Pet Shop Boys ~ West End Girls

it's up now

That was superb.

Yup.

Like Tom and several commenters, I regarded this song as a novelty for years – like "I Wanna Be a Cowboy," say. I understood "West End Girls" retroactively, thanks to the string of imperial hits to come. I "love" it without having strong feelings, so it's strange if reassuring to read that lots of ears pricked up when they first heard this; it didn't immediately sound special.

I've always loved this. Conjures memories of sleeping under the bench seats in my family's van on a christmas road trip.

"All your stopping, stalling, and starting / who do you think you are, Joe Stalin?"

Does anyone know why PSB dropped this line (and the couple of lines that precede it) when they re-recorded the song? The Stalin reference, together with the "from Lake Geneva to the Finland Station" line, makes me think the song is, in some way, about Communism and the Cold War. Do "West End" and "East End" refer to the Western and Eastern bloc, besides London?

maybe because it's BAD.

Tuomas I'm not sure but it's discussed a bit here - http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/11/pet-shop-boys-west-end-girls

Some great discussion there, but it seems to be mostly about the way the song depicts London - which, of course, is what it's about on tha main textual level, but I was wondering about the subtext. East, West, Lake Geneva, Finland station, stopping & stalling & starting...

Yeah, I guess the Stalin line is awkward, but I find it kinda funny too as a metaphor, possibly because I used to study modern history. (As did Tennant, apparently. I didn't know that before reading the discussion you linked to.)

And I guess the Stalin line fits the original Bobby Orlando version of the tune better, because it's way more over-the-top and campy (the way he uses that one vocal sample!). The famous version is more refined and cool, so I guess dropping Joe Stalin there wouldn't do... The Lake Geneva - Finland Station line is less abrupt, a better fit for its refined tone, since everyone knows Stalin but you have to be more versed in history to get the other reference.

the Stalin line is a total dad joke.

should have a cheesy comedian drum crash after it imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvFRuio-3fI

this song just came on in the hotel I'm sitting in

it's…it's…fuck it's amazing isn't it

i know you all know. i've even heard the song a few times myself, but this was transportative

the entirety of Please is as good, if not better (okay maybe not "Violence" but still, one of the best debut albums ever)

I spent most of early last week listening to Please again. When I hear songs as cool, austere, and sleek as "Two Divided By Zero" and "Why Don't We Live Together" sometimes I conclude they never topped it.

I really liked that 'Love Is A Bourgeois Construct' song from last year - I think PSB and I are in need of some quality time

basically every album is good to amazing aside from Release (which has a couple of amazing songs on it but ends up just being okay overall) and Elysium (which is hands-down the most embarrassing thing they've ever done)

I've only ever heard Please, I'm not proud of it

in most ways, that's better than being a person who has only heard Very

thx for telling me that I'm a good person, DJP <3

Please is the weakest of their first 5 at least. Quite an amazing run (plus Alternative, of course)

I won't disagree but if by weakest you mean a "3.5 or 4-star record," sure.

in most ways, that's better than being a person who has only heard Very

hey!

i've since heard most of the records but for a long time i was a person who had only heard very

Actually > Please > Behaviour > Very > Introspective

I won't disagree but if by weakest you mean a "3.5 or 4-star record," sure.

absolutely. It just occured to me that I forgot about Introspective. IMO Nightlife was their first substandard album. Even that one is very very good in spots.

Please is an incredible album (with the definite exception of 'Violence', which I've never taken to) ... I rate it much higher than Actually, come to think of it.

sometimes I do too because I don't care for "Hit Music"

Oh god, yeah, that's my least favourite track on Actually too. This thread has just reminded me I haven't given Introspective a spin in a while!

keep that streak up

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sometimes I do too because I don't care for "Hit Music"

― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, August 27, 2014 12:36 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

Many years ago I was listening to this with a friend who kept singing "It's a bbbb---siiiideee...on the allllbuuuumm"

I'd actually say 'Hit Music' is less than a B-side by Pet Shop Boys standards.

I'll never understand DJP's eternal hatred of Introspective... those long versions of 'Left To My Own Devices' and 'Domino Dancing', the best version of 'I Want A Dog' and the underrated 'I'm Not Scared'... great stuff!

I do like the single version of 'It's Alright' compared to the one on the album, though.

everything about Introspective is great EVERYTHING; the cover, the running order, the inner sleeve with their yellow t- shirts dyed to match the yellow background, the wee puppy, the fact that the running time printed on the sleeve isn't right because Neil 'forgot there were 60 seconds in a minute' EVERYthing.

and a cat's no help with that

The version of "I Want A Dog" on Introspective is a fucking travesty that destroys everything I love about the original song and it never, ever, ever, EVER should have happened.

Also "Domino Dancing" was terrible enough before it went on for 35 minutes

all day all day

24 hours with the domino dancing

"A chiwaahwaah"

sometimes when "I'm Not Scared" is unfolding and crashing and undulating -- this syncopated electronic melding of rue, disillusionment, and garbled history -- I think it's the greatest PSB track.

I basically love the Boys when they record long arpeggiated tracks like "Love Comes Quickly," "Don Juan," "I'm Not Scared," and "Some Speculation."

For years "I'm Not Scared" was the only Introspective song I would listen to. Alfred OTM.

IF I WAS YOU

(Although "arpeggiated" isn't the right word given that there aren't actual arpeggios in any of those songs; it's about those single-note syncopations.)

true

"It's a bbbb---siiiideee...on the allllbuuuumm"

Ha ha.

My fave arpeggiated song by the PSB for a while was This Must Be The Place I've Waited Years To Leave. Though maybe it's just more generally sequenced. Thinking of the synth/bass line.

this song is good, but i also like the flight of the concords parody of it *ducks*

sometimes when "I'm Not Scared" is unfolding and crashing and undulating -- this syncopated electronic melding of rue, disillusionment, and garbled history -- I think it's the greatest PSB track.

Disco Mix of the original >>> PSB version