Past PSB Survey Results - 2007 Surveys
This page presents the results of surveys I've conducted in the year 2007. The results of surveys conducted in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008 appear on separate pages.
Note: The response in each survey that received the most votes is highlighted in bold red. I usually list the responses in descending order according to the number of votes, but in a few cases I've decided that the results may be clearer or more meaningful if I list them in some other order. Incidentally, 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. In the results below, the symbol ¤ appears after the item(s) that I voted for in each survey.
| Survey
340 - Week of December 30, 2007 |
Please rate the Pet Shop Boys' music videos on a scale of 1 to 5 as they compare with each other (rather than with other artists' videos).
Note: Final rank is determined by average ratings. For the purposes of calculating averages, votes for videos designated "best" were assigned a value of 6 and those for "worst" were assigned a value of 0. (This doesn't have any effect on the final rankings, but it does "spread out" the average ratings a bit more, making them less bunched toward the middle.) The "% Worst" figure indicates the percentage of voters who designated that video the "worst"; similarly, the "% Best" figure indicates the percentage of voters who designated that video the "best." Abstentions for any particular video (and there were quite a few of them!) did not count in any way toward ratings, although they were taken into account in determining the percentage figures. I was surprised by the relatively large number of voters who did not designate a worst and/or best video; roughly a fifth of all voters refused to choose a "worst," and roughly a tenth refused to pick a "best."
Rank | Video | Avg. Rating | % Worst | % Best | Wayne's Rating ¤ |
1 | Being Boring | 4.509 | 0.8% | 19.4% | 4 |
2 | Can You Forgive Her? | 4.427 | 0.0% | 11.8% | 4 |
3 | Heart | 4.169 | 0.0% | 6.8% | 4 |
4 | Flamboyant | 4.104 | 0.4% | 3.8% | 3 |
5 | Go West | 4.083 | 0.4% | 4.2% | 5 |
6 | Domino Dancing | 4.056 | 0.4% | 3.0% | 4 |
7 | It's a Sin | 4.037 | 0.4% | 3.0% | 5 |
8 | I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't … | 3.904 | 0.8% | 4.2% | 4 |
9 | Single-Bilingual | 3.903 | 0.8% | 3.8% | 4 |
10 | What Have I Done to Deserve This? | 3.888 | 0.0% | 2.1% | 4 |
11 | I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing | 3.851 | 0.4% | 2.1% | "best" |
12 | Minimal | 3.822 | 0.4% | 1.3% | 3 |
13 | West End Girls | 3.705 | 0.4% | 2.1% | 3 |
14 | So Hard | 3.695 | 0.9% | 1.3% | 3 |
15 | Jealousy | 3.633 | 0.4% | 0.8% | 5 |
16 | Liberation | 3.609 | 0.4% | 1.3% | 5 |
17 | Integral | 3.608 | 2.1% | 1.7% | 3 |
18 | Yesterday, When I Was Mad | 3.595 | 0.8% | 0.8% | 3 |
19 | I'm with Stupid | 3.593 | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
20 | Miracles | 3.553 | 0.8% | 2.1% | 2 |
21 | DJ Culture | 3.514 | 0.8% | 2.1% | 5 |
22 | Rent | 3.500 | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1 |
23 | Suburbia | 3.481 | 0.4% | 0.4% | 3 |
24 | Se A Vida E | 3.462 | 0.4% | 0.8% | 2 |
25 | You Only Tell Me You Love Me When … | 3.386 | 0.4% | 1.7% | 4 |
26 | New York City Boy | 3.273 | 1.3% | 0.0% | 4 |
27 | How Can You Expect to Be Taken … | 3.260 | 1.3% | 0.4% | 5 |
28 | It's Alright | 3.203 | 1.3% | 0.8% | 2 |
29 | Paninaro '95 | 3.199 | 0.8% | 2.1% | 4 |
30 | Always on My Mind | 3.182 | 1.3% | 0.4% | 1 |
31 | Numb | 3.135 | 1.3% | 0.8% | 2 |
32 | Was It Worth It? | 3.089 | 2.1% | 0.4% | 4 |
33 | Where the Streets Have No Name … | 3.075 | 0.8% | 0.0% | 4 |
34 | Opportunities (Version 2) | 3.040 | 1.3% | 0.4% | 2 |
35 | A Red Letter Day | 3.010 | 3.4% | 0.4% | 3 |
36 | London | 3.000 | 2.1% | 0.0% | 2 |
37 | Left to My Own Devices | 2.825 | 1.7% | 0.0% | 2 |
38 | Somewhere | 2.793 | 1.7% | 0.0% | 1 |
39 | Before | 2.771 | 1.7% | 0.0% | 2 |
40 | I Get Along | 2.759 | 2.5% | 0.0% | 1 |
41 | Absolutely Fabulous | 2.742 | 3.0% | 0.0% | 3 |
42 | Love Comes Quickly | 2.680 | 3.0% | 0.4% | 2 |
43 | Opportunities (Version 1) | 2.676 | 3.4% | 0.0% | 2 |
44 | Paninaro | 2.609 | 3.4% | 0.0% | 1 |
45 | Home and Dry | 1.739 | 27.4% | 0.8% | "worst"
|
| Survey
339 - Week of December 23, 2007 |
Have you listened yet to "It Doesn't Often Snow at Christmas" this holiday season?
34.4% - "Yes, once or twice."
21.0% - "Yes, of course—repeatedly!" ¤
15.8% - "No, not yet—but now that you mention it, I'll make sure that I do!"*
13.4% - "I don't have a copy of it, so, no, I haven't."
11.3% - "No, I haven't, and I probably won't."
04.1% - "Not by design, but I did hear it somewhere 'accidentally' without having planned it."*Two voters wrote that they hadn't listened yet but were going to, though not because I had "mentioned it." Rather, it was their personal preference or even tradition to save it for Christmas morning.
| Survey
338 - Week of December 16, 2007 |
What has been your favorite PSB live tour show?
31.7% - The Performance Tour (1991) ¤
21.1% - The Fundamental Tour (2006-2007)
15.5% - The Nightlife Tour (1999)
12.4% - "I haven't seen enough of them to make a choice"
09.0% - The DiscoVery Tour (1994)
04.7% - The University/Release Tour(s) (2002)
03.1% - The MCMLXXXIX Tour (1989)
01.2% - The Somewhere Shows (1997)
00.6% - The 2004 Summer/Fall Shows
00.6% - Some other show not listed here*
00.0% - The 2000 Summer Tour*The only alternate choice that was specifically cited as favorite by a couple of voters was the Boys' performance at Creamfields 1999.
| Survey
337 - Week of December 9, 2007 |
The Pet Shop Boys have recently stated that they will soon begin writing songs for their next album. What musical style would you most like to dominate or characterize their next album?
30.9% - Electro/electronic
17.4% - "Retro" eighties synthpop
17.1% - No one style—I want a "mixed bag" ¤
08.7% - I'd like to be surprised with something altogether new for them
07.6% - Traditional dance/disco
05.4% - Symphonic
02.8% - House music
02.2% - Acoustic
01.7% - Pop ballads
01.4% - Jazz-pop
01.1% - Trance
01.1% - Something else not listed here*
00.8% - Art-rock/progressive
00.6% - Rock
00.6% - Rap/hip-hop
00.6% - Metal
00.0% - Non-synth pop*Among the "something else" choices suggested were:
- "I don't care what style it is, so long as it's good."
- "I'd like them to go down Tom Waits lane, and make something that requires no electricity (apart from whatever is needed to keep the studio running, of course)."
- "Something new and up with the times has got to happen. What about an electro/house music opera—sort of prog-house with a bit less singing. More like the Orb or Massive Attack's later stuff. That would be so cool."
- "Maybe an entire death-metal album. How fun would that be?"
- "What about an album of collaborations? Not just straight remixes like Killers, Rammstein, etc. Imagine the sonic boundaries that can be broken with collaborations with say old skool on one side, i.e. New Order, Depeche Mode, OMD, Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Duran Duran (I'm not joking) and then on the other side new skool, i.e. Cicada, Dylan Rhymes, Ladytron, Client, Rennie Pilgrem, etc."
| Survey
336 - Week of December 2, 2007 |
Many fans own multiple copies of Pet Shop Boys albums in alternate formats. On which format(s) do you own each PSB album?
vinyl | tape | CD | mp3 | special | total | |
Actually | 36.5% | 26.7% | 75.7% | 28.6% | 58.4% | 225.8% |
Introspective | 33.4% | 26.7% | 74.8% | 28.0% | 57.8% | 220.7% |
Please | 32.5% | 26.4% | 72.0% | 28.9% | 56.5% | 216.4% |
Behaviour | 24.6% | 22.5% | 77.8% | 28.6% | 57.8% | 211.2% |
Very | 12.5% | 13.7% | 83.9% | 28.6% | 57.8% | 196.4% |
Bilingual | 8.2% | 10.9% | 79.6% | 28.9% | 56.2% | 183.9% |
Fundamental | 10.9% | 0.3% | 72.0% | 33.7% | 49.2% | 166.3% |
Release | 10.9% | 3.0% | 80.9% | 28.6% | 33.1% | 156.5% |
Disco | 25.8% | 18.8% | 74.8% | 25.2% | 9.7% | 154.4% |
Nightlife | 8.8% | 5.2% | 84.2% | 28.0% | 28.0% | 154.1% |
PopArt | 12.2% | 0.6% | 70.2% | 24.9% | 35.6% | 143.5% |
Discography | 12.5% | 15.8% | 81.4% | 25.5% | 7.9% | 143.1% |
Disco
3 | 18.8% | 0.6% | 85.1% | 27.4% | 5.2% | 137.1% |
Alternative | 7.3% | 7.9% | 77.8% | 25.8% | 15.2% | 134.0% |
Disco
2 | 9.4% | 7.6% | 74.8% | 21.9% | 12.8% | 126.4% |
Relentless | 7.6% | 0.9% | 65.3% | 28.9% | 8.5% | 111.2% |
Concrete | 0.6% | 0.0% | 72.9% | 24.3% | 1.2% | 99.1% |
Disco
4 | 7.2% | 0.0% | 54.4% | 24.2% | 5.0% | 90.9% |
Battleship
Potemkin | 0.6% | 0.0% | 69.0% | 24.0% | 3.3% | 97.0% |
Closer
to Heaven | 0.6% | 0.3% | 57.1% | 23.1% | 4.6% | 85.7% |
Essential | 0.3% | 0.3% | 45.6% | 13.7% | 2.7% | 62.6% |
Explanatory notes for the table above:
| Survey
335 - Week of November 25, 2007 |
What first got you "hooked" on the Pet Shop Shops?
31.7% - A specific song¹
19.3% - A specific album²
18.0% - No one song, but a number of songs
12.4% - A combination of various factors listed here
04.5% - A specific video
04.2% - Their image—look, style, demeanor, etc.
03.7% - Something else not listed here³
01.6% - No one album, but a number of albums ¤
01.6% - A live concert
01.6% - A live appearance on television
00.8% - No one video, but a number of videos
00.5% - Who said I was hooked?
00.0% - No one TV appearance, but several¹Although this represents only a fraction of the number of voters who chose "A specific song," the songs that were specifically cited by some of those voters included:
- Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) (3 voters)
- West End Girls (2 voters)
- Suburbia (2 voters)
- It's a Sin (2 voters)
- Always on My Mind (2 voters)
- A Man Could Get Arrested
- Two Divided by Zero
- Domino Dancing
- Left to My Own Devices
- Disappointed
²The albums specifically cited by some voters included:
- Please
- Actually
- Introspective
- Behaviour
- Very
- Discography and Very ¤
- Alternative
- Bilingual and Nightlife
- Nightlife
³The other factors (including specific videos) specifically cited by some voters included:
- Neil's voice
- The Highlights VHS
- Specifically the arrangement of the single version of "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing"
- "I got hooked by being given a tape by my first love and playing it over and over, and I also wanted to like the same music as he did!"
- The "Left to My Own Devices" video
- The "Flamboyant" video
- A performance of "Paninaro" on television
- The "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" video
- "I don't remember!"
| Survey
334 - Week of November 18, 2007 |
How do you feel about the "PSB Perfect Immaculate Mix" of "Integral" on Disco 4 and/or its shorter "single" version as compard to the original Fundamental album version?
37.1% - "I like the remix, but the original vesion is even better." ¤
16.2% - "I don't like the remix! The original version is much better!"
12.4% - "I like the original version, but the remix is even better."
11.2% - "I like both versions equally. I can't choose between them."
08.8% - "I think the remix is better for disco/dancing purposes, but the original is better for listening."
07.9% - "I haven't heard these different versions, so I can't make a choice."
04.1% - "I don't like the original version!. The remix is much better!"
01.8% - "I don't care for the song, so I dislike both versions equally. I can't choose between them."
00.6% - "I have another opinion not adequately covered by the other choices here."**Among the alternate views offered were the following:
- "I think the original is better for disco/dancing purposes, but the remix is better for listening" (that is, the exact opposite of one of the options provided).
- "I think they are apples and oranges and should not be compared."
- "I quite like the single version. Shame I can't buy it as a track and have to rip the iTunes video audio."
| Survey
333 - Week of November 11, 2007 |
If you had to choose only one method by which to purchase all future Pet Shop Boys singles, which of the following methods would you most prefer?
55.9% - Buy physical singles (such as on CD) in local stores—assuming they're available there in a timely fashion ¤
20.2% - Order physical singles from online retailers such as Amazon
09.4% - Order physical singles directly from the PSB official website
06.9% - Purchase high-quality digital downloads direction from the PSB website
06.3% - Purchase high-quality digital downloads from online retails such as iTunes
01.2% - Purchase singles by some other method not described here**One voter said that, rather than buy singles separately, he would prefer to wait for more "Further Listening" bonus discs accompanying album reissues. Another wrote to say that he seldom bought singles, so this was largely a moot question to him.
| Survey
332 - Week of November 4, 2007 |
What has been your "favorite Pet Shop Boys decade" in each of the following areas?
| 1980s | 1990s | 2000s
(so far) |
Music | 37.4% | 49.4%
¤ | 13.1% |
Videos | 25.3% | 67.4%
¤ | 7.4% |
Performance¹ | 6.9% | 52.7% | 40.4%
¤ |
Graphics² | 22.6% | 55.1%
¤ | 22.3% |
Image³ | 36.5%
¤ | 42.4% | 21.2% |
Overall | 22.9% | 54.5%
¤ | 22.6% |
¹Perfomance - Their live "non-video" performances that you've seen on television, DVD, or "in person," live in concert.
²Graphics - Non-video artwork, such as the sleeve designs of albums and singles.
³Image - The "look and feel," so to speak, of the Pet Shop Boys themselves, such as their clothes, costumes, and general appearance.One voter quite astutely pointed out that I had overlooked the category "Lyrics." Actually, I personally viewed lyrics as being part of the "Music" category, which might more accurately have been called "Songs" or "Recordings." Either way, that voter made an excellent point, and it was an unfortunate oversight on my part.
| Survey
331 - Week of October 28, 2007 |
Which of the following statements comes closest to expressing your degree of satisfaction with the Pet Shop Boys' record company, EMI?
27.4% - "It doesn't matter what we think. All that matters is whether Neil and Chris are satisfied."
22.5% - "For the most part, yes, I'm satisfied, although they could be doing some things better." ¤
14.1% - "They do some things very well, but they're terrible at other things."
11.5% - "I'm not sure, or I have mixed feelings."
08.4% - "No, I haven't been very satisfied for quite some time now."
06.1% - "Yes, I'm extremely satisfied! They're doing a terrific job!"
03.8% - "I was satisfied until recently, but I'm not satisfied any more."
03.1% - "No, I'm extremely dissatisfied! They're doing a terrible job!"
02.7% - "I have some other opinion not adequately covered by the other statements here."*
00.4% - "I was dissatisfied until recently, but I'm satisfied now."*Alternate views (or elaborations) expressed by voters included the following:
- "While I was not part of the 'Integral' hysteria, I am very unhappy it is download only, and not a CD. If EMI/Parlaphone is responsible for that, then I am unhappy with them. Otherwise, no problem."
- "The fact that the record company wouldn't release 'The Sodom and Gomorrah Show' as a single (supposedly because of its title) is one of the biggest PSB blunders ever. Did EMI even listen to the song? If they think that's obscene, try listening to most of the other pop music out there. Were they contractually obliged to release 'Numb'? I liked 'Numb,' but that was no single material, IMO."
- "I think the US labels have done a minimal amount of promotion for them here. I think that Parlophone does an excellent job in the UK."
- "They don't seem to understand PSB's demographic."
| Survey
330 - Week of October 21, 2007 |
Many fans consider "Being Boring" the Pet Shop Boys' all-time greatest song. Other fans, however, feel that it's overrated. Regarding these two points—whether it's their greatest and whether it's overrated—which of the following statements comes the closest to expressing how you feel about "Being Boring"?
46.4% - "I don't consider it their greatest song, but I don't think it's overrated."
34.7% - "I do consider it their greatest song, and I don't think it's overrated."
15.0% - "I don't consider it their greatest song, and I also think it's overrated."
04.0% - "I do consider it their greatest song, but I also think it's overrated." ¤*To look at it another way, a majority of 61.3% don't consider "Being Boring" the Pet Shop Boys' greatest song, but an even larger (and overwhelming) majority of 81.0% don't think it's overrated.
*Perhaps I should offer a note of explanation for my vote, especially given that it's the choice that placed last (by far) in the final tallies. My belief that "Being Boring" is the Pet Shop Boys' finest songwriting achievement is well documented. But, conversely, I also believe that it's somewhat overrated—that many place it on an even higher pedastal than it actually deserves in comparison to the rest of the Boys' work. For instance, I personally feel that a little too much time was devoted to it in the A Life in Pop documentary, particularly when you consider all the other superb songs (and albums) that were glossed over or completely ignored. To put it more succinctly, while I believe unequivocally that "Being Boring" is their greatest song, I don't think it's that much greater than various others; therefore I also think it's overrated.
| Survey
329 - Week of October 14, 2007 |
In which song does Neil deliver, in your opinion, his all-time greatest vocal performance?
06.2% - Being Boring
04.5% - It's a Sin
03.8% - Numb
03.8% - Rent
03.5% - Love Comes Quickly
02.8% - Jealousy
02.4% - Always on My Mind
02.4% - Break 4 Love
02.1% - Can You Forgive Her?
02.1% - Closer to Heaven
02.1% - Decadence
02.1% - Home and Dry
02.1% - It Always Comes as a Surprise ¤
02.1% - Love Is a Catastrophe
02.1% - You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
01.7% - Birthday Boy
01.7% - Bright Young Things
01.7% - The Calm Before the Storm
01.7% - Disappointed
01.7% - If Love Were All
01.7% - Miracles
01.7% - West End Girls
01.4% - Before
01.4% - Domino Dancing
01.4% - It Couldn't Happen Here
01.4% - The Sodom and Gomorrah Show
01.4% - Your Funny Uncle
01.0% - Friendly Fire
01.0% - Hey, Headmaster
01.0% - I Want to Wake Up
01.0% - Left to My Own Devices
01.0% - Nervously
01.0% - No Time for Tears
01.0% - One Thing Leads to Another
01.0% - To Face the TruthThe following songs received two votes each (00.7%):
- Delusions of Grandeur
- Discoteca
- Do I Have To?
- Dreaming of the Queen
- For All of Us
- Heart
- I Made My Excuses and Left
- I'm Not Scared
- I'm with Stupid
- Liberation
- Metamorphosis
- My October Symphony
- One More Chance
- Only the Wind
- A Red Letter Day
- The Resurrectionist
- Somewhere
- The Survivors
- This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave
- Up Against It
- We're the Pet Shop Boys
The following songs received one vote each (00.3%):
Note: "Some other song not listed here" received two votes, but I only received one corresponding "write-in" vote, that being for "Believe/Song for Guy," noted above. Songs not listed above didn't receive any votes in this poll.
| Survey
328 - Weeks of September 30 & October 7, 2007 |
What color do you most closely associate with the Pet Shop Boys?
28.7% - orange ¤
28.5% - white
08.2% - blue
06.3% - black
05.9% - "This question really is much too silly, Wayne, and I refuse to answer it!"
05.0% - yellow
03.6% - gray
03.6% - red
02.5% - purple
02.5% - violet
01.3% - gold
01.0% - pink
00.8% - beige
00.8% - green
00.8% - lavender
00.6% - Some other color not listed here*
00.0% - brown
00.0% - tan*Alternate responses offered by voters included:
- blue-gray (an exact mixture of both)
- hot pink: "deeper and brighter than that pale, pastel pink displayed in the survey"
- "monochrome" (black and white)
- "Too bad there is no option for none, as I am colorblind it is very hard to imagine a color for them."
| Survey
327 - Week of September 23, 2007 |
For whatever reason, are you angry or upset with the Pet Shop Boys right now?*
46.2% - "No, not at all. Nothing has changed."
23.3% - "No. In fact, I 'm about as pleased with them right now as I've ever been, or even more so!"
17.7% - "The words 'angry' and 'upset' are too strong. I'm a bit disappointed, perhaps."
06.9% - "I have mixed feelings." ¤
03.7% - "Yes, I am upset, but I'll probably get over it. I'm still a fan."
01.2% - "Yes, I am! In fact, I'm so angry that I'm not even a fan of theirs anymore!"
01.0% - "I have other feelings on this matter that aren't adequately expressed by any of the statements here."***This question was inspired by several emails I received from site visitors who said that they were rather upset with the Boys over releasing Disco 4 and/or their cancellation of the Hollywood Bowl concert without any explanation. I asked this question simply because I was curious as to how widespread such feelings might be.
**The alternate opinions shared by voters included the following:
- "I'm upset with the Boys partly because they have yet to release two of my most-awaited releases... yeah, the Nightlife and Release further listening reissues. But that's all about it."
- "I'm angry with EMI, not PSB. [Their] ineptitude in both the planning and release strategies for Disco 4 and 'Integral' has been thoroughly woeful. For this I feel sympathy for PSB, not anger or frustration.
- "I am a bit disappointed because (1) Disco 4 will not include everything it should, especially their fantastic remix of "Girls and Boys; (2) I have pretty negative feelings towards their remix of "Integral"… nice electronic variations but it lost its punchy anthemic feel; (3) I'm really frustrated "Integral" was not a proper single with killer remixes à la Trouser Enthusiasts or so; (4) I'm longing for the Nightlife and Release reissues, as well as for DiscoVery in DVD (not to mention Battleship Potemkin if they manage it), but I'm sure we'll get these someday."
- "I'm too much a fan to be truly angry—just kind of baffled."
- "For me the most frustration comes from the apparent end of CD singles."
- To consolidate, summarize, and paraphrase something several voters wrote: "How can we possibly be angry, upset, or disappointed considering all the things the Pet Shop Boys have done over the past year-and-a-half?"
| Survey
326 - Week of September 16, 2007 |
What do you consider to be the most "quintessentially British" Pet Shop Boys song ?
26.4% - Dreaming of the Queen
14.2% - King's Cross
13.9% - West End Girls
05.4% - Hey, Headmaster
05.1% - I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing ¤
04.4% - This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave
04.4% - The Theatre
03.7% - Some other song not listed here*
03.4% - Left to My Own Devices
02.0% - Can You Forgive Her?
02.0% - Sexy Northerner
02.0% - I Made My Excuses and Left
01.7% - Your Funny Uncle
01.7% - Absolutely Fabulous
01.4% - I Want a Dog
01.4% - Nothing Has Been Proved
01.0% - Jack the Lad
01.0% - It Couldn't Happen Here
01.0% - DJ Culture
01.0% - The Truck Driver and His Mate
01.0% - The View from Your Balcony
01.0% - Home and Dry
00.7% - Delusions of Grandeur*The other songs specifically cited by voters were:
- That's My Impression (00.7%)
- Only the Wind (00.3%)
- Yesterday, When I Was Mad (00.3%)
- Indefnite Leave to Remain (00.3%)
- London (00.3%)
- Hit and Miss (00.3%)
| Survey
325 - Weeks of September 2 & 9, 2007* |
Are you planning to buy Disco 4?
59.7% - Yes, although I don't have it on order.
10.5% - Not right away, but perhaps eventually if I can get it at a reduced cost.
08.8% - Yes, of course! In fact, I already have it on order! ¤
06.9% - I'm leaning toward it, so probably.
05.6% - No, definitely not!
04.7% - I'm undecided.
03.9% - I'm leaning against it, so probably not.*This survey ran for two weeks, unexpectedly extended beyond the usual single week on account of a family emergency that called me away from the Internet.
| Survey
324 - Week of August 26, 2007 |
What, in your opinion, are the Pet Shop Boys' five greatest singles when you consider not only singles themselves—that is, the songs meant to be the "hit" and receive the most airplay and attention—but also their b-side(s), bonus track(s), accompanying mixes, and, if you wish, even their cover art and packaging?
33.7% - Being Boring / We All Feel Better in the Dark ¤
24.9% - Can You Forgive Her? / Hey Headmaster / What Keeps Mankind Alive? / I Want to Wake Up
24.9% - Go West / Shameless ¤
23.4% - West End Girls / A Man Could Get Arrested / Pet Shop Boys
22.2% - Always on My Mind / Do I Have To?
21.0% - A Red Letter Day / The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On / Delusions of Grandeur
20.1% - It's a Sin / You Know Where You Went Wrong
17.9% - Home and Dry / Sexy Northerner / Always / Nightlife / Break 4 Love
15.8% - Suburbia / Jack the Lad / Paninaro
14.9% - So Hard / It Must Be Obvious / Paninaro
14.9% - Before / The Truck Driver and His Mate / Hit and Miss ¤
14.9% - Flamboyant / I Didn't Get Where I Am Today / West End Girls
14.3% - Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) / How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? / Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend ¤
12.8% - Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) / In the Night / Was That What It Was?
12.5% - Miracles / Transparent / We're the Pet Shop Boys
12.2% - I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing / Too Many People / Violence / West End Girls
11.9% - Heart / I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)
11.6% - Left to My Own Devices / The Sound of the Atom Splitting
11.2% - Yesterday, When I Was Mad / Euroboy / Some Speculation / If Love Were All / Absolutely Fabulous ¤
09.4% - What Have I Done to Deserve This? / A New Life
09.4% - It's Alright / One of the Crowd / Your Funny Uncle
09.4% - Minimal / Blue on Blue / In Private / No Time for Tears
09.1% - Rent / I Want a Dog
08.8% - I'm with Stupid / The Resurrectionist / Girls Don't Cry
08.5% - Domino Dancing / Don Juan
08.2% - Was It Worth It? / Miserablism / Overture to Performance
07.0% - Paninaro '95 / Girls and Boys / In the Night
07.0% - I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More / Screaming / Silver Age / Je T'Aime… Moi Non Plus
06.4% - Love Comes Quickly / That's My Impression
06.1% - Liberation / Decadence / Young Offender
06.1% - Se A Vida E (That's the Way Life Is) / Betrayed / How I Learned to Hate Rock and Roll
06.1% - You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk / Lies / Sail Away
05.8% - Numb / Party Song / Bright Young Things
05.5% - Jealousy / Losing My Mind
05.5% - I Get Along / Between Two Islands / Searching for the Face of Jesus / Friendly Fire
05.2% - Single-Bilingual / Discoteca / Confidential / The Calm Before the Storm
04.6% - New York City Boy / The Ghost of Myself / Casting a Shadow
04.0% - DJ Culture / Music for Boys
04.0% - Somewhere / Disco Potential / The View from Your Balcony / To Step Aside
02.1% - London / Positive Role Model
00.6% - Some other single(s) not listed here
| Survey
323 - Week of August 19, 2007 |
If PopArt were to be updated to include the three singles from Fundamental, on which disc would you put each of them: on Pop or on Art?
Pop | Art | |
I'm
with Stupid | 81.1%
¤ | 18.9% |
Minimal | 43.5%
¤ | 56.5% |
Numb | 32.7% | 67.3%
¤ |
| Survey
322 - Week of August 12, 2007 |
Regardless of how you feel about them now, what was your first impression or initial reaction to the Pet Shop Boys the very first time you saw them and/or heard their music (or at least the first time you recall seeing them or hearing their music)?
33.2% - I liked them and wanted to see more of them and hear more of their music.
32.9% - I thought they were fantastic and was extremely eager to see more of them and hear more of their music.
11.8% - I thought they were OK, but didn't have a particularly strong positive reaction.
06.3% - I was at least mildly curious or intrigued, but I can't say my reaction otherwise was either "positive" or "negative."
03.9% - I really don't remember.
03.3% - I was neutral about them—neither particularly liking nor disliking them, nor curious about them, either.
02.6% - I had some other reaction that's not adequately reflected in any of these statements.*
01.6% - I intensely disliked them and hoped they'd just go away.
01.3% - I didn't like them and didn't much care to see more of them or hear more of their music.
01.3% - I wasn't at all impressed, but didn't have a strong negative reaction.
01.0% - I had mixed feelings; I liked their music but didn't much like them (or vice-versa).
00.7% - I confused them with somebody else! ¤*Among the other reactions described by voters were the following:
- "It was all very strange, weird, and off-putting."
- "… bewilderment! I was really puzzled. What is this? Rap, pop, what?"
- "I did a bit of a dance and then went off to bed."
- "I hated Neil so much but loved Chris."
- "I liked their music but I knew they were gay so I just didn't like them. Seven years later I came out of the closet and now I love them!"
| Survey
321 - Week of August 5, 2007 |
Do you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing the first time you ever heard music by the Pet Shop Boys?
37.7% - Yes, absolutely, without a doubt. ¤*
24.6% - I think so, but I'm not absolutely sure.
22.5% - No, I have no idea.
15.3% - I can "figure" where it must have been, but I don't actually remember.*As I've noted elsewhere on this website, I distinctly remember hearing PSB for the first time in 1986, when "West End Girls" was starting to climb the U.S. charts. It came on my car radio while driving home from work as I approached the I-35W bridge across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis (where I was living at the time). It stands out in my memory because of my strong initial impression that it was a new song in a radically new style by Al Stewart.
Among the other recollections of "first times" submitted by voters were the following:
- Hearing "West End Girls" play in a school music class as an example of 1980s synth pop.
- Seeing them or one of their videos on a TV show, such as Top of the Pops.
- Watching PSB perform on the UK TV broadcast of the 2000 Glastonbury festival.
- Hearing "West End Girls" playing in the first gay bar that the voter ever visited.
- Hearing "Domino Dancing" on the car radio and singing "All day, all day" repeatedly to the point that Mom gets mad and shuts off the radio.
- "Suburbia" on a cassette player given to her by her first love—who is now gay.
- Waiting in a pub for his girlfriend to arrive when someone put "It's a Sin" on the jukebox.
The songs specifically mentioned by voters as being "first PSB songs" were:
- West End Girls
- Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
- Suburbia
- It's a Sin
- Always on My Mind
- Domino Dancing
- Left to My Own Devices
- Can You Forgive Her?
- New York City Boy
- Home and Dry
| Survey
320 - Week of July 29, 2007 |
Which song from the musical Closer to Heaven that so far has not been sung by Neil (except in officially unreleased demos) would you most like to hear him sing in concert or have released on CD with him singing lead?
26.1% - "I'm not familiar enough with these songs to choose"
18.2% - My Night
13.3% - Call Me Old-Fashioned
10.2% - For All of Us¹
09.1% - Something Special
07.2% - Run Girl Run!²
06.8% - It's Just My Little Tribute to Caligula, Darling
05.3% - Out of My System ¤³
03.8% - Nine Out of Ten¹"For All of Us" featuring Neil's lead vocal was briefly but is now no longer available as a download from the official PSB website. Decisions whether to vote for this particular track may have been influenced by whether particular voters happened already to own a copy of that download.
²Even though "Run Girl Run!" wasn't performed in the musical (except as a brief interpolation in "K-Hole"), it was available to attendees of the show as a recording by "Billie Trix" (Frances Barber).
³Neil would almost certainly need to rewrite the lyrics of "Out of My System"—rather substantially, I would think—in order to better accommodate himself as the singer. But, regardless, I'd love to hear him sing this song.
| Survey
319 - Week of July 22, 2007 |
Have you ever intentionally taken a "vacation" from the Pet Shop Boys? That is, have you ever consciously decided, for whatever reason, not to listen to any of their music or watch any of their videos or performances for an extended period of time—say, for at least three or four weeks?*
61.6% - No, and I have no intention of doing so, either
17.6% - Yes, on more than one occasion
08.2% - No, but I might at some point
07.1% - Yes, once ¤*
05.5% - Yes, but I didn't "stay away" from them for as long as I had planned*I figure everybody goes through occasional extended periods when they "accidentally" don't listen to anything by their favorite artist. I certainly do. But this question focused on instances when it's not an "accident," but rather a conscious decision.
Yes, I did take an intentional "break" from PSB once. You see, I have obsessive-compulsive tendencies. (Gee—can't you tell from this website?) While they're not severe enough to cause serious problems for me (unlike for some people), I do sometimes have to make a conscious effort to keep them in check in order to prevent them from becoming a serious problem. So back in the mid-1990s—between Alternative and Bilingual, if I remember correctly—I found myself developing a major obsession with PSB, buying everything related to them that I could get my hands on and listening to their music to the virtual exclusion of everything else. From long experience, I recognized my obsessive-compulsive disorder at work, so I made a conscious decision to avoid anything to do with PSB for a month. I did, and it worked. After that month passed, I was able to go back to enjoying PSB music in a relatively "normal" way, without being quite so obsessed by it. It's a "trick" that I've used on various occasions to manage my obsessive-compulsiveness. In fact, I'm in the midst of a similar moratorium right now to manage another manifestation of my mild disorder—only in this case I've lately been obsessed with something else that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Pet Shop Boys.
Other reasons provided by voters who have also taken "vacations" from the Boys include:
- Not listening to their music for several weeks before attending a concert. The voter felt that this enhanced his enjoyment of the show, feeling greater surprise and pleasure when hearing any particular song.
- Taking a sabbatical during periods when they themselves seem to be on sabbatical, such as when there's little or no news from the PSB camp between albums, tours, or other public activity.
- Avoiding their music in order to return to it later and being able to listen to it from a "fresh perspective," so to speak.
- Having repeatedly watched the Performance DVD and subsequently being unable to get it out of his head, one voter went "cold turkey" on PSB to preserve, as he put it, his mental health.
- Taking a temporary break after "burning out" from incessantly listening to them.
- Simply not listening to them all the time since they're not the voter's absolute favorite, anyway.
| Survey
318 - Week of July 15, 2007 |
Have you ever taken a vacation or extended holiday that was somehow "Pet Shop Boys themed" or otherwise planned with them in mind?
38.4% - No, I haven't, and I probably never will ¤
29.1% - Yes, to attend a PSB concert
20.9% - No, I haven't, but I would like to at some point
03.7% - Yes, for some other PSB-related reason*
03.4% - Yes, for more than one of the reasons noted here
03.0% - Yes, to shop for PSB-related merchandise
01.1% - Yes, to visit specific places associated with their lives and/or career
00.4% - Yes, to visit places mentioned in their songs*Other PSB-related reasons cited by voters included:
- To see a performance of Closer to Heaven, the stage musical co-written by the Pet Shop Boys
- To get their autographs at a book-signing for Catalogue
| Survey
317 - Week of July 8, 2007 |
Which song contains your favorite "rap" by Neil?*
21.1% - Left to My Own Devices
20.3% - West End Girls
13.1% - Metamorphosis ¤*
10.7% - One Thing Leads to Another
10.2% - DJ Culture
07.8% - What Have I Done to Deserve This?
04.5% - Happiness Is an Option
03.7% - In My House
02.9% - Electricity
02.4% - Rent
02.4% - Forever in Love
00.8% - Some other song not listed here***I asked my site visitors to pick the song that contains their favorite "rap" by Neil (using the term "rap" very loosely to refer to any case in which Neil "sing-speaks" more than just one or two lines) as opposed to their favorite song in which Neil "raps." My own choice illustrates this distinction: my favorite "rap" by Neil occurs in the song "Metamorphosis," although it's hardly my favorite song from among the possible choices. I vastly prefer "Left to My Own Devices," "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" and various other choices as songs overall—but I think Neil does his best "rapping" in "Metamorphosis." Hence my choice.
**Additional possible choices that I had overlooked but mentioned by site visitors were the following:
- "Yesterday, When I Was Mad"
One voter indicated that this was his own choice. Frankly, it was a terrible oversight on my part not to have included this song among the poll selections. I'm sure it would have received a respectable (if not quite large) number of votes, and I'm surprised that nobody mentioned its absence until quite late in the voting (two days before the poll ended), which happened to be a Friday the 13th—not that I'm a triskaidekaphobe, mind you. At any rate, I sincerely regret this error on my part.- "It's Alright" (10-inch mix)
The person who noted this said that it wasn't his favorite, but that the line "There's a soldier polishing his gun" made him "smile every time."
| Survey
316 - Week of July 1, 2007 |
If there's a Disco 4, what do you want it to be like?
57.9% - "Like Disco 3, consisting of a blend of previously unreleased songs and remixes of recent tracks."
24.4% - "Like Introspective, consisting of new (or mostly new) songs in an extended dance format." ¤
06.6% - "Like Disco, consisting of extended mixes of previously released tracks."
03.7% - "I don't care. I just don't want there to be a Disco 4 anytime soon."
03.2% - "Something else entirely."*
02.9% - "Like Disco 2, consisting of a continuous 'megamix' of previously released tracks."
01.4% - "I don't care. In fact, I don't ever want there to be a Disco 4."*Among the "something else" ideas suggested by voters were the following:
- "Something like Relentless, containing 6-8 completely new and unknown songs in a dance style."
- "As not all of us were lucky/daft enough to buy a copy of the promo mix cds off eBay for £30/$60, why not repackage these CDs with all the promo mixes, one disc for each single release in a reproduction single card sleeve, plus a fourth disc for PSB maxi-mixes and tracks that were only available on vinyl or download."
- "Wasn't Fundamentalism a kind of 'Disco 4,' anyway?"
- "Forget about Disco 4. When are we getting boxsets with reproductions of all the singles (like The Clash, Elvis Costello, Duran Duran, Blondie, and many more have)?"
- "As opposed to a new remix cd, is there enough material for a 'sessions' disc(s)? I realize Concrete has just been released, but are there any other BBC or other radio station recordings around?… If there are many, then maybe they could be compiled into multi CD package similar to The Fall's Peel Sessions box set?"
- "They should release a collective of specially commissioned remixes, something completely different. Neil once suggested he was considering some ambient remixes, which would be great but not very "Disco." Perhaps they should ask the fans which songs they would like to hear remixed and which artists should remix them."
- "I would like to see a collection of the best mixes from Fundamental (promo or others) like they had with Disco and a couple new remixes like they did on Disco 3 and have them in a continuous dance CD like they had with Disco 2."
- "A six-track album with extended dance versions of mashups like "Where the streets/Can't take my eyes." They had the idea for an album back then, and since mashups are hot again…."
- "I don't care, period (with no strings attached)."
| Survey
315 - Week of June 24, 2007 |
When the Pet Shop Boys perform in concert, how do you most like to hear them perform their songs live?
28.8% - "Similar to the original album or single version, but with a little 'something' different to make it more interesting."
28.8% - "I like a lot of variety—a mix of many of the styles noted here." ¤
13.9% - "In a whole new, previously unheard uptempto/techno/dance arrangement."
12.3% - "I can't generalize about this—it all depends on the song and/or the show overall."
05.2% - "I don't care—I'm just glad to see and hear them perform live, period."
03.6% - "In more of a 'rock band' style, as on their Release tour."
03.2% - "As much like the original album or single version as possible."
01.9% - "Something radically different, like turning a dance song into a ballad, or vice-versa."
01.0% - "Like one of the more familiar remixes."
00.6% - "In medleys with other songs."
00.3% - "In a stripped-down acoustic style."
00.3% - "With the lead vocal sung by someone else, such as their frequent support vocalist Sylvia Mason-James."
| Survey
314 - Week of June 17, 2007 |
Which recent Pet Shop Boys song—you might say, "songs from the Fundamental era"—that they aren't performing on their current tour would you have most liked for them to have included in its regular set list?
18.8% - Fugitive
14.6% - I Made My Excuses and Left
13.7% - The Resurrectionist ¤
11.6% - Luna Park
08.4% - She's Madonna
07.2% - Bright Young Things
05.7% - Casanova in Hell
05.7% - Indefinite Leave to Remain
04.5% - Twentieth Century
02.4% - No Time for Tears
02.4% - "None of them"
02.1% - In Private
01.5% - Blue on Blue
00.9% - Party Song
00.6% - Girls Don't Cry
| Survey
313 - Week of June 10, 2007 |
In your opinion, which Pet Shop Boys album has the most appropriate title?
29.2% - Very ¤
10.7% - Alternative
10.2% - Nightlife
10.2% - PopArt
08.0% - Fundamental
06.6% - Bilingual
05.0% - Discography
04.4% - Behaviour
03.9% - Relentless
03.0% - Introspective
02.8% - Actually
02.2% - Release
01.9% - Disco
01.7% - Please
00.3% - Disco 3
00.0% - Disco 2
00.0% - Essential
00.0% - Concrete
| Survey
312 - Week of June 3, 2007 |
We all know that, in the Pet Shop Boys' live shows, much of the music is pre-programmed on computer and generated on the spot and/or pre-recorded and stored on hard disk. But Chris is also there with a keyboard. Do you believe that Chris mimes his keyboard playing in their live concerts?
34.5% - "No, absolutely not! He's always playing a 'live' keyboard part!"
25.9% - "Perhaps he mimes on some songs, but not on most of them."
10.1% - "Yes, on most songs, but he's probably playing for real on some."
09.2% - "For whatever reason, I don't feel I can even offer an opinion about this."