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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I'm Not Scared
Pet Shop Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your life's a mystery, mine is an open book
If I could read your mind, I think I'd take a look
I'm not scared
Baby, I don't care
What have you got to hide? What do you need to prove?
I don't care
Baby, I'm not scared
Tonight the streets are full of actors
I don't know why
Oh, take these dogs away from me
Before they, they bite
What have you got to say of shadows in the past?
I thought that if you paid, you'd keep them off our backs
Where do we have to be, so I can laugh and you'll be free?
I'd go anywhere
Baby, I don't care
I'm not scared
I'm not scared
Tonight, the streets are full of actors
I don't know why
Oh, débarrasse-moi de ces chiens
Avant qu'ils mordent
Avant qu'ils mordent
Tonight I fought and made my mind up
I know it's right
I know these dogs still snap around me
But I can, I can fight
If I was you, if I was you
I wouldn't treat me the way you do
If I was you, if I was you
I wouldn't treat me the way you do, you
If I was you, if I was you
I wouldn't treat me the way you do
If I was you, if I was you
I wouldn't treat me the way you do, you
I'm not scared
Baby, I don't care
I'd go anywhere
Baby, I'm not scared
J'ai pas peur
J'ai pas peur
I'm not scared
Baby, I'm not scared
The Pet Shop Boys' hit song "I'm Not Scared" explores themes of mistrust, secrets, and the search for freedom. In the opening verse, the singer addresses someone who they are wary of and emphasizes that they have nothing to hide. The singer is unafraid to confront this person and wants them to come clean about their own secrets. The chorus has the singer repeatedly stating that they are not scared and they do not care. Although the reasons for the singer's lack of fear are not always clear, it appears that they are willing to go where they need to go to find answers and live a free life.
The lyrics continue to communicate the singer's quest for truth and autonomy. In the third verse, they speak about shadows from the past that the person they are addressing should have paid to keep away. The use of the word "paid" in this context suggests that the person is somehow protecting themselves by keeping these shadows hidden. The singer is fed up with living in this secret-filled world, but is determined to find a way out. The final verse shows the singer's resolve. They've fought and made up their mind that they know what they need to do to be free from the dogs snapping at their heels.
Overall, the song is a testament to the power of standing up for oneself and searching for the truth, even in the face of overwhelming obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
Take these dogs away from me
Remove these problems from my life
Your life's a mystery, mine is an open book
You're secretive while I'm transparent
If I could read your mind, I think I'd take a look
I want to know what's on your mind
I'm not scared
I'm not intimidated
Baby, I don't care
I'm apathetic to your actions
What have you got to hide? What do you need to prove?
Why are you so secretive? What are you trying to prove?
You're always telling lies, and that's the only truth
You lie all the time – that's the only thing that's true about you
Tonight the streets are full of actors, I don't know why
People are putting on a false front tonight, and I don't understand why
Oh, take these dogs away from me, Before they, they bite
Please remove these problems from my life before they cause harm
What have you got to say of shadows in the past?
What is your opinion on events from the past that you won't talk about?
I thought that if you paid, you'd keep them off our backs
I believed that if we resolved our issues, they would go away
Where do we have to be, so I can laugh and you'll be free?
What needs to happen for us to both feel happy and unburdened?
I'd go anywhere, Baby, I don't care
I'm open to anything – I don't have a preference
I'm not scared
I'm not nervous or frightened
Tonight, the streets are full of actors, I don't know why
People are hiding their true selves tonight, and I'm not sure why
Oh, débarrasse-moi de ces chiens, Avant qu'ils mordent
Get rid of these problems before they become harmful
Tonight I fought and made my mind up, I know it's right
I made a decision today, and I know it's the right one
I know these dogs still snap around me, But I can, I can fight
These problems are still around, but I'm strong enough to fight them
If I was you, if I was you, I wouldn't treat me the way you do
If our roles were reversed, you wouldn't treat me the way you do now
If I was you, if I was you, I wouldn't treat me the way you do, you
If I were you, I wouldn't treat me poorly like you do now
J'ai pas peur
I'm not afraid
Baby, I'm not scared
I'm not intimidated, my love
I'd go anywhere, Baby, I'm not scared
I'm not afraid to go anywhere with you, my love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Neil Tennant, Christopher Lowe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind