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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No Time For Tears
Pet Shop Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though our hearts are bleeding
One for all and all for one for freedom
A bird flies across the sea
Free as his brother, where is the freedom
We've been dreaming of for so long?
Life is soon over, it can't be wrong
To cast off chains that still bind us
Let death remind us we can be strong
Sister, don't let me down, please, don't forsake me
One for all and all for one for freedom, today
One for all and all for one means freedom, today
The lyrics to Pet Shop Boys' song, "No Time for Tears," reflect the idea that the pursuit of freedom and the need for action outweigh the sorrow and pain that often come along with it. The first line of the song, "This is no time for tears," acknowledges the pain that people are feeling, but the next line, "Though our hearts are bleeding," juxtaposes that with the notion that action is necessary even amidst the sorrow. The chorus, "One for all and all for one for freedom," highlights the idea that the pursuit of freedom is a collective effort that requires unity and solidarity.
The following verses continue this theme of action and the need to break free from the chains that bind us. The image of a bird flying freely over the sea while we have been dreaming of freedom for so long is a powerful metaphor for the longing for freedom and the idea that it can be achieved with action. The urgency of the moment is reinforced with the lyrics, "waiting is so long, life is soon over, it can't be wrong," emphasizing the need to make the most of the time we have and not waste it waiting for things to change.
Overall, the song is an anthem for the pursuit of freedom, emphasizing the need for action and solidarity in achieving that goal. It encourages people not to be deterred by the pain or sorrow that may come with it, but to persevere and fight for the collective good.
Line by Line Meaning
This is no time for tears
We must remain strong and brave despite our pain and suffering.
Though our hearts are bleeding
Although we are hurting and feeling emotional.
One for all and all for one for freedom
We must unite and work together to achieve our collective goal of freedom.
A bird flies across the sea
The bird represents freedom and the ability to move through life without any restrictions.
Free as his brother, where is the freedom
Despite being free, the bird is still searching for the true meaning of freedom.
We've been dreaming of for so long?
As humans, we have been yearning and hoping for true freedom for a significant amount of time.
Oh, brother, waiting is so long
Dear friend, waiting for change and freedom seems like an endless, tiresome process.
Life is soon over, it can't be wrong
Our time on earth is limited, so we should not feel guilty about fighting for our freedom and independence.
To cast off chains that still bind us
We must break free from the restrictions and limitations that hold us back from achieving true liberation.
Let death remind us we can be strong
The inevitability of death should remind us of our inner strength and resilience.
Sister, don't let me down, please, don't forsake me
Dear friend, I am counting on you to stand with me in our fight for freedom.
One for all and all for one for freedom, today
Together, we can achieve freedom and we must start working towards it right now.
One for all and all for one means freedom, today
We can only achieve true freedom if we work together and support each other.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LOWE, TENNANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@psx39xz
One for all and all for one for freedom today
@DFringeMinority
This is no time for tears
Though our hearts are bleeding
One for all and all for one for freedom
A bird flies across the sea
Free as his brother, where is the freedom
We've been dreaming of for so long?
Oh, brother, waiting is so long
Life is soon over, it can't be wrong
To cast off chains that still bind us
Let death remind us we can be strong…
@Rylisa05
Pet Shop Boys...the best!!!
@ColdKatri
Very very beautiful and sad song.
@nando3e76
It's sad, indeed, and also very beautiful
@seanbendon8058
Excellent album!
@juanrykelme
Pet Shop Boys 2022 🔊
@DFringeMinority
Coronavirus Time... 2020