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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My Girl
Pet Shop Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My girl
My girl's mad at me
I didn't wanna see the film tonight
I found it hard to say
She thought I'd had enough of her
My girl's mad at me
Been on the telephone for an hour
We hardly said a word
I tried and tried but I could not be heard
Why can't she see
She's lovely to me?
But I like to stay in
And watch TV on my own
Every now and then
My girl's mad at me
Been on the telephone for an hour
We hardly said a word
I tried and tried but I could not be heard
Why can't I explain?
Why do I feel this pain?
'cause everything I say
She doesn't understand
She doesn't realise
She takes it all the wrong way
My girl's mad at me
We argued just the other night
I thought wed got it straight
We talked and talked until it was light
I thought we'd agreed
I thought we'd talked it out
Now when I try to speak
She says that I don't care
She says I'm unaware
And now she says Im weak
Why can't she see
She's lovely to me?
But I like to stay in
And watch TV on my own
Every now and then
Oh, my girl
My girl
Oh, my girl
My girl
Oh, my girl
She's always is mad at me
Why can't she see
She's lovely to me?
But I like to stay in
And watch TV on my own
Every now and then
She's always is mad at me
She's always is mad at me
Oh, my girl
My girl
The lyrics of Pet Shop Boys' song "My Girl" revolve around a couple's communication breakdown, as the persona finds it difficult to express himself to his partner. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song as the persona reveals that his girlfriend is mad at him, and he is unsure why. He did not want to go out for a movie, and for some reason, his girlfriend misconstrued it as him not wanting to be with her. The subsequent verses hint that the couple seemingly talked past each other over the phone, and this led to an argument. In the final few lines, the persona laments that he thinks his girlfriend isn't seeing his perspective and their discussions always end up with her seeing him in a negative light.
The song's theme of poor communication and misunderstandings is prevalent throughout the song, and it highlights the importance of communication and understanding in a relationship. The persona's inability to express how he's feeling leads to a breakdown in the relationship, and he's feeling helpless and frustrated that his girlfriend can't see things from his perspective.
Overall, "My Girl" is a poignant song that captures the sense of helplessness and frustration that comes with not being understood in a relationship. It is an insightful commentary on the value of communication and the importance of taking the time to listen to your partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, my girl
The singer is affectionately addressing his girlfriend
My girl's mad at me
The singer's girlfriend is upset with him
I didn't wanna see the film tonight
The singer did not want to go see a movie with his girlfriend
She thought I'd had enough of her
The girlfriend believes that the singer is no longer interested in her
Been on the telephone for an hour
The singer and his girlfriend have been on the phone for an extended period of time
We hardly said a word
Despite being on the phone for an hour, the two of them barely spoke to each other
I tried and tried but I could not be heard
The singer kept attempting to talk to his girlfriend, but he couldn't get her to listen to him
Why can't she see
The singer wonders why his girlfriend cannot understand his perspective
But I like to stay in
The singer enjoys spending time alone in his home
And watch TV on my own
One of the singer's preferred methods of relaxation is watching TV by himself
Why can't I explain?
The singer is frustrated that he cannot find the right words to communicate with his girlfriend
Why do I feel this pain?
The singer is experiencing emotional discomfort due to his strained relationship with his girlfriend
Everything I say
The singer's words do not seem to resonate with his girlfriend
She doesn't understand
The girlfriend is having trouble comprehending the singer's point of view
She doesn't realise
The girlfriend is not fully aware of the singer's thoughts and feelings
She takes it all the wrong way
The girlfriend misinterprets what the singer says
We argued just the other night
The singer and his girlfriend had a recent fight
I thought wed got it straight
The singer believed that the argument was resolved
We talked and talked until it was light
The singer and his girlfriend had an extended conversation into the early morning
Now when I try to speak
The singer has difficulty expressing himself to his girlfriend
She says that I don't care
The girlfriend has accused the singer of not caring about her
She says I'm unaware
The girlfriend believes that the singer is not in tune with her feelings
And now she says Im weak
The girlfriend perceives the singer as being weak and ineffective
Oh, my girl
The singer is still emotionally attached to his girlfriend, despite their problems
She's always is mad at me
The singer's girlfriend is consistently angry with him
Contributed by Nolan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.