Past PSB Survey Results - 2003 Surveys

This page presents the results of surveys I've conducted in the year 2003. The results of surveys conducted in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 appear on separate pages.

Note: I do vote in my own surveys—and, yes, I vote only once. More often than not, what I vote for doesn't come in first place (although I've actually been doing "better" in that department recently). In the results below, the symbol ¤ appears after the item(s) that I voted for in each survey.

Survey 139 - Week of December 28, 2003
Given or received PSB-related gifts? (148 voters)

Have you ever given or received a PSB-related item (record, tape, CD, video, DVD, book, etc.) as a gift to or from someone else?

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Survey 138 - Week of December 21, 2003
Song hurt the most by the single edit? (128 voters)

Of the Pet Shop Boys singles that are merely edits* of the original album track—not identical, but not a remix or a remake, either—which one do you believe "suffers" the most from the edit? (To put it another way, which edit "hurts" the song the most?)

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Survey 137 - Week of December 14, 2003
Prefer album version to single mix? (126 voters)

A number of Pet Shop Boys single mixes have been significantly different from (that is, more than just an edit of) the original album mix. In which of the following cases do you prefer the album mix over the single mix? (Please select all that apply.*)

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Survey 136 - Week of December 7, 2003
Remix preferred to single/album version? (208 voters)

Which Pet Shop Boys singles have, in your opinion, at least one official remix that substantially improves on the single or original album version—a remix that you prefer listening to as opposed to the single or the original album track? (Please select all that apply.*)

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Survey 135 - Week of November 30, 2003
Favorite art/packaging of a single (170 voters)

Which PSB single's cover art (that is, packaging/sleeve graphics) is your favorite? (Since many of the singles have had more than one cover, please consider each of those as a "set.")

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Survey 134 - Week of November 23, 2003
PSB/Erasure collaboration? (186 voters)

Pet Shop Boys and Erasure- If you could choose only one of the following to occur, which would it be?

Survey 133 - Week of November 16, 2003
Which interviews/popumentaries have you heard? (125 voters)

Through the years, a number of lengthy radio interviews or "popumentaries" with the Pet Shop Boys have been broadcast and subsequently made available to fans. Which of the following PSB interviews or popumentaries have you heard? (Please select all that apply.)*

Survey 132 - Week of November 9, 2003
Neil's comments about online fan forums (177 voters)

Near the end of the recent BBC Radio 2 documentary Pet Shop Boys, Really, Neil made some rather controversial comments about online PSB fandom-fan forums in particular. Which of the following statements comes closest to how you feel about what Neil said?

Survey 131 - Week of November 2, 2003
How do you feel about "Paris City Boy"? (166 voters)

Which of the following statements comes closest to how you feel about the news that the Pet Shop Boys have re-recorded "New York City Boy" as "Paris City Boy" for the French edition of PopArt?

Survey 130 - Week of October 26, 2003
Predicted U.K. chart peak for "Miracles" (158 voters)

What do you honestly believe will be the peak position on the U.K. pop chart for the "Miracles" single when it's released a few weeks from now?*

Based upon these percentages, multiplying each by the mean figure for the respective choice and then summing the results, one could make an admittedly crude estimation that the survey participants' "collective prediction" of the peak U.K. singles chart position for "Miracles" will be #14. (The actual calculation comes to 14.0505.)

*November 23, 2003 update: As it turns out, "Miracles" debuted at #10 on the U.K. singles chart. Since the usual pattern for established artists these days is for them to peak at their debut position, #10 will almost certainly prove to be its peak position as well. So the "second-place" 23.4% who predicted "In the Top 10 (#6 - #10)" were correct! And our "collective prediction" proved to underestimate "Miracles" and/or the U.K. singles-buying public just a bit. (At least that's preferable to overestimating them. )

Survey 129 - Week of October 19, 2003
Will you see Bright Young Things? (134 voters)

In light of the fact that the Pet Shop Boys' recordings have reportedly been rejected for use in the upcoming film Bright Young Things, are you inclined to see the movie when it comes out?*

Survey 128 - Week of October 12, 2003
Preferred genre for PSB film soundtrack (126 voters)

If Chris and Neil were to write-and perhaps but not necessarily perform-the complete soundtrack music of a new motion picture in which they themselves did not appear, what type of film would you prefer it to be?

Survey 127 - Week of October 5, 2003
Which upcoming releases will you definitely buy? (197 voters)

Pet Shop Boys fans will be treated, over the next two months or so, to several new releases-with some "redundancies" involved. Which of the following are you definitely planning on buying? (Please select all that apply.)*

Survey 126 - Week of September 28, 2003
PopArt tracklisting (144 voters)

Which of the following statements comes closest to your opinion of the choice of tracks on the upcoming PopArt collection?

Survey 125 - Weeks of September 14 and 21, 2003
Title and format of upcoming hits collection (185 voters)

Which of the following statements comes closest to how you feel about the news from the official PSB website that the upcoming greatest hits album will be a two-disc set titled PopArt?

Survey 124 - Week of September 7, 2003
How many friends are PSB fans? (175 voters)

In your circle of personal (that is, non-Internet) friends, how many are also Pet Shop Boys fans?

Survey 123 - Week of August 31, 2003
Which PSB song do you most want to hear live? (137 voters)

Of all of the songs that have been officially released by the Pet Shop Boys on their own albums and singles (including b-sides) but which they haven't yet performed live in concert, which would you most like to hear them perform live?

… plus one vote (00.7%) for each of the following:

*As it turns out, I was mistaken to include "Friendly Fire" and "Nothing Has Been Proved" in the options. The Pet Shop Boys actually did perform "Friendly Fire" during at least two of their Somewhere concerts at London's Savoy Theatre, and they performed "Nothing Has Been Proved" during their first major tour. I wish I could have contacted the people who voted for those songs, giving them a chance to pick other songs as alternatives. But since my surveys are completely anonymous, I had no way of doing this. I apologize for these errors.

**This was a "write-in vote" by someone who said that, seeing as how the Boys have performed only a single verse and chorus of "Tonight Is Forever" as an "offstage prelude" to their DiscoVery shows, he wanted to vote for hearing it in its entirety. I can see his point.

Survey 122 - Week of August 24, 2003
Has reading changed your opinion of PSB? (126 voters)

Have your opinions or attitudes about the Pet Shop Boys changed as a result of reading about them-particularly in the Literally fan club magazine and/or Chris Heath's books?

Survey 121 - Week of August 17, 2003
Do you own the 2001 reissues? (166 voters)

Do you own the 2001 reissues of the Pet Shop Boys' albums with the "Further Listening" bonus discs?

Survey 120 - Week of August 10, 2003
Which singles should appear on the "greatest hits"? (168 voters)

Assuming that, like Discography, the single-disc Pet Shop Boys "greatest hits" collection scheduled for release late this autumn will have 18 tracks, two of which are reserved for brand-new singles, which 16 of the previous UK and US singles should appear on this CD?

Note: The 16 singles that received the most votes are highlighted in red below. The figure indicates the percentage of voters who included that song among their selections. Because voters could make up to 16 choices, the percentage total is considerably greater than 100%. In case you're wondering about my own votes (¤), my rationale was that I would personally prefer if the upcoming hits collection didn't overlap with Discography, but take up where it left off. Actually, a substantial number of voters— 27 (16.1%) of them, to be precise—voted only for songs that didn't appear on Discography. I realize, however, that for commercial reasons, a "post-Discography-only" collection will probably not be released.*

A pretty good "career anthology," if you ask me. I'll be very surprised, however, if "Absolutely Fabulous," "Paninaro '95," and "Somewhere" don't make it on to the actual CD—or, for that matter, the single remixes of "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" and "Yesterday, When I Was Mad"—since none them have appeared in their single versions on the regular editions of any PSB albums. Of course, it's just a matter of time before we see how accurate this "collective preference" turns out to be!

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Survey 119 - Week of August 3, 2003
"The Rating Project" Part 17: "Overlooked" and unreleased songs (112 voters)

Please rate each of the following previously "overlooked" or officially unreleased songs by the Pet Shop Boys on a scale of 0 to 10 as they compare with other PSB songs (0 = "one of the worst PSB songs ever"; 5 = "an average PSB song"; 10 = "one of the very best PSB songs ever"):

Song (Listed from Highest Average Rating to Lowest)
Average
Rating
% of
voters
ranking
10
% of
voters
ranking
0
Wayne's
Rating¤
You've Got to Start Somewhere
7.522
14.3%
0.9%
8
Bright Young Things
7.478
7.1%
0.0%
5
Hallo Spaceboy
7.438
10.7%
0.0%
4
A Powerful Friend
7.222
12.5%
0.0%
5
A Little Black Dress
6.597
3.6%
0.0%
8
Tall Thin Men
6.186
6.3%
0.0%
7
The Living Daylights (aka "James Bond Instrumental #2)
5.545
3.6%
0.9%
0
Bubadubadubadum (aka "All My Wasted Time")
5.461
7.1%
0.9%
3
In the Club or in the Queue
5.382
3.6%
1.8%
1
The Noise
4.962
1.8%
1.8%
0
Oh, Dear (aka "Walking Down the High Street")
4.879
4.5%
2.7%
2
Pet Shop Boys
3.829
3.6%
7.1%
0

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Survey 118 - Week of July 27, 2003
"The Rating Project" Part 16: Closer to Heaven songs (89 voters)

Please rate each of the songs from the Pet Shop Boys' stage musical Closer to Heaven that they themselves haven't yet officially released in their own renditions on a scale of 0 to 10 as they compare with other PSB songs (0 = "one of the worst PSB songs ever"; 5 = "an average PSB song"; 10 = "one of the very best PSB songs ever"):

Song (Listed from Highest Average Rating to Lowest)
Average
Rating
% of
voters
ranking
10
% of
voters
ranking
0
Wayne's
Rating¤
My Night
7.644
19.1%
0.0%
7
Call Me Old-Fashioned
7.349
10.1%
0.0%
5
For All of Us
7.148
19.1%
2.2%
5
Something Special
6.756
5.6%
0.0%
6
Out of My System
6.686
7.9%
3.4%
8
It's Just My Little Tribute to Caligula, Darling
6.523
9.0%
1.1%
2
Run Girl Run!
6.214
10.1%
2.2%
4
Nine Out of Ten
5.895
1.1%
2.2%
3
Hedonism
5.093
2.2%
5.6%
0
K-Hole
4.318
1.1%
10.1%
0

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Survey 117 - Week of July 20, 2003
"The Rating Project" Part 15: Songs written for/with other artists (119 voters)

Please rate each of the Pet Shop Boys' collaborations with Electronic as well as the songs that Neil and Chris have written for other artists but which haven't yet been officially released in "PSB versions" on a scale of 0 to 10 as they compare with other PSB songs (0 = "one of the worst PSB songs ever"; 5 = "an average PSB song"; 10 = "one of the very best PSB songs ever"):

Song (Listed from Highest Average Rating to Lowest)
Average
Rating
% of
voters
ranking
10
% of
voters
ranking
0
Wayne's
Rating¤
Disappointed (Electronic)
8.431
32.8%
0.0%
9
Getting Away with It (Electronic)
7.912
22.7%
0.0%
7
In Private (Dusty Springfield)
7.370
15.1%
1.7%
8
Patience of a Saint (Electronic)
7.292
10.9%
0.8%
3
Daydreaming (Dusty Springfield)
6.772
6.7%
1.7%
5
If There Was Love (Liza Minnelli)
6.582
5.9%
0.0%
9
I Want You Now (Liza Minnelli)
6.385
3.4%
0.0%
8
Occupy Your Mind (Dusty Springfield)
6.351
7.6%
1.7%
5
Don't Drop Bombs (Liza Minnelli)
6.216
5.0%
1.7%
4
All or Nothing (Miyuki Motegi)
6.146
1.7%
0.0%
2
I Can't Say Goodnight (Liza Minnelli)
5.719
2.5%
2.5%
1
Love Life (Alcazar)
5.705
2.5%
1.7%
6
Do the Right Thing (Ian Wright)
4.268
0.8%
4.2%
0

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Survey 116 - Week of July 13, 2003
"The Rating Project" Part 14: Disco 3 and Release b-sides (150 voters)

Please rate each of the "new" songs on Disco 3 as well as the b-sides/bonus tracks from the singles of the "Release era" on a scale of 0 to 10 as they compare with other PSB songs (0 = "one of the worst PSB songs ever"; 5 = "an average PSB song"; 10 = "one of the very best PSB songs ever"):

Song (Listed from Highest Average Rating to Lowest)
Average
Rating
% of
voters
ranking
10
% of
voters
ranking
0
Wayne's
Rating¤
Somebody Else's Business
7.799
24.0%
0.0%
7
Always
7.677
23.3%
0.0%
6
Try It (I'm in Love with a Married Man)
7.400
24.0%
2.0%
2
Positive Role Model
7.136
10.7%
0.7%
6
Between Two Islands
7.026
15.3%
0.7%
4
Time on My Hands
6.951
11.3%
0.0%
4
Sexy Northerner
6.938
18.0%
3.3%
5
If Looks Could Kill*
6.732
12.0%
0.7%
3
Friendly Fire*
6.732
11.3%
2.0%
6
Break 4 Love
6.277
9.3%
2.0%
5
Nightlife
6.144
8.7%
2.7%
7
Searching for the Face of Jesus
5.426
4.7%
2.7%
5
*Although it would appear that "If Looks Could Kill" and "Friendly Fire" are tied with an average rating of 6.732, that's only because the average is rounded to the nearest thousandth. If you extend the degree of accuracy to the hundred-thousandth place, you'll find that "If Looks Could Kill" has an average rating of 6.73239, whereas the average rating of "Friendly Fire" is 6.73228. Thus, "If Looks Could Kill" is ranked ahead of "Friendly Fire."

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Survey 115 - Week of July 6, 2003
"The Rating Project" Part 13: b-sides/bonus tracks of the "Nightlife era" (128 voters)

Please rate each of the Pet Shop Boys' b-sides and bonus tracks of the "Nightlife era" as well as several previously unreleased demos on the 2001 album reissue "Further Listening" discs on a scale of 0 to 10 as they compare with other PSB songs (0 = "one of the worst PSB songs ever"; 5 = "an average PSB song"; 10 = "one of the very best PSB songs ever"):

Song (Listed from Highest Average Rating to Lowest)
Average
Rating
% of
voters
ranking
10
% of
voters
ranking
0
Wayne's
Rating¤
So Sorry, I Said
7.754
18.0%
0.0%
5
Nothing Has Been Proved
6.877
10.2%
1.6%
9
Falling
6.755
6.3%
0.0%
7
The Ghost of Myself
6.477
10.2%
0.8%
6
Lies
6.342
7.8%
0.8%
5
Casting a Shadow
6.038
7.0%
1.6%
2
Sail Away
5.696
5.5%
1.6%
1
Silver Age
5.679
4.7%
1.6%
4
Screaming
5.595
4.7%
3.9%
3
Generic Jingle
4.729
8.6%
9.4%
0
Je T'Aime… Moi Non Plus
4.288
4.7%
10.2%
1

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Survey 114 - Week of June 29, 2003
"The Rating Project" Part 12: b-sides/bonus tracks of the "Bilingual era" (138 voters)

Please rate each of the Pet Shop Boys' b-sides and bonus tracks of the "Bilingual era" on a scale of 0 to 10 as they compare with other PSB songs (0 = "one of the worst PSB songs ever"; 5 = "an average PSB song"; 10 = "one of the very best PSB songs ever"):