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.
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Home and Dry
Pet Shop Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doing business, selling loads
Charming everyone there
With the sweetest smile
Oh tonight I miss you
Oh tonight I wish you
Could be here with me
'Til you've made it back again
Home and dry
Home and dry
There's a plane at JFK
To fly you back from far away
All those dark and frantic
Transatlantic miles
Oh tonight I miss you
Oh tonight I wish you
Could be here with me
But I won't see you
'Til you've made it back again
Home and dry
Home and dry
Far away
Through night and day
You fly long haul tonight
Come to me
You know I'll be here
When you call tonight
Oh tonight I miss you
Oh tonight I wish you
Could be here with me
But I won't see you
'Til you've made it back again
Home and dry
Home and dry
Home and dry
Home and dry
Your baby waits tonight
The song Home and Dry by Pet Shop Boys depicts a relationship in which one partner is away on a business trip, leaving the other feeling lonely and longing for their return. The first verse sets the scene, with the singer explaining that their partner is away selling goods and winning people over with their charm. However, despite their success, the singer misses their partner and wishes they could be together.
The chorus repeats the phrase "home and dry," emphasizing the idea of the partner's safe return. Later, the second verse reveals that the partner is across the ocean in the United States (JFK is the airport in New York), making the waiting and longing feel even more intense. However, the singer reassures their partner that they will still be there waiting when they come home.
Overall, the lyrics express the bittersweet feeling of waiting for a loved one's return, with the longing and sadness counterbalanced by the hope and joy of their eventual reunion. The use of imagery such as planes and airports also adds to the sense of distance and longing that the song conveys.
Line by Line Meaning
So my baby's on the road
My beloved is traveling on business, moving goods and services, and winning over people with their affable disposition.
Doing business, selling loads
My cherished one is working, trading products, and closing deals.
Charming everyone there
My adored partner has a charismatic personality and is winning the hearts of everyone they encounter.
With the sweetest smile
My significant other is smiling warmly and amiably at everyone they meet.
Oh tonight I miss you
I am feeling a longing for my beloved tonight.
Oh tonight I wish you
I desire for my beloved to be with me tonight.
Could be here with me
It would bring me joy to have my partner with me now.
But I won't see you
Unfortunately, I will not be able to see my beloved.
'Til you've made it back again
I will only see my partner once they have returned home safely.
Home and dry
I look forward to my partner's safe return after their journey.
There's a plane at JFK
At JFK airport, there is an airplane ready to facilitate my partner's return journey.
To fly you back from far away
The aircraft will transport my beloved back home from a distant location.
All those dark and frantic
The extensive and tumultuous journey my partner is facing is characterized by many challenges.
Transatlantic miles
The distance between the two places is great and spans across the Atlantic.
Far away
My beloved is at a distant location.
Through night and day
My sweetheart is traveling through both day and night.
You fly long haul tonight
My partner is traveling for an extended period tonight.
Come to me
I yearn for my beloved to be with me.
You know I'll be here
I want my partner to know that I will be here when they return.
When you call tonight
I eagerly await my beloved's call tonight.
Home and dry
I look forward to my partner's safe return after their journey.
Home and dry
I anticipate my partner's arrival home, safe and sound.
Home and dry
I will be relieved and happy once my partner arrives safely at home.
Home and dry
I anticipate a sense of comfort and security once my partner is home and safe.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christopher Lowe, Neil Tennant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Алексей Стрюк
Одна из первых песен, что я услышал, она тут же поселилась в плейлисте и в моём сердце. В это непростое время перемен как бы ни было плохо, слушаю и возвращаюсь в юность, где была беззаботность, домашний уют и безопасность.
Catch The Wave
Home And Dry is one of the songs that you can listen to again and again. I love these peaceful melancholic vibes. However, the version from Disco 3 is my favourite.
Claudia Morales
¡¡😍🎶🎼 me fascina está canción !!😘
😘😘🇲🇽😉☺️
あたしゃメロンだよ
この曲は、日本で「ボルヴィック」のCMソングにもなり、現在でも数日に一度はFMラジオで流れます。ニールの優しい透明な声を最も引き出している傑作だと思います。
Juan Sanchez
Agree
Bernadete Gonçalves
Como não gostar de Pet Shop Boys
😍🇧🇷
M.Luzimar COUTO
Sou loucamente apaixonada! Por essa voz de anjo, você toca minha alma. I love you boys.
Nezeli Fagundes
E quem não é? 😃 #PSB tem em si um "Q" de mistério. Eles expõem ideias, críticas, ironia, cultura. A vida não gira em torno do egocentrismo, como acontece com tantos famosos, q td publicam nas redes. 🎵🎹🎶 #PetShopBoys #NeilTennant #ChrisLowe #forever
Revati
I never had any problems with this video, because I think mice are cute and clever creatures. And when Sam Rowley's 'Station Squabble' won Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award in 2020, this videoclip came into my mind immediately.
Kate Theodore
Rats, not mice... Feel the difference... 🐀😏🐀