As a child, Neil attended St. Cuthbert's Grammar School, an all-boys' Catholic school in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. (Sting went to the same school.) Neil's songs "This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave" and "It's a Sin" refer to his early life in Catholic school and the strict Catholic upbringing there. "It's A Sin" caused controversy with its implicit criticism of Catholic education.
Whilst at school Neil played guitar and cello. At the age of 16, he played in a group called Dust, whose most popular song was called "Can You Hear The Dawn Break?". They were heavily influenced by The Incredible String Band.
In 1975, having completed a degree in history at North London Polytechnic (now London Metropolitan University), Neil worked briefly as an editor for Marvel UK, the UK branch of Marvel Comics. He was responsible for anglicising the dialogue of Marvel's catalogue to suit British readers, and for indicating where women needed to be redrawn more decently for the British editions. In 1977, he moved to Macdonald Educational Publishing and, later, ITV Books. In 1982 he joined the British teen pop magazine Smash Hits, where he rose to Assistant Editor.
At Smash Hits, an opportunity arose for him to go to New York to interview The Police. Whilst there, Tennant arranged to meet Bobby Orlando, a producer who both he and Lowe admired. Tennant mentioned that he was writing songs in his spare time and Orlando agreed to record some tracks with him and Lowe at a later date. Orlando subsequently produced the Pet Shop Boys' first single "West End Girls".
As of 2007 Tennant and Lowe are still going strong as Pet Shop Boys. Neil has a hi-tech, state of the art studio in his home in Durham and many songs from 2002's Release album were recorded there.
Tennant is also known for his support of modern art, and was a judge for the 1998 Turner Prize as a representative of the Patrons of New Art.
Tennant was the executive producer for the Rufus Wainwright album Release The Stars, released in May 2007. Wainwright made a special appearance performing the track "Casanova In Hell" at a live Pet Shop Boys show at the Mermaid theatre, London on May 8, 2006. The concert was subsequently broadcast on BBC Radio 2 and released on CD with the title 'Concrete', November 13, 2006.
Although Tennant avoided the issue of homosexuality in the 1980s, preferring his lyrics to be androgynous, shortly after the release of 1993's Very he publicly "came out" in Attitude, a UK gay lifestyle magazine. According to the musician Tom Stephan aka Superchumbo, they had a two-year romantic relationship.
After All
Neil Tennant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you didn't even know the score
How come we went to war?
How come we went to war?
People are living now
Inside their memories
How much we've all believed
Time runs out
We all start dying
After all
If you didn't really understand the cause
If you didn't even pause for thought
How come we went to war?
How come we went to war?
People are falling down
Becoming memories
Some day we'll all be grieved
Too late to be relieved
Time runs out
We all start dying
After all
After all
After all
After all
I know the time will come
Just wait and see
Change is no obstacle
We can agree
Heaven is possible after all
Heaven is possible
After all
After all
The lyrics to Neil Tennant's song "After All" are a poignant commentary on the futility of war and the human condition. The first stanza accuses those who go to war without understanding the rules, score or cause. It begs the question of why we go to war if we don't even understand what we are fighting for, and how much we've been deceived by propaganda or the powers that be. The second stanza adds to this notion of how people are living in their memories, sometimes even falling down and becoming memories themselves. The song acknowledges that we are all going to die at some point, and time runs out for everyone. The repetition of the phrase “After all” in the chorus suggests that, despite our individual differences and disagreements, we all have a common destiny, which is death.
The third stanza, however, provides a glimmer of hope. Neil Tennant suggests that change is possible and that heaven is possible “after all”. He implores listeners to wait and see, as if to say that there is hope for a better future if we stop fighting amongst ourselves and work together to create a better world. The song hints at a desire for unity, peace, and a better world for all humanity.
In essence, "After All" is a call to action and a reflection on the nature of existence. It highlights the importance of understanding our situations and working towards positive change that benefits everyone rather than for individual gains. The song is a reminder that individual differences are not as significant as our shared human condition, and the hope of a better world always remains.
Line by Line Meaning
If you didn't really understand the rules
If you did not comprehend the regulations
If you didn't even know the score
If you were ignorant of the situation
How come we went to war?
Why did we engage in conflict?
People are living now
Individuals are presently residing
Inside their memories
In their recollections
How much we've all believed
The extent to which we have all accepted things as true
And how we've been deceived
And how we have been misled
Time runs out
Time is limited
We all start dying
We all begin to expire
After all
Ultimately
If you didn't really understand the cause
If you did not really comprehend the reason
If you didn't even pause for thought
If you did not even take a moment to ponder
People are falling down
Individuals are collapsing
Becoming memories
Transforming into remembrances
Some day we'll all be grieved
At some point, we will all be mourned
Too late to be relieved
It is too late for consolation
Time runs out
Time is limited
We all start dying
We all begin to expire
After all
Ultimately
After all
Ultimately
After all
Ultimately
After all
Ultimately
I know the time will come
I am aware that the time will arrive
Just wait and see
Just be patient and observe
Change is no obstacle
Change is not an impediment
We can agree
We can concur
Heaven is possible after all
Paradise is attainable eventually
Heaven is possible
Paradise is attainable
After all
Ultimately
Contributed by Noah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Katie Levine
Their voices work well together. Though for me Neil has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard.
Mark Plank
I hope they work together more in the future. Their vocals are lovely together!!
Bill Stark
It took me 3 years but I finally scored the cd promo of this track. Just love it!
dream Union electro pop
I like it when Neil gets rocky and moody.catchy record.Chrissie is an indie rock legend!
Mindaugas Kliukas
For me The Pretenders were all about "I'll stand by you" back in 1994. Now thanks to Neil this is my favourite - beautiful production as well, with all relaxing noises in the background!;)
Cindy Cancino
Neail es perfecto 👌 me encanta suena muy bien.
Charllis Apollonio Dias
Que música linda excelente parceria
Marc Serra
Absolutely fabulous! Both the most beauty artists worldwide
Katri Kuusisto
Brilliant and beautiful song. Thank you ❤
David Corrado
So good