Post-modern ironists cloaked behind a veil of buoyantly melodic and lushly romantic synth pop confections, Pet Shop Boys offer wry yet strangely affecting cultural commentary communicated by the Morse code of synth washes and drum machine rhythms. After first emerging in the mid-'80s with "West End Girls" and "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)," Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe quickly established themselves as hitmaking singles artists who were also able to craft emotionally resonant albums, like 1988's Introspective and 1990's Behaviour. The duo navigated the constantly shifting landscape of modern dance-pop with grace and intelligence, moving easily from disco to house music to thoughtful synth pop without losing their distinctive style in the process. Continuing to evolve artistically, Pet Shop Boys incorporated Latin music on 1996's Bilingual, expanded into theater and ballet, and morphed into elder statesmen of electronic pop, still able to release interesting albums after more than 30 years, as evidenced by highlights like 2016's Super and 2020's Hotspot.
Pet Shop Boys formed in London in August 1981, when vocalist Tennant (a former editor at Marvel Comics who later gained recognition as a journalist for Smash Hits magazine) first met keyboardist Lowe (a onetime architecture student) at an electronics shop. Discovering a shared passion for dance music and synthesizers, they immediately decided to start a band. After dubbing themselves Pet Shop Boys in honor of friends who worked in such an establishment -- while also obliquely nodding to the sort of names prevalent among the New York City hip-hop culture of the early '80s -- the duo's career first took flight in 1983, when Tennant met producer Bobby "O" Orlando while on a writing assignment. Orlando produced their first single, 1984's "West End Girls." The song was a minor hit in the U.S. but went nowhere in Britain, and its follow-up, "One More Chance," was also unsuccessful.
Upon signing to EMI, Pet Shop Boys issued 1985's biting "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)." When it too failed to attract attention, the duo's future appeared grim, but Tennant and Lowe then released an evocative new Stephen Hague production of "West End Girls," which became an international chart-topper. Its massive success propelled Pet Shop Boys' 1986 debut LP, Please, into the Top Ten, and when "Opportunities" was subsequently reissued, it too became a hit. Disco, a collection of dance remixes, was quickly rushed into stores, and in 1987 the duo resurfaced with the superb Actually, which launched two more Top Ten smashes -- "It's a Sin" and "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," a duet between Tennant and the great Dusty Springfield. Later that year, "Always on My Mind," a lovely cover of the perennial Elvis Presley standard, reached number one in several countries and the Top Ten in the U.S. A documentary film titled It Couldn't Happen Here was released one year later.
In October 1988, Pet Shop Boys issued their third studio LP, the eclectic Introspective. "Domino Dancing" and "Left to My Own Devices" both reached the Top Ten in Great Britain. The following year, Pet Shop Boys collaborated with a variety of performers, most notably Liza Minnelli, for whom they produced the 1989 LP Results. They also produced material for Springfield, and Tennant joined New Order frontman Bernard Sumner and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr in the group Electronic, scoring a hit with the single "Getting Away with It." Tennant and Lowe reconvened in 1990 for the muted, downcast Behavior, produced by Harold Faltermeyer. Their hit medley of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" was released in 1991, and was followed in 1993 by Very, lauded as one of the duo's finest efforts.
After a three-year absence, Pet Shop Boys resurfaced with Bilingual, a fluid expansion into Latin rhythms. Nightlife followed in 1999 and sparked the dance club hit "New York City Boy," whose success allowed the group to tour the U.S. for the first time in eight years. While on tour, the pair also collaborated with playwright Jonathan Harvey on a musical surrounding gay life and societal criticisms, which the three had been planning since 1997. Closer to Heaven made its West End debut in 2001 and had a successful run for most of the year; Pet Shop Boys' score of the original cast recording was also a hit in the U.K. They still had time to make a record for themselves, too: In April 2002, Tennant and Lowe issued Release and Disco 3 was compiled for release the following year.
Pet Shop Boys continued releasing material throughout the decade's latter half. In 2005, they put together a volume of the Back to Mine series and released their music designed to accompany the 1925 silent film Battleship Potemkin, a soundtrack they'd performed a year earlier at a free concert/screening in Trafalgar Square. A year later, they issued Fundamental, a mature, sometimes political album produced by Trevor Horn. The live album Concrete: In Concert at the Mermaid Theatre appeared at the end of the year, and Yes -- a collaborative effort with the production crew Xenomania -- marked the band's tenth studio effort in March 2009. While playing shows in support of that album, Pet Shop Boys also released a hits compilation, Party, to coincide with the Brazilian leg of their tour. In 2010, the tour was documented on the CD/DVD release Pandemonium, and another greatest-hits compilation, Ultimate, arrived.
Their 2011 effort, The Most Incredible Thing, was a two-disc ballet score composed for the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, while 2012's Format rounded up the duo's B-sides and bonus tracks from the years 1996-2009. Also in 2012, Pet Shop Boys released the sports-themed single "Winner" and performed the track at the 2012 Olympics Summer Games, held that year in their hometown of London. The track landed on that year's album Elysium, which was produced by Kanye West affiliate Andrew Dawson. Stuart Price (Madonna, Seal, Kylie Minogue) was the producer of 2013's Electric, an album that featured no ballads, just dance tracks.
In May 2014, the duo announced more original music, this time with a concert piece scheduled for a July date at Royal Albert Hall commemorating British code breaker Alan Turing and including the BBC Concert Orchestra. Price returned as producer of 2016's Super, the second album in a row where Pet Shop Boys were "electronic purists," meaning no guitars, no orchestral support, and no organic instruments. The following year saw the band issue the Undertow EP, which featured two remixes of Super's "Undertow," a remix of "Burn," and a new version of "Left to My Own Devices," produced by Stuart Price. They were also awarded the Godlike Genius Award by NME.
The duo issued the Agenda EP in early 2019, and the live album CD/DVD/Blu-ray release Inner Sanctum appeared in April; it was recorded during Pet Shop Boys' four-day residency in July 2018 at the Royal Opera House in London. Later in the year, they started issuing songs from their next long-player, including "Dreamland," a collaboration with Years & Years, and "Burning the Heather," which featured Suede's Bernard Butler on guitar. The album, titled Hotspot, arrived in January 2020 and was their third LP to be produced by Price. Discovery (Live in Rio), a concert originally issued on video in 1995, was issued on DVD and CD for the first time in 2021. The duo also released a nearly ten-minute classical-inspired single titled "Cricket Wife."
In May 2022 Pet Shop and British pop duo Soft Cell released the album *Happiness Not Included - Soft Cell first studio album in nearly two decades. The colab included the song “Purple Zone”, blending the best of both Soft Cell and Pet Shop Boys, layering a dazzling synth riff and dance floor-ready beat with anthemic vocals. Appropriately for the pandemics, the track laments feeling stuck in the monotony of everyday mundanities: “Let’s get out of this life/ I’m afraid and alone,” goes the chorus. Paralyzed in the purple zone.”
Their much-anticipated “Unity Tour” of North America alongside New Order, rescheduled twice following pandemics delays, kicked off in Fall 2022 and included several venues in Canada and the United States, featuring Paul Oakenfold as special guest DJ.
http://petshopboys.co.uk
Boy Strange
Pet Shop Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Horizon of love
He's calling to you
What do you say?
See Boy Strange as an
Example of youth
So close to the truth
And he's such a strange boy
Will he make a good
Exchange for
The one before a closed door
That you left behind?
When you realize that this boy
Is strange
It's too late to change
Your point of view
He's often there when the
Sun meets the sky
With a perfect alibi
Unlike you
And he's such a strange boy
Do you think he'll make a good
Exchange for
The one before a closed door
That you left behind?
To talk of common sense is a
Complete waste of time
His looks are a crime
Bound to commit
In the eyes of the world he's
A borderline fool
Both naive and cruel
Why would you inflict
Him on you?
The lyrics to Pet Shop Boys' song "Boy Strange" are interesting in that they paint a picture of a peculiar person who is on the "horizon of love". The song is being directed at the object of the singer's affections, urging them to see this person for who they truly are, and not to make a snap judgment based purely on their bizarre appearance. The song speaks to the idea that sometimes the things that we find most appealing are also the things that we need to be wary of, as we can become blinded by our own emotions and desires.
The opening line of the song is particularly poignant, as it suggests that the singer is seeing this strange boy as an indication of what is to come in terms of youth and love. The lyrics "See Boy Strange on the horizon of love / He's calling to you / What do you say?" paint a picture of a person who is both a warning and a beacon of hope. The singer is urging the object of their affections to approach this boy with caution, as he may be strange, but he also represents something new and exciting.
As the song progresses, we learn more about this strange boy, including the fact that he is often present in the morning when the sun meets the sky. However, despite his perfect alibi, the rest of the world sees him as a borderline fool, naive and cruel. The lyrics "His looks are a crime / Bound to commit" suggest that this boy is a danger to himself and others, and that his appearance is in some way indicative of this. However, despite this warning, the singer still urges the object of their affections to consider the strange boy as an exchange for the one before a closed door that they left behind, leaving us with the question of whether they will take this advice or not.
Line by Line Meaning
See Boy Strange on the
Horizon of love
Boy Strange represents an unknown entity on the horizon of a love-laden journey
He's calling to you
What do you say?
Boy Strange beckons to the listener, asking what their response will be
See Boy Strange as an
Example of youth
Boy Strange is emblematic of youthful energy and spirit
So close to the truth
But still far away
Boy Strange may seem like he has all the answers but remains elusive and out of reach
And he's such a strange boy
Will he make a good
Exchange for
The one before a closed door
That you left behind?
The listener entertains the possibility of trading their past for a strange but fascinating Boy Strange
When you realize that this boy
Is strange
It's too late to change
Your point of view
Once you acknowledge the strangeness of Boy Strange, you cannot easily undo the perception that you have of him
He's often there when the
Sun meets the sky
With a perfect alibi
Unlike you
He always shows up during beautiful moments and has a valid reason behind his actions unlike the listener
And he's such a strange boy
Do you think he'll make a good
Exchange for
The one before a closed door
That you left behind?
The listener continues to contemplate changing their past for Boy Strange
To talk of common sense is a
Complete waste of time
His looks are a crime
Bound to commit
Boy Strange is not one for common sense, his looks are so stunning that he cannot help but break hearts
In the eyes of the world he's
A borderline fool
Both naive and cruel
Why would you inflict
Him on you?
In society's eyes, Boy Strange seems like a foolish, inexperienced, and harsh individual, so why would the listener want to invite him into their life?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER LOWE, NEIL TENNANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind