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
London
Pet Shop Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Summered in Crimea
Deserted the armed forces
Had to disappear
Made it to the free West
On a chartered flight
So we could see what
We trained to fight
We were in London
Lets do it, lets break the law!
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is
Looking for hard work
Or credit card fraud
What do you expect from us?
We come from abroad
To get ourselves a new job
On a building-site
They work you so hard
But we trained to fight
We were in London
Lets do it, lets break the law!
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Lets do it, lets break the law!
We were in London
Tell it like it is
My father fought in Afghanistan
His widows pension ain't worth a damn
My mother works and goes home to cry
I want to live before I die
We were in London
Lets do it, lets break the law!
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is
The lyrics to Pet Shop Boys' song "London" are a narrative about a group of people who have fled from their home country to the UK, likely due to political conflict or economic hardship. The first verse describes their journey from the far North, their time in Crimea, and their eventual escape from the armed forces. They arrive in London on a chartered flight, eager to see what they had previously been trained to fight against.
The second verse describes their struggle to find work in London, where they must compete with locals for entry-level jobs on construction sites. The chorus repeats the line "Let's do it, let's break the law" several times, suggesting a sense of rebellion and desire to make their mark in a foreign land. The final verse is a personal reflection on the singer's family history, highlighting the sacrifices his parents have made and his own desire to live life to the fullest.
Overall, "London" is a commentary on the difficulties faced by immigrants and refugees, particularly those from conflict zones or economically challenged areas. The lyrics touch on themes of desperation, loyalty, and the desire for personal freedom, set against the backdrop of a bustling metropolis that promises both opportunity and challenge.
Line by Line Meaning
We came from the far North
We originated from a remote and cold region
Summered in Crimea
We spent our summers in Crimea
Deserted the armed forces
We abandoned our military service
Had to disappear
We needed to vanish
Made it to the free West
We reached the free Western countries
On a chartered flight
We flew there on a rented plane
So we could see what
So we could witness what
We trained to fight
We were trained for combat
Looking for hard work
Seeking employment that involves strenuous labor
Or credit card fraud
Or perpetrating criminal activity involving credit cards
What do you expect from us?
What can you anticipate from us?
We come from abroad
We are from a foreign land
To get ourselves a new job
To secure new jobs
On a building-site
At a construction location
They work you so hard
They make you labor strenuously
But we trained to fight
But we were prepared for battle
My father fought in Afghanistan
My dad participated in the Afghanistan War
His widows pension ain't worth a damn
His wife's pension is entirely worthless
My mother works and goes home to cry
My mom does a job and returns home crying
I want to live before I die
I desire to experience life
Lets do it, lets break the law!
Come on, let's perform it, let's violate the law!
Tell it like it is
Express the truth
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: NEIL TENNANT, CHRISTOPHER LOWE, CHRIS ZIPPEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@terra5939
Lyrics:
We came from the far North
summered in Crimea
deserted the armed forces
had to disappear
made it to the free West
on a chartered flight
so we could see what
we trained to fight
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is
Looking for hard work
or credit card fraud
What do you expect from us?
We come from abroad
to get ourselves a new job
on a building-site
They work you so hard
but we trained to fight
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
My father fought in Afghanistan
His widow's pension ain't worth a damn
My mother works and goes home to cry
I want to live before I die
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is
@petrospapas3882
A genuine masterpiece from a great band! Well done,lads!...
@haythamadel8240
You'll never find a band these days can do such great music just like them.
@miguelrejas5034
Good lyrics.. good music.. Yeah! PSB & DepecheMode.
@warrenalexander5285
Only the Pet Shop Boys could have recorded a song as moving as this
@MdeGreat
so true indeed
@waltercatharina9625
Esses meninos continuam geniais mesmo.😊
@thesensualworld9290
Love this song. The Boys showing London the way it really is, a humble city with its homelessness, workers, simplicity and all instead of the glamourous London the press shows us. I miss the years I spent living in London. The West End, Soho, Holborn, Rotherhithe (sobs).
@AndGartenlaub
Totally agree.
@Jozghik
Im sorry for my english. Im russian, i went to London at 2002. I sold my grandmother's house, bought tickets to London with the proceeds, walked around the city for 3 days, drank three cups of coffee and the remaining money was only enough for a return plane ticket. What can I say. London is an ordinary city, no better and no worse than Moscow or Athens. In Athens, even more interesting. I expected to see some kind of romanticism in London, but I saw exactly what the guys from the Pet Shop Boys showed in their video. Noisy, colorful, oriental city-bazaar.
@NaturalHeaven
A very beautiful song from a very underrated album . And London is a wonderful city !