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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Yes
Pet Shop Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You need more, you need more
You need more, you need more
You need more, you need more
You need more
Boy, it's tough getting on in the world
When the sun doesn't shine and a boy needs a girl
But you're stuck and you don't know how, oh
(Don't have to be)
A big bucks Hollywood star
(Don't have to drive)
A super car to get far
(Don't have to live)
A life of power and wealth
(Don't have to be)
Beautiful but it helps
(Don't have to buy)
A house in Beverly Hills
(Don't have to have)
Your daddy paying the bills
(Don't have to live)
A life of power and wealth
(Don't have to be)
Beautiful but it helps
You need more
Than a big blank check to be a lover, or
A Gulf stream jet to fly you door to door
Somewhere chic on another shore
You need more, you need more
You need more, you need more
You need more, you need more
You need love, you need love
You need love
Too much of anything
Is never enough
Too much of everything
Is never enough
Boy, it's tough getting on in the world
When the sun doesn't shine and a boy needs a girl
It's about getting out of a rut, you need luck
But you're stuck and you don't know how, oh
(Don't have to be)
A big bucks Hollywood star
(Don't have to drive)
A super car to get far
(Don't have to wear)
A smile much colder than ice
(Don't have to be)
Beautiful but it's nice
You need more
Than the Gerhard Richter hangin' on your wall
A chauffeur driven limousine on call
To drive your wife and lover to a white tie ball
You need more, you need more
You need more, you need more
You need more, you need more
You need love
I believe that we can achieve
The love that we need
I believe, call me naïve
Love is for free
(Don't have to be)
A big bucks Hollywood star
(Don't have to drive)
A super car to get far
(Don't have to live)
A life of power and wealth
(Don't have to be)
Beautiful but it helps, beautiful but it helps
Beautiful but it helps
The Pet Shop Boys' song "Yes" is about the desire for love and affection in a world where these things can be difficult to come by. The song is centered around the chorus, in which the singer repeats "you need more, you need more" several times. The first verse describes the struggle of trying to find love and happiness in a world that can feel bleak and inhospitable. The singer notes that it's hard to get out of a rut and move forward, particularly when you don't know how to do so.
The second verse goes on to provide some advice on how to achieve happiness and fulfillment without the trappings of fame, fortune, or power. The singer notes that you don't have to be a Hollywood star, drive a supercar, or live a life of wealth and privilege to be happy. Instead, the song suggests that what you really need is love, affection, and human connection. These things are far more valuable than any material possessions, and they are the key to finding meaning and purpose in life.
The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer expressing a belief in the power of love and the possibility of finding it even in difficult times. The song encourages listeners not to give up hope and to keep searching for the love and affection that they need in order to thrive.
Line by Line Meaning
You need more, you need more
The singer emphasizes that the listener feels the need for something different or additional in their life.
Boy, it's tough getting on in the world
When the sun doesn't shine and a boy needs a girl
It's about getting out of a rut, you need luck
But you're stuck and you don't know how, oh
The song describes the difficulties of trying to find love in a difficult world when trapped in a routine, and the trouble of breaking from that pattern.
(Don't have to be)
A big bucks Hollywood star
(Don't have to drive)
A super car to get far
(Don't have to live)
A life of power and wealth
(Don't have to be)
Beautiful but it helps
There are a lot of things in life that people think they need to be successful or happy, but the song highlights the fact that these things are unnecessary or unimportant.
You need more
Than a big blank check to be a lover, or
A Gulf stream jet to fly you door to door
Somewhere chic on another shore
Material possessions are not the key to happiness or love, but rather genuine affection and connection with someone else is what truly matters.
You need more, you need more
You need more, you need more
You need more, you need more
You need love, you need love
You need love
The repeated chorus reiterates that the only thing truly necessary in life is love, and that it is worth pursuing over all else.
Too much of anything
Is never enough
Too much of everything
Is never enough
The song suggests that a focus on material goods or wealth can never truly satisfy one's desire for happiness or success.
You need more
Than the Gerhard Richter hangin' on your wall
A chauffeur driven limousine on call
To drive your wife and lover to a white tie ball
The song argues that possessions and wealth, even those that are typically considered to be luxurious or prestigious, cannot fulfill one's need for love and companionship.
I believe that we can achieve
The love that we need
I believe, call me naïve
Love is for free
The bridge reinforces the theme of the song, with the singer expressing their hope and belief that love is possible for everyone, regardless of personal accomplishments or material wealth.
(Don't have to be)
A big bucks Hollywood star
(Don't have to drive)
A super car to get far
(Don't have to live)
A life of power and wealth
(Don't have to be)
Beautiful but it helps, beautiful but it helps
Beautiful but it helps
The final version of the chorus repeats that one does not need to be materially wealthy, famous, or physically attractive to be happy or find love.
Contributed by David S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.