Shop Boys' single version of "Always on My Mind" during its closing scene, continuing into the end credits. I've therefore added this fact to my two pertinent lists: "Films that have featured PSB songs" and "PSB songs that have been used in films and 'non-musical' TV shows."
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to Mike Bennett for alerting me to a typo—which must've been there for years but which I've now corrected—on my page devoted to the Pet Shop Boys' early and rather obscure eponymous b-side.
I'm also indebted to "Dog" of the Pet Shop Boys Community Forum for providing some information of which I had previously been unaware regarding the PSB/Carol Thompson remake of "Let the Music Play," which will soon see re-release on Disco 5. Hence I've expanded my brief entry for that recording. And thanks to Matteo for calling attention to some confusion about when that recording, along with the rest of the soundtrack album of The Crying Game, was released. I've made a few appropriate additions and adjustments related to that as well.
PSB Concert Tours
Although they're not really part of a "tour," that doesn't stop me from adding the recently announced "Obscure Pet Shop Boys" shows in April to my PSB Concert Tours page. After all, I included their 1997 "Somewhere Residency."
Novmeber 10, 2025
Breaking News!
I'm delighted to see on the official PSB website this morning the announcement of "Obscure Pet Shop Boys," a series of five live shows in London this coming April in which Neil and Chris will perform a set of "non-single album tracks, b-sides, and fan favorites." I've been longing for years for just such a live show! Although I almost certainly won't be able to attend any of these concerts myself, I'm greatly hoping they'll film or videotape it so that fans worldwide can enjoy this much-anticipated event.
November 6, 2025
Major PSB VHS/LD/DVD Releases
Thanks to David Cooper for reporting that Amazon appears to be indicating that the eventual release of the Dreamworld Blu-ray/CD set, despite the recent dismissal of a lawsuit challenging their rights to include the song, may not include "Go West." Since there still seems to be some uncertainty about it at this time, however, I haven't removed that song from its tracklist on my page devoted to such Pet Shop Boys releases, but I have added a note regarding its possible deletion.
November 5, 2025
Personal Observations
One of my site visitors has informed me that Amazon.co.uk is reporting that, despite having previously stated that he can expect delivery of my new book this coming Friday, it's now delayed, with no new date of delivery available at this time. Greatly concerned about this, I contacted my publisher to ask about it. My publisher has informed me that copies of my book are currently being shipped to distributors, so I trust this means that Amazon and other retailers will receive them soon and will get them to buyers in short order. My own copies were dispatched today, which (considering the Atlantic crossing) means I'll probably get them in other two weeks or so.
UPDATE: I'm now starting to get feedback from some of you who have now received copies of my book. So they're getting out there!
My "Top 40" Favorite Pet Shop Boys Songs
Thanks to Alexander Barton (whose name I've just added to my Thank You page) for asking, with regard to what had been my list of my 30 favorite Pet Shop Boys songs, what #31-40 would be. Inspired by this question, I've now expanded that list to cover my "Top 40" favorite PSB songs.
A World of Pet Shop Boys Fans
Earlier today the flag counter routine on my home page detected my first-ever website visitor from the Pacific island nation of Palau. I've therefore appropriately updated my "A World of Pet Shop Boys Fans" page. And I extend a hearty welcome to my Palauan site visitor!
November 4, 2025
Mixes/Versions
Thanks to Eke Webb for raising the question of whether the reportedly previously unreleased "short version" of "The Way Through the Woods" that appears on the digital various-artists collection Emmi Aid is essentially identical to the "original version" released back in 2012 on the Japanese edition of Elysium. I've compared the two side by side and, at least as far as I can discern, they do seem to be the same. So I've accordingly revised what I have to say about it in my commentary on that song.
Personal Observations
To follow up on my post yesterday, I've now heard from several of my site visitors, who are reporting that Amazon is saying that they should receive their copies of my book this coming Friday. I do hope that proves to be the case.
November 3, 2025
Personal Observations
Has anyone actually received or obtained a copy of my book Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Volume 1 (1984-2004) yet? I haven't—and, on account of the time it generally takes to ship across the Atlantic and the continent, I probably won't for at least another two weeks—and I haven't yet heard from anybody who has. It concerns me. Considering it was released late last week, I would think that somebody, at least in the United Kingdom, would have it by now. Or am I just being impatient and maybe a little paranoid?
November 2, 2025
PSB Songs Used in Films and "Non-musical" TV Shows
Thanks to Daniel B. for informing me that "It's a Sin" can also be heard in Episode 3 of the Danish crime drama Legenden (aka The Asset), which I had previously noted (on October 28) as having used it in Episode 2. I've therefore appropriately amended the entry for that song at #21 in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs that have been used in films and "non-musical" TV shows.
November 1, 2025
Personal Observations
Journalist Steve Pafford has perceptively noted that Lily Allen's new song "West End Girl" (which I briefly discussed here on October 24 below), although it appears to have nothing to do with the Pet Shop Boys' similarly titled classic aside from, indeed, that similarity in titles, was released almost exactly 40 years (to the week!) after the release of the Boys' big hit second version of their song. I think we can all agree that it's probably not a coincidence.
Mixes/Versions
Thanks to Swedish site visitor Peter Jacobsson (whose name I've just added to my Thank You page) for pointing out that an apparently unique and seemingly "authorized" remix of "Before" appears on the 1996 promo compilation Love to Infinity - Classic Mixes. I've now at least tentatively noted it in the mixes/versions section of my entry for that song. If I remember correctly, however, there may be some uncertainty and debate as to the "legitimacy" of this release. I'd welcome any input any of you may wish to share regarding this subject.
October 31, 2025
Breaking News!
As announced on the Pet Shop Boys' official website, today sees the release of a previously unreleased "short version" of "The Way Through the Woods" on the new various-artists digital album Emmi Aid, which is dedicated to the preservation of the endangered Emmaus Forest near Berlin. A new video with this track is now available on YouTube. (But please see the revision described above on November 4.)
October 30, 2025
A Partial List of Synths/Samplers and Other Electronic Gear Used by the Pet Shop Boys
Thanks so much to Spooky (whom I've just added to my Thank You page) for identifying several additional synths/samplers that have been used by the Pet Shop Boys. I've now added them to that list.
Personal Observations
Following up on yesterday's post about the pros and cons of those of you in the United States wishing to buy my new book either waiting for its U.S. release or paying a higher price to order it from the U.K., long-time site visitor Erik H. informed me that the U.K. seller Blackwell's was selling it at a price that, even with shipping fees to the States, was little if any more expensive than the pre-ordering price being charged by U.S. online booksellers. But when I went to check at the Blackwell's site this morning, I found that it's now currently "out of stock." I guess this is both bad news and good news: bad in that U.S. buyers can no longer (at least at this time) take advantage of their lower cost for shipping to the States, but good in that it appears to be evidence that my book is selling well. I hope Blackwell's (as well as any other retailer that has already sold out of it) can obtain additional copies soon.
October 29, 2025
Personal Observations
I've been asked by one of my U.S. site visitors about the "best" strategy for ordering a copy of my book Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Volume 1 (1984-2004), newly published in the U.K. Here's what I can offer to those of you who live in the States – If you want to pay less for it and are willing to wait another couple of months, your best strategy may be to wait until its U.S. publication. It was originally scheduled for U.S. publication at the end of November, but it now looks as though it has been delayed until the end of December. If you order it from the U.K. you'll probably get it sooner (although it will still likely take roughly two weeks to reach you), but you'll pay a premium for it. It appears that the shipping charges from the U.K. to the U.S.—which includes, if I'm not mistaken, import duties—will roughly double its overall purchasing price. So it all boils down to whether you want it much sooner or you want it much cheaper. Only you can make that decision for yourself.
On a related note, I'm pleased to observe that Amazon UK is reporting that my book currently ranks #42 in sales among books about popular music. That may not sound like much, but considering the sheer number of books out there about popular music, I'm rather pleased with that figure.
October 28, 2025
Indexes, Expanded Bibliography, Addenda, and Errata for My Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Books
I've just learned that some people in the U.K. have already started receiving copies of my book Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song Volume 1 (1984-2004). I've therefore posted in my "Extras" section a link to a new page where I will be offering some add-on material for those who are interested. You see, on account of space limitations and other concerns, I wasn't able to include everything I wanted in the book. So I'm offering a downloadable, printable file that provides these additional materials, including an index and an expanded bibliography.
This also enables me to address a couple of oversights and (much to my shame and regret) errors. First of all, I wish to acknowledge the tremendous importance of Chris Heath. I'll be doing so in the print Acknowledgements section of Volume 2, but I overlooked doing so in Volume 1. To us Pet Shop Boys fans, Chris Heath is (to borrow a simile from The Sweet) like oxygen: omnipresent yet invisible, absolutely vital yet far too easily taken for granted. His decades-long work documenting the Boys' activities and what they've said about their music is a true gift to PSB fandom. Both on this website and in my books, I draw extensively from what he has recorded of quotations by Neil and Chris. So I'm deeply grateful for his work and I sincerely apologize for this Volume 1 oversight.
I also apologize for a careless error that I didn't discover until it was too late to correct it. In my entry for the song "Friendly Fire"—in what started as a typo that then got replicated on the very next page, and which I inexplicably failed to catch during my repeated proofreading, including one full pass that specifically targeted such "numerical" errors—I stated its year of release as 2002 when in fact it was 2001. I'm deeply embarrassed by this mistake (believe me when I say that I lost sleep over it) and I note it in the "Errata" included within this downloadable additional material. (Technically it's not "errata" but rather "corrigenda" since it's the author's error, but the word "corrigenda" strikes me as obscure and a little pretentious.) I apologize both to you, my readers, and to the Pet Shop Boys themselves for making this mistake. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Actually, one might view all of this as a humbling bit of serves-me-right karma for calling attention to another writer's error both in the book and here on my website. But I won't compound that error and risk even more karma by calling further attention to it now.
Meanwhile, I especially hope you find the index helpful. I wanted to include one in the book itself, but wasn't able to do so. I always miss them when books don't have indexes (or, if you prefer the Latin, indices), so I'm pleased to be able to provide this downloadable one as a small "extra."
PSB Songs Used in Films and "Non-musical" TV Shows
Thanks to long-time site visitor PDUBOKC for letting me know that "It's a Sin" can be heard in Episode 2 of the six-part 2025 Danish crime drama Legenden (aka The Asset). I've noted this fact in the entry for that song at #21 in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs that have been used in films and "non-musical" TV shows.
October 26, 2025
Wayne's "PSB Dreams"
Last night I unfortunately had perhaps the single most disturbing of my many "PSB dreams" to date, even if Chris didn't make an appearance. If you're interested in that sort of thing, I invite you to read about it.
October 25, 2025
Breaking News!
For those of us who have been wondering why the release of the Pet Shop Boys' Dreamworld concert film on Blu-ray has been repeatedly postponed, it appears to stem from a lawsuit involving its use of the song "Go West." But it appears that yesterday this lawsuit was dismissed in the Pet Shop Boys' favor. I hope this now means the Dreamworld Blu-ray set will soon actually be released (knock on wood).
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to Richard Firth for providing some corrections and additional information that I've used to make several updates to my entry for the Bloodhound Gang's "Mope," included here because of its PSB remixes.
October 24, 2025
Mixes/Versions
The Pet Shop Boys on their website today have announced their release of the Bryce Miller Monster Mix of "It's a Sin" on various streaming services. As far as I'm concerned, this makes it an "official" remix meriting inclusion in the mixes/versions section of my entry for that song. I've therefore made that addition.
PSB Songs That Contain Biblical Allusions
Thanks to Steve N. for suggesting I add "Getting Away with It" to my list of PSB songs that contain biblical allusions, which I've done at #28 among the concluding batch of "questionable" inclusions for the two reasons that I explain there.
Personal Observations
Following up on my post here on October 20 (see below), and having now listened to the title track of Lily Allen's new album West End Girl (available on YouTube), I can say with absolute confidence that it has nothing whatsoever to do with the classic Pet Shop Boys song aside from the close title similarity. As I suspected would be the case, the title refers to Allen's recent stints as bona fide "West End girl" on account of having starred on the London theatrical stage in several productions over the past few years. At most, the title "West End girl" is a mere nod to the phrase popularized by our musical heroes.
While we're on the subject, I'll say that Lily's "West End Girl" reminds me greatly of Neil's criticism of so much contemporary songwriting being overly autobiographical. As he once told The Guardian, "I don’t write about my life in the direct way that most, if not all, artists do nowadays." Lily's song strikes me as nothing but autobiographical, right down a segment that sounds an awful lot like a presumed replication of "her end" of a difficult telephone call with her apparently estranged husband. It's like invitational voyeurism. I'm almost ashamed of myself for listening to it.
October 23, 2025
Song Annotations
Thanks to Andrew Shaw for pointing out a nifty double meaning to the line "You've been living in a looking-glass scene" in the Pet Shop Boys song "Fluorescent," which I briefly describe in a new third bullet-point annotation to my commentary on that song.
Personal Observations
I should point out that Neil and Chris have paid tribute on their website to Soft Cell member Dave Ball, who passed away yesterday at the age of 66. If for no other reason—but there are indeed others—he's important to PSB fandom by virtue of the Boys' collaboration with Soft Cell on the 2022 single "Purple Zone." I was never really a fan of Soft Cell myself, but that doesn't mean I don't greatly appreciate them for their importance in the history of synthpop and electronic music.
On an altogether separate note, Volume 1 of my Pet Shop Boys: Song by Song books appears to be on target for U.K. publication one week from today. It occurs to me that those of you who live in the British Isles and perhaps other parts of Europe will almost certainly get your copy before I get mine. Mine will be shipped to me here in the States by the publisher on or shortly after publication, so I fully expect I won't be getting it until at least a week later, probably even longer (depending on the method of shipment). Whatever the case, please check back here on or shortly after its U.K. publication date, October 30, for some things I wish to share concerning it.
As for its U.S. publication date, my publisher hasn't told me that it's been postponed from its originally scheduled November 30 date, although some bookselling websites are now citing the date as December 30 or just "December." I really don't know what to make of that. I guess we'll all just have to be patient.
October 21, 2025
Strange But True Incidents Involving the Pet Shop Boys
Thanks to first-time contributor Craig Jordan (whose name I've just added to my Thank You page) for telling me about a new article in The Hollywood Reporter that reveals an interesting connection between the Pet Shop Boys' album Bilingual and a prospective film by the Georgian writer-director Alexandre Koberidze. Unsure where else to note it, I've added it as a new item on my page devoted to "strange but true incidents involving the Pet Shop Boys"—despite the fact that, to be honest, I consider it simply more interesting than "strange."
October 20, 2025
Breaking News
Thanks to long-time site visitor Laura C.A. Moloney-Kenny for letting me know that the new album by Lily Allen, scheduled for release just a few days from now (October 24), is titled West End Girl, named for what appears to be its opening track. So far it remains to be seen whether it contains any musical or lyrical "quotations" from our almost same-titled beloved Pet Shop Boys classic or any other references to it or them. Then again, it may be nothing more than an allusion to the fact that this is her first album since her 2021 debut as an actress on the West End stage in 2:22 A Ghost Story and her subsequent starring stage roles in the plays The Pillowman and Hedda (an adaptation of the 1891 Henrik Ibsen masterpiece Hedda Gabler, with Allen in the title role). There may be no actual "PSB connection" at all—except, of course, in the public's familiarity with the phrase on account of the song. Whatever the case, I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for that!
October 19, 2025
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to Jeff Schapira for catching and reporting a typo, now corrected, on my page devoted to A Man from the Future.
October 17, 2025
On This Day in PSB History
Thanks to David Baker for letting me know that this past Wednesday Neil and Chris attended a performance at London's Dorfman Theatre of David Lan's new play The Land of the Living starring Juliet Stevenson, who in 2014 performed the narration for their premiere of A Man from the Future and who has recently served the same role in the yet to be released studio rendition. I've added this to my "On This Day in PSB History" page, although it won't show up there until October 15 rolls around again next year.
October 14, 2025
PSB Concert Tours
As announced this morning on their official website, the Pet Shop Boys have added two more concert dates (Tokyo and Kobe) in Japan for January. I've updated my PSB Concert Tours page accordingly.
October 12, 2025
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to Nigel Brand for clearing up a mystery. Back on October 3, I responded to another site visitor's concerns that I had included "All Over the World," "More Than a Dream," and "Legacy" in my list of Pet Shop Boys tracks on which Johnny Marr performs seeing as how he's actually not credited with performing on those tracks in the Yes liner notes. Puzzled as to why I would've listed those songs without evidence, I tentatively removed them. But Nigel has pointed out that Neil's diary, as reported in Literally 34 (July 2009), page 27, does state that Marr plays guitar in sessions for those songs, which is where I must've picked up that information to begin with. So I've now restored those three songs to the list, but with a footnote that may explain Marr's absence from the Yes credits for those tracks.
Nigel also suggested that, with regard to the French song "Gay Tango," which I added recently to my list of tracks that mention "Pet Shop Boys" (see October 8 below), the line "C'est hard" may be a play on the title of the PSB classic "So Hard." I've made note of this in my entry for "Gay Tango" at #58 in that list.
Finally, having received his permission to do so, I've added Morpho to my Thank You page in recognition of his contribution of information yesterday (see just below).
October 11, 2025
Updates/Corrections
Song AnnotationsThanks so much to first-time correspondent Morpho for offering a couple of valuable suggestions. First, he recommended that I change some of my language surrounding Brandon Teena in my entry for "Girls Don't Cry." While I haven't made the precise revisions he suggested, I have taken his advice into account in making some linguistic adjustments. Second, Morpho pointed out some possible wordplay involving the phrase dieux du stade in Jérôme Soligny's lyrics in the "Full French" version of "Paris City Boy." I discuss this briefly in a new bullet-point annotation to my commentary on that track.
October 8, 2025
Tracks That Mention "Pet Shop Boys"
Thanks to Andrew Shaw for bringing to my attention a 2020 song in French titled "Gay Tango," which earns a spot at #58 in my list of tracks that mention "Pet Shop Boys." As I write there:
This track appears on the 2020 album Aimer la nuit (tr. "Loving the Night") by an "underground" French singer-songwriter who goes by the name Brindille (tr. "Twig"), who has been described as a "realist-decadent" artist who "oscillates between pop and cabaret." The lyrics of "Gay Tango" are in French, a language in which I'm extremely rusty (and never truly proficient at, learning only enough to meet the "reading knowledge" necessary for my advanced degree), and Google Translate is of limited help with somewhat poetic lyrics steeped in slang and/or metaphor. Still, the relevant portion of the song seems to describe a nighttime poppers-fueled sexual encounter in the following manner: "C'est hard, c'est hot, c'est Pet Shop Boys"—that is, "It's hard, it's hot, it's Pet Shop Boys." Do the French actually have a such a racy image of our musical heroes, or is this just a peculiarity of this artist? Or (a third possibility) am I simply misinterpeting things, which I admit is a distinct possibility? Perhaps one or more of my French site visitors can help with this.
And I'll leave it at that for the time being. But if you would like to hear this song for yourself, it's available on YouTube. (The French lyrics appear in the gray information section just below the video window.)
Personal Observations
I've just noticed that both my publisher and Amazon.co.uk are now taking advance orders of the U.K. printing of Volume 1 of my upcoming books at what appears to be a special introductory price, which is lower than it was just a week or two ago, and which I suspect will go up again to its higher RRP (recommended retail price) sooner or later. If you've already pre-ordered it, you may want to check to verify that you will get it at this specially reduced price (Amazon usually does that as a matter of course). And if you haven't pre-ordered it but are planning to, now may be a good time. (Incidentally, my publisher's U.S. site and Amazon.com are also taking pre-orders for the U.S. printing, which will appear a month or two later, but it doesn't appear to be at a reduced price, at least not yet.)
October 7, 2025
Thank You
Having received his permission to do so, I've added Shareq's name to my Thank You page in recognition for his October 3 contribution (see below).
October 4, 2025
Very happy birthday wishes to Chris Lowe!
Strange But True Incidents Involving the Pet Shop Boys
Thanks so much to Andrew Shaw for sharing with me some information that, unsure of where else to put it, I've added (at Andrew's suggestion) as the latest item on my page devoted to "strange but true incidents involving the Pet Shop Boys." I've placed it there under the header "Neil inadvertently inspires some Latin text in a new 'classical' work." Check it out!
October 3, 2025
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to first-time correspondent Shareq for calling into question a few entries in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs on which Johnny Marr has done guest work. I had listed there that Marr plays guitar on "All Over the World," "More Than a Dream," and "Legacy" on their album Yes. But, as Shareq pointed out, there doesn't seem to be any data to support these credits. In response to his inquiry, I went back and looked at the credits for those tracks on releases of Yes. Sure enough, Marr isn't credited on any of them. I find this extremely curious in that I wouldn't have simply "made up" those three credits out of whole cloth. I must've gotten them from some source, years ago, that I felt sufficiently trustworthy. Nevertheless, since I can't back it up now, I seem to have little choice but to delete those three credits for Marr, which I've now done. But if any of you can shed any further light on this matter, perhaps verifying (with the appropriate source to back it up) that Marr did indeed perform on any of those tracks, please let me know. [UPDATE: See my October 12 entry above.]
Thanks also to Jules Chance for catching a typo, now corrected, on my page devoted to song "I'm Not Scared."
October 1, 2025
PSB Concert Tours
The Pet Shop Boys are continuing their Dreamworld Tour into 2026, today announcing a U.K. show at the Lytham Festival next July 4. I've updated my PSB Concert Tours page accordingly.
September 28, 2025
Song Annotations
Thanks to Andrew Shaw for alerting me to a possible "Noël Coward connection" in the line "Somehow the grass is much greener" in the Pet Shop Boys' "Miracles." I discuss this briefly in a new first annotation to my commentary on that song.
And thanks as well to Steve N. for pointing out that the sounds of a train approaching the station appear (rather subtly) at the end of "King's Cross," a fact I've now inserted as a new second annotation to that song's commentary.
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to Jeff Schapira for catching a typo, now corrected, in my list of notorious rumors about the Pet Shop Boys. What makes it especially noteworthy is that this particular typo had been there for a long time—certainly more than ten years, probably closer to twenty. Great catch, Jeff!
Just to Clarify…
Spurred by an inquiry from a regular site visitor (who in this case has asked to remain anonymous), I wish to make it totally clear that the "Wayne Studer" who has posted a number of tracks to SoundCloud has nothing, nothing, nothing, NOTHING whatsoever to do with me. I don't know who that is and I don't know anything about the music. I don't even much care for it. And I didn't know of its existence about it until about 30 minutes ago. I wish there were some way I could post something there saying, "Not to be confused with the Wayne Studer who runs the Pet Shop Boys website," but I can't. And I don't have copyright/trademark control over my name. As it turns out, there are quite a few other Wayne Studers out there, including some that are dead. In hindsight, I guess I should've used my middle name (or at least my middle initial) for my public endeavors, but it's much too late now. Live and learn.
September 27, 2025
Song Annotations
Thanks so much to Martin Grieben for sharing some observations about the song "Searching for the Face of Jesus" drawn from Peter Guralnick's 1999 book Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley, which Neil has described as an important source of information for the lyrics. Martin's input has inspired me to make adjustments and additions to several of the annotations to my commentary on that song.
September 26, 2025
Song Annotations
Thanks to Rafael Moretti for writing to me about something I had already noticed but which I hadn't yet commented on, but will now. On Hotspot the song "Dreamland" is credited to Pet Shop Boys and Years & Years. But on Disco 5 it's credited to "Pet Shop Boys feat. Olly Alexander." As I discuss briefly in a new annotation to my commentary on that song, this change apparently reflects the completion of a transition that was already underway when Hotspot was released, that of Years & Years becoming purely a solo vehicle for Alexander. He's almost certainly the only member of that band performing on the track, which the revised credit would seem to confirm.
Tracks in Which Only One of the Boys Was Deeply Involved
I've posted a new page for the upcoming song "Drumroll" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, on which Neil will apparently appear as a guest vocalist, in my section devoted to tracks in which only only of the Boys was deeply involved. (If it turns out that Chris is involved as well, I'll move this page to the appropriate section of my website.)
September 25, 2025
Pet Shop Boys' U.K. 1985-1994 Singles Sales Facts & Figures
Thanks so much to long-time site visitor but (I believe) first-time correspondent Matt Flynn for sharing with me the results of his research (using data from the British Phonographic Industry) into the U.K. sales figures for the Pet Shop Boys' singles from 1985 through 1994, which (with his blessing) I've used to create and post a new page for my "Extras" section: the Pet Shop Boys' U.K. 1985-1994 Singles Sales Facts & Figures. I hope you find it as interesting as I do. In recognition of this contribution, I've added Matt's name to my Thank You page.
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to Raymond Merkh for reporting two typos, now corrected, in my September 24 entry below. And thanks as well to Rafael Moretti for catching a typo, also now corrected, on my new page devoted to Disco 5.
September 24, 2025
Breaking News!
The Pet Shop Boys have just announced on their website that a new album, Disco 5, will be released on November 21, consisting of tracks they have remixed for others as well as two songs they've recorded in recent years in collaboration with other artists. Remarkably, they've also reached back more than 30 years to include their 1993 production of Carroll Thompson's remake of the dance classic "Let the Music Play" for the soundtrack of The Crying Game.
It took me a couple of hours, but I've now managed to put together a highly tentative new section for Disco 5, which involved moving the pages for most of its tracks from other sections. Because of all this movement, there's a substantial risk of broken links. I've fixed all that I could find, but a few may have slipped past me. If you happen to find any, please let me know. Also, unless you clear your browser cache on a regular basis, your computer may retain old versions of those pages, which may result in seemingly broken links that won't be "fixed" until your cache is cleared. The page for the Disco 5 album itself (as opposed for the individual song pages) is especially tentative, and I expect to be making adjustments and additions as time permits and as new information becomes available.
September 23, 2025
PSB "Singles" That Weren't
PSB Song ChronologyThanks to Matteo for sharing some information about "No Time for Tears" that motivates the addition of some additional text about it in its entry in my list of Pet Shop Boys "singles" that weren't as well as an adjustment to its position in my "PSB Song Chronology."
Speaking of that chronology, one of my site visitors wrote to point out that I had failed to include "Getting Away with It" despite including "The Patience of a Saint." As I explained, I include the latter song because both Neil and Chris are credited on it, whereas only Neil is credited on the former (which explains why "Disappointed" isn't in the chronology as well). Although it has since been revealed that Chris does indeed play an uncredited role on "Getting Away with It," I'm sticking to my guns and keeping that song out of the chronology for fearing of opening the proverbial can of worms. In other words, I'm letting the "official" credits take precedence here. I do have a tremendous aversion to cans of worms.
September 21, 2025
PSB Links
I'm delighted to report that the Pet Shop Boys Community Forum is back up and running this morning! As Joni Mitchell once famously sang, "You don't know what you got 'til it's gone." Thanks to Dave F for writing to let me know.
PSB Songs That Have Been Used in TV Commercials
Thanks to Christopher Rodkey for letting me know that the H&M commercial featuring "West End Girls" is now running in the States. I've thus updated what I've said about this in my list of PSB songs used in TV commercials.
September 20, 2025
FAQ
Thanks so much to John McFadden, who's attending the "40 Years of Erasure" event this weekend in London, for letting me know that, in response to an attendee's question "If you could create a supergroup, who would be in it?" Andy Bell replied, "I think the Pet Shop Boys and us." I've now recorded this fact on my FAQ page devoted to a comparison of PSB and Erasure.
September 19, 2025
Mixes/Versions
Since the Pet Shop Boys themselves have acknowledged the new Bryce Miller Monster Mix of "It's a Sin" (noted below on September 15), calling it "stunning," I've added it to my "Mixes/Versions" list for that song under the "Official but unreleased" category since, as far as I know at this time, it's available only on the trailer for the Netflix miniseries Monster: The Ed Gein Story.
September 18, 2025
PSB Links
Several of my site visitors have written to ask about the Pet Shop Boys Community Forum (subtitled "I Like to Think of It as Home"), which has long been a staple of online PSB fandom but which suddenly and without explanation appears to have gone missing in action for the past several days. I'm afraid it's as much a mystery to me as it is to everyone else, and I don't know how to contact its administrator(s) since, whenever I've done so in the past, I always did it through the Forum itself. If I somehow learn more about it, I'll be sure to post what I find here. In the meantime, let's hope this valuable resource for fans returns soon!
September 16, 2025
Updates/Corrections
Thanks to Gavin Kagan for sharing information about the new mix of "It's a Sin" being used in the trailer for Monster: The Ed Gein Story (as described yesterday, below). It appears to have been created by U.S. film/television score composer Bryce Miller (not to be confused with the same-named major league baseball player), who has taken credit for it in a recent Instagram post. There he says of it, "From a hauntingly whimsical rendition in the open to full psychotic operatic madness in the second half, this was a fun one to bring to life!" Miller reportedly has a track record of creating new mixes of popular songs for precisely such purposes. Again, we don't know yet whether his new mix of this Pet Shop Boys classic will be used in the series itself. If I were a betting man, I'd guess not. But I'm not a betting man. At any rate, I've appropriately updated the pertinent text on this subject in my list of PSB songs that have been used in TV commercials.
And thanks again for Paulo Malucelli for following up with me on our task of repairing broken links. I had missed a few, which he brought to my attention, but I think I've fixed them all now.
September 15, 2025
PSB Songs That Have Been Used in TV Commercials
I've just learned that a possibly unique mix (at least it doesn't ring a bell with me) of the Pet Shop Boys' classic "It's a Sin" is very prominently featured through nearly the entire length of a trailer/advertisement for the new eight-episode Netflix miniseries Monster: The Ed Gein Story, based on the notorious serial killer. I don't know yet, however, whether it will appear in the series itself. So, in the meantime, I've made note of this fact in the entry for that song at #11 in my list of PSB songs that have been used in TV commercials (a list in which I've included lengthy trailers in the past). If you would like to see this trailer for yourself, it's available on YouTube. I'm indebted to the "PSB, Please" Facebook group for bringing this to my attention.
Updates/Corrections
Thanks so very much to Paulo Malucelli for alerting me to literally dozens of internal broken links scattered throughout my website, which he had tracked down using a software routine. It took me well over an hour to locate and repair all of these broken links, but I think I've now taken care of it. I really appreciate it, Paulo!
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