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What's New? – Recent Updates & Additions

October 17, 2024

PSB Remixers

Thanks to Tobias Gadau for catching an error, now corrected, I had made with regard to Boy Harsher (namely, which song they've remixed) on my page devoted to the Pet Shop Boys' remixers. He also shared some information with me about a July 2024 interview with Neil on the U.K. radio show This Classical Life in which he discussed, among other things, the unreleased track "In the Club or in the Queue," which inspired me to make a few additions to my commentary on that song.

October 16, 2024

Celebrity Fans of the Pet Shop Boys Outside the Field of Music

Thanks to Lee Richards for letting me know (along with the requisite evidence) that Japanese video game designer/producer Hideo Kojima deserves a spot in my list of celebrity fans of the Pet Shop Boys outside the field of music.

PSB Songs Used in Non-musical Films and TV Shows

Thanks to Gary Beavan from Nottingham for telling me about the use of "Feel" on today's edition of The One Show. I've noted this fact in a new entry for that song at #107 in my list of PSB songs used in non-musical films and TV shows.

October 15, 2024

Breaking News!

The Pet Shop Boys have just announced the pending release next month of a fifth single from Nonetheless, namely "New London Boy," paired with "All the Young Dudes" as a double-A single. They will be released digitally and on two CD singles with remixes and a pair of bonus tracks, "Clean Air Hybrid Electric Bus" and the previously unreleased "Beauty Has Laid Siege to the City." I've also made a few appropriate additions to my page devoted to remixers for the Boys.

Updates/Corrections

Having received his permission to do so, I've added Simon Sloane's name to my Thank You page in recognition of his contribution of information yesterday (see just below). Thanks again, Simon!

Fan Inquiry

One of my regular site visitors, Patrick Seyve (aka Cubitainer), has been searching without luck for the modified version of the Dub Mix of "Always on My Mind" that can be heard in trailers for the film All of Us Strangers (though not in the film itself, which uses the far more familiar single version). So he asked me to put the matter before you, our fellow fans. Are any of you aware of whether a full-length recording of this new version of the AOMM Dub Mix is available anywhere? If so, please let me know and I'll pass that information on to Patrick as well as share it here. Thanks so much!

October 14, 2024

PSB Songs That Have Been Used in TV Commercials

Thanks to Simon Sloane for letting me know that an edited but lengthy version of the Pet Shop Boys classic "Left to My Own Devices" is being used in a new commercial for the U.K. mobile/broadband provider EE. So I've now added that song at #15 to my list of PSB songs that have been used in TV commercials. And if you would like to see this ad, it's available online. And let me just say that the PSB music, together with the imaginative nature of the ad itself, makes it considerably more enjoyable to watch than most other commercials, its two-minute length notwithstanding!

October 13, 2024

Updates/Corrections

Thanks to Richard Firth for providing some background information about the song "Closer to Heaven" of which I was unaware. This has led me to make an update to what I say about the influence of Babylon Zoo (attested to by the Boys themselves) on the song.

October 6, 2024

Updates/Corrections

Two days ago I updated my website's entry for The Hidden Cameras' "Colour of a Man," remixed by the Pet Shop Boys, in response to their official website's notification that it's finally seeing official physical release. I didn't feel the need to call it out on this page because it had already received attention there. But a couple of site visitors have written to me about it, so I guess I do need to make note of it here on my "What's New?" page as well.

Also, it seems that there's some uncertainty about the authenticity of the "Party in the Blitz" promo that I mentioned yesterday (see just below). It may be a bootleg. But I just don't know for sure at this point. I'll see if I can learn anything more definite about it. If I do, I'll make any appropriate adjustments.

October 5, 2024

Mixes/Versions

Thanks to Sotirios Dimadis for letting me know about a new Parlophone promo CD that seems to give the "Loneliness" b-side "Party in the Blitz" the quasi-single treatment. This promo CD features "Party in the Blitz" exclusively with four official Superchumbo mixes—two that had been previously released and two more previously unreleased, including a "radio mix." This promo has been issued in the U.K. and Germany. Could it be that Parlophone believes "Party in the Blitz" has single potential in Germany? I'm going to see if I can learn more about this before I seriously consider adding it to my list of PSB "singles that weren't." In the meantime, I've gone ahead and noted these two additional mixes in the "Mixes/Versions" section on my page devoted to that song.

October 4, 2024

Happy birthday to Chris Lowe!

October 3, 2024

Mixes/Versions

Thanks to José Díaz for sharing information about authentic but officially unreleased mixes ("Pre-Release Metropolis Mastering Demos") of "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More" and "In Denial," which I've used to update my entries for the mixes/versions of those songs.

September 30, 2024

Updates/Corrections

Thanks to Dean Langridge for noting that Pete Gleadall mixed the "Deutsches Demo" of "The Schlager Hit Parade" and for pointing out a few spots where I had incorrectly titled that demo "Deutsche Demo," now corrected.

Song Annotations

Thanks to Steve N. for suggesting that the line "Trees are sighing poetry again" may be an allusion to the 1890 poem "The Hill Pines Were Sighing" by the British poet Robert Seymour Bridges, which I've noted in a new annotation to "The Secret of Happiness."

September 28, 2024

PSB Songs That Have Been Used in Films and "Non-musical" TV Shows

Thanks to Jens Boldt for letting me know that "Heart" was used in a May 2024 episode of the German documentary series Terra X History. I've noted this in my entry for that song at #53 of my list of Pet Shop Boys songs that have been used in films and "non-musical" TV shows.

Song Annotations

Thanks so much to Richard Firth for correcting me on the "chronology," so to speak, of the addition of Sylvester's vocals to Patrick Cowley's dance hit "Menergy," which I mention in an annotation to my commentary on the Pet Shop boys track "Axis."

September 24, 2024

My 30 Favorite PSB Songs, Period

Thanks to Vladis Lim for noticing an inconsistency in my personal rankings of Pet Shop Boys songs. On my page for the album Yes I had ranked "The Way It Used to Be" above "More Than a Dream." Yet "The Way It Used to Be" doesn't appear at all among my 30 favorite PSB songs, whereas "More Than a Dream" does. How can this be?

Well, it can be because my opinions change over time. When I first rated those songs, I slightly preferred "The Way It Used to Be" over "More Than a Dream." But with time my personal feelings about those songs have shifted a bit, so that nowadays it's the other way around.

Actually, I think this is a case (fairly common with me) in which I can acknowledge one song as "better" than another yet nevertheless personally "prefer" the inferior of the two. It's an intellectual vs. emotional thing. For instance, I believe "The Winner Takes It All" is ABBA's masterpiece, the single greatest record they ever made. Nevertheless, it's not among my three favorites; I personally prefer "Dancing Queen," "Lay All Your Love on Me," and "One of Us." (That being said, I probably would rank "The Winner Takes It All" as #4.)

At any rate, to rectify this inconsistency, I've modified the rankings of my three favorite Yes songs on my page for that album. Thanks again, Vladis, for catching me on this!

September 23, 2024

Song Analyses

The Pet Shop Boys' official website recently posted the lyrics of the recent b-side "Everybody Will Dance," which has inspired me to make quite substantial revisions to my commentary on that song. Yes, being able to read the complete, accurate lyrics in print can make a world of difference in one's interpretation!

PSB Songs That Have Been Used in Films and "Non-musical" TV Shows

Thanks to Paul Lefrere for letting me know that "Heart" can be heard in a recent edition of the U.K. "reality show" My Mum, Your Dad. I've now noted this fact in its entry at #53 in my list of PSB songs used in films and non-musical TV shows.

September 19, 2024

Wayne's "PSB Dreams"

Well, last night it happened again: I had one of my occasional dreams about the Pet Shop Boys. Actually, this one really didn't seem to be "about" them; rather, they were more like peripheral guest stars. Nevertheless, they were in it, and therefore this dream merits a new spot for last night on the page detailing my "PSB dreams."

September 16, 2024

PSB Songs That Have Been Used in Films and Non-Musical TV Shows

I've noted the facts that "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" and "Always on My Mind" have been used in recent episodes of the UK/US series Industry in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs that have been used in films and non-musical TV shows (appearing at #6 and #16, respectively).

Song Annotations
PSB Lyrics That Include Non-English Words and Phrases

A couple of my site visitors have suggested some slight language-related revisions:

  • First, I thank Vladis Lim (whose name I've just added to my Thank You page), a native Russian-speaker, for letting me know that the Russian word больше, which very closely approximates "bolshy," can (and, in context, perhaps more accurately) mean "bigger" as well as the previously noted "more." I've noted this fact in an adjustment to the first bullet-point annotation to my commentary on the song "Bolshy."

  • Second, thanks to Regis P, a native French-speaker, for sharing his input about the possibly problematic phrase Va tien as it appears in the Pet Shop Boys' website's official lyrics for "Paris City Boy." I've employed the information he shared to make some modifications to my tentative translations both on my page devoted to that song and to its entry in my list of PSB lyrics that include non-English words and phrases. (And in case you're wondering why "Bolshy" does not appear in that list, it's because that, from my perspective, that song doesn't actually use a Russian word but rather an English slang term that happens to sound like a Russian word.)

Mixes/Versions

Thanks to Sotirios Dimadis for telling me about a couple of additional authorized remixes of recent PSB tracks: a Superchumbo Dub of "Everybody Will Dance" and a Floorplan Instrumental of "Loneliness." I've updated my Mixes/Versions lists for these two songs accordingly.

September 12, 2024

Celebrity Fans of the Pet Shop Boys Outside the Field of Music

Thanks so much to Nigel Brand for following up on my post from yesterday (see just below) about author Daniel Handler and my speculation as to whether he was indeed a Pet Shop Boys fan. Nigel has provided the requisite evidence in the form of a YouTube video, with the relevant portion beginning about 27 minutes in. So I've now added Handler to my list of celebrity PSB fans outside the field of music. (Incidentally, although Handler is a musician, he's certainly not best known for his music but rather for his books, so he qualifies for the list.)

September 11, 2024

Updates/Corrections

I extend my sincere thanks to several regular site visitors for their contributions today:

  • Nigel Brand clued me in on a few updates I needed to make to my PSB live setlist table.
  • David B alerted me that the "PSB Extension Mix" of "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More" originally appeared on an Australian CD single. (FYI, my lists of locations where "Mixes/Versions" can be found aren't meant to be "complete" or comprehensive—I simply want to provide at least one place where each can be found—but I figured this was a good one to add.)
  • Hannah Costanzo shared with me an excerpt from the 2024 memoir And Then? And Then? What Else? by Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket, author of the A Series of Unfortunate Events books) in which he mentions the Pet Shop Boys and quotes a couplet from their song "I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)." If this were a novel rather than a memoir, I'd add it to my list of published novels that mention the Boys by name. And I'm tempted (but so far only tempted) to add his name to my list of celebrity PSB fans outside the field of music since I suspect it's rather unlikely that a non-fan would be familiar with that song. But I don't know that for a fact yet, and my research hasn't yet uncovered any stronger evidence. I'll keep trying, however.

September 10, 2024

Song Annotations

Thanks to Steve N. for pointing out that a couple of lines in "Love Is the Law" may have been inspired by a famous line spoken by Melanie Griffith in the 1988 film Working Girl. I've noted this in a new bullet-point annotation to my commentary on that song.

Songs That the Pet Shop Boys Have Performed Live

Thanks to Matteo for letting me know (with confirmation) that "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" has not been included in all of the Dreamworld Tour shows, especially toward the end of the tour. I've therefore modified its color-coding in my PSB live setlist table.

Updates/Corrections

Thanks to Nigel Brand for alerting me to an outdated reference to the Dreamworld Tour, now eliminated, on the aforementioned live setlist table (see just above).

Thanks also to Vladis Lim for pointing out that some information I provided about A-ha on my page for "Listening" is also outdated, which I've addressed by providing some updated info there.

September 9, 2024

Breaking News!

The Pet Shop Boys have just announced on their official website that they will release a special expanded edition of Nonetheless in late November, which will include (among other things) several brand new tracks, for which I've created preliminary pages:

September 3, 2024

Celebrity Fans of the Pet Shop Boys Outside the Field of Music

Thanks to Andrew Shaw for letting me know (with the requisite evidence) that British MP Polly Billington is a genuine Pet Shop Boys fan. I've therefore added her to my list of celebrity PSB fans outside the field of music.

September 2, 2024

Song Annotations

Thanks so much to Daniel B for correcting me on the German word lieder, which is plural rather than singular as I had originally stated in my related annotation to "The Schlager Hit Parade." (Never having studied the language in school, I'm not nearly as familiar with German as I am with Spanish and French, which I did study.) Daniel also observed that by singing those lines of the song in English, he avoids using the German word for "leader," Führer, which has unfortunate connotations on account of its association with Hitler. I've made the appropriate adjustments and addition.

August 30, 2024

Personal Observations

I didn't know until about 15 minutes before it started, but this evening my local PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) station aired an edited version of the Pet Shop Boys' Dreamworld concert—the same film that appeared in theaters earlier this year—as part of its annual pledge drive! Imagine—PSB on PBS! And (to my fellow Americans) if they aired it on my local PBS station, they may do it on yours as well (if they haven't already). Check your local listings to see if it will air soon! And I'm delighted that the Boys decided to support PBS in this way.

I also suspect this means that the Dreamworld DVD/Blu-ray will be available before too much longer!

Updates/Corrections

Thanks to Nigel Brand for reporting two typos as well as two somewhat outdated entries (for Lemon Jelly and Tomcraft) on my page devoted to the Pet Shop Boys' remixers. I've now made the appropriate corrections and updates. And thanks to Raymond Merkh for catching two other typos, now corrected, on that page and in yesterday's entry, just below.

August 29, 2024

Song Annotations

Thanks to Rasmus Keldorff to sharing his observation that "The Secret of Happiness" may be inspired, at least in part, by the annual Happiness Index by Country. I note this intriguing theory in a new annotation to my commentary on that song.

August 28, 2024

Song Annotations

Thanks to Nigel Brand for pointing out a pun in the use of the word "leader" in "The Schlager Hit Parade"—both the Nonetheless album version and in the "Deutsches demo," although it's much more obvious and effective in the latter than in the former. I discuss this pun briefly in a new final bullet-point annotation to my commentary on the song. Or maybe I should say "to my commentary on the lieder." And, regarding to that same song, I've also expanded a bit on the first annotation regarding the "Nazi connection," thanks to some useful input from Adam J.

PSB Songs That Have Been Used in Films and "Non-Musical" TV Shows

Thanks to Andrew Shaw for discovering that the three-part 2003 BBC documentary series Headhunting the Homeless, concerning the plight of the U.K.'s homeless population, opened and closed with Pet Shop Boys music. It turns out they employed segments of one of the Trouser Enthusiasts remixes of "A Red Letter Day"—probably the Congo Dongo Dubstramental, but possibly the very similar Autoerotic Decapitation Mix. I've noted this in the entry for that song at #46 in my list of PSB songs that have been used in films and "non-musical" TV shows. And it reminded me how much I love those particular remixes, so much so that I've long ranked one of them quite high among my all-time favorite remixes of PSB tracks. Time to go back for a refresher listen!

Updates/Corrections

I'm grateful to Danny Edmunds for informing me that, in addition to meaning "debated," the word "mooted" in U.K. English can also mean (and probably more often does indeed mean) "proposed." I've therefore modified what I've written about Neil's use of that word in talking about the Boys' abandoned consideration of asking the Village People to sing on "New York City Boy." Thanks, Danny!

August 27, 2024

Breaking News!

Thanks to C.M. for letting me know that, quite unexpectedly, the Pet Shop Boys have created and shared a delightful new music video for the German demo version of "The Schlager Hit Parade" featuring Chris's lead vocal. I've now noted it on my page that lists their music videos, placing it in the "peripheral" videos section since, after all, it's based on a demo as opposed to a single.

Updates/Corrections

Thanks to both Nigel Brand and Raymond Merkh for catching two separate typos (one each), now corrected, right here on this page.

August 26, 2024

PSB Songs Performed by Other Artists

Thanks to Paul Atkin for telling me about a terrific new cover of "Love Comes Quickly" by the collaborative teamwork of dance production/performing duo Young Parisians and the Grammy-nominated New York dance singer JES. It's faithful enough to the Pet Shop Boys' original to be "comfortable" yet different enough to be worthwhile, more than a clonish rehash. I've added it to my list of Tennant-Lowe songs performed by other artists.

August 22, 2024

Updates/Corrections

Thanks to José Díaz for offering several suggestions and interesting bits of information, a couple of which I've decided to incorporate into my website. The first is citing Tim Powell as the mixer of the Pet Shop Boys' rendition of "The Loving Kind," which I had previously listed as "unknown." The second is to elaborate a bit on the origins of "Positive Role Model," which I've now done by expanding the first paragraph of my commentary on that song.

August 21, 2024

PSB Music Videos

The new video for "Feel" has debuted on YouTube. I've therefore cited it on my page that offers capsule descriptions of the Pet Shop Boys' music videos. This reminds me, incidentally, that's it's probably high time for me to run a survey permitting my site visitors to rate their videos over the past couple of years. I'll plan on doing that soon, probably sometime within the next two or three weeks.

Updates/Corrections

Thanks to Matteo for pointing out that I had neglected to include thumbnail images of the sleeves of the two most recent Pet Shop Boys singles, "A New Bohemia" and "Feel." That oversight is now corrected.

Thanks as well to Oliver Hermes for alerting me to a typo, also now corrected, on my page for "The Schlager Hit Parade."

Song Annotations

Thanks to Steve N for reminding me that the opening line of "Everybody Will Dance," "I'm ready for my close-up," is almost certainly a very conscious quotation from the classic 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. I had actually noticed this when I first heard the song, but then it slipped my mind to mention it when I wrote my commentary on it yesterday. I've now added a new annotation to address this matter.

And thanks to Paulo Malucelli for telling me about a remarkable coincidence involving Robert Hood, the man behind the new Floorplan remix of "Loneliness," and the titles of a couple of past PSB releases. I describe it in a new annotation to my commentary on that song.

August 20, 2024

Breaking News!

The Pet Shop Boys have just announced that "Feel" is the fourth single from Nonetheless. Naturally, this has necessitated a number of updates, including:

There may be a couple of other adjustments that I've lost track of, and there may well be more forthcoming.

August 19, 2024

Song Annotations

On this day, the anniversary of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe first meeting in 1981, it's apt to address a matter that reaches back to their earliest days making music together. Site visitor Luis wrote to let me know that some fans have speculated online that the b-side "One Hit Wonder" may be a reworking of the early unreleased song "Bubadubadubadum." As I replied to Luis, I really don't think so—although I can definitely understand why some people may believe that. I discuss this matter, including my reasons for disagreeing with this theory, in a new annotation to my commentary on "One Hit Wonder."

August 18, 2024

Updates/Corrections

While listening yesterday to "Clean Air Hybrid Electric Bus," it suddenly dawned on me—I can't believe I hadn't noticed it before—that it's a tribute to Kraftwerk, very closely mimicking the sound, style, and even spirit of that highly influential German electronic band. In fact, I think that's pretty much what it's all about. I've therefore revised my commentary on that track accordingly.

Also, thanks to Nigel Brand for suggesting an explanation (having to do with the promiscuity of the Billie Trix character) for the seemingly non sequitur appearance of the phrase "Taxi zum klo" in the song "Ich bin Musik" as well as for catching an error I had made in dating the film of the same title in one of my references to it. I've made the appropriate adjustments.


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