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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Viva La Vida/Domino Dancing
Pet Shop Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watch them all fall down
I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
Now I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin'
Roman cavalry choirs are singin'
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world
It was a wicked and wild wind
Blew the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever want to be king?
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin'
Roman cavalry choirs are singin'
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Watch them all fall down
Watch them all fall down
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...
The lyrics of Pet Shop Boys' Viva La Vida/Domino Dancing tell the story of a former ruler who has lost everything, and is now living a lowly life on the streets. The song starts with an imagery of watching everything fall down, which could be interpreted as either the physical structures of a kingdom or the people within it. The first two lines set a somber mood, paving the way for the lyrics that recall the singer's past life.
The verses are filled with memories of a time when the singer was in power, and reigned supreme over all. It talks of the fear that his enemies felt, the crowds that sang songs in his honor, and the feeling of control that he had over everything. However, the experience of being stripped of all of his power and possessions has left the singer bewildered and confused. The lyrics describe the fall of the singer from his throne, and how he has discovered that his past life was built on mere pillars of salt and sand.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin'/ Roman cavalry choirs are singin'/ Be my mirror, my sword and shield/ My missionaries in a foreign field," while adding on the cryptic line "For some reason I can't explain, I know St. Peter won't call my name/ Never an honest word, but that was when I ruled the world." This chorus alludes to the singer's religious beliefs, as well as to his current feelings of confusion and disbelief at his fall from grace. Overall, the song reflects on the fleeting nature of power and the emotional toll it can take on those in its grasp.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch them all fall down
Observing the downfall of those who were once powerful
I used to rule the world
Narrating how the singer used to have authority or influence over their domain
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Displaying the power and control speaker had over their domain
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Being lonely and isolated now that they no longer have authority
Sweep the streets I used to own
Reflecting on the degradation of the artist's domain and how they are forced to perform menial work
I used to roll the dice
Metaphorically indicating how the singer used to take chances and make crucial decisions
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Bragging about how powerful the singer used to be
Listen as the crowd would sing
Remembering how people would acknowledge the artist's success
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king"
Representing how power dynamics shift with time
One minute I held the key
Reflecting on how quickly someone's authority can be taken away
Next the walls were closed on me
Realizing the limitations placed on oneself after losing power
Now I discovered that my castles stand
Realizing that everything the artist built was nothing but illusions and impermanent
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
Realizing that everything the singer built was weak and prone to erosion
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin'
Referring to a sense of religious or spiritual realization
Roman cavalry choirs are singin'
Adding a sense of grandeur and epicness to the singer's story
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
Desiring the lyrics to serve as guidances to the artist's future actions
My missionaries in a foreign field
Looking to the lyrics as a source of inspiration and guidance
For some reason I can't explain
Admitting an element of mystery or confusion in the singer's situations
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Acknowledging one's fear of eternal punishment after death
Never an honest word
Reflecting on the artist's dishonest behavior when they had power
And that was when I ruled the world
Summarizing the artist's journey and downfall
It was a wicked and wild wind
Using a weather metaphor to describe the artist's rapid rise to power
Blew the doors to let me in
Metaphorical representation of how external factors contributed to the singer's success
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
Describing how the artist's success disrupted the normal order of things
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Highlighting how surprising the singer's success was
Revolutionaries wait
Anticipating retaliation from those who were oppressed
For my head on a silver plate
Wanting the singer to pay for their wrongdoings in the most severe way possible
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Metaphorically illustrating the artist's powerlessness now that they have lost authority
Oh, who would ever want to be king?
Questioning the legitimacy of the concept of having rulers and who would want such a position
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...
A simple yet effective refrain, adding a sense of catharsis to the song
Contributed by Sebastian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.