It is/was a British thing...in the 80s, some people still had Black & White sets! I would guess he just found the line scanned better with that lyric.
Pet Shop Boys Rate. Part 1: 1985-1991. Winner.
- Thread starter Ray
- Start date
It is/was a British thing...in the 80s, some people still had Black & White sets! I would guess he just found the line scanned better with that lyric.
Yes, that makes sense. It might also emphasize that "your mom" would probably say it like this.
I also kept forgetting that Britain was in deep economical trouble up until the mid-80s and that I was judging from my position of growing up in a very prosperous country that actually lost the war(s)
I´m just thinking which of their "imperial" singles was sexually "questionable", or actually sexual at all?...Maybe Rent, but only for the fact that a man is singing about being kept.
Can You Forgive Her is probably their first single where sex and being gay is mostly what the song is about. But then...there are still people who refuse to believe that Liberace was gay.
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Tonight Is Forever, or even Why Can't We..? might have been singles, but their content is obviously more relationship-based. Not that anyone in the mainstream media was probably wanting to make a fuss or draw attention to PSB's orientation at that stage, so I doubt it would have been that much of an issue, but Love Comes Quickly wasn't received that well by either public or the media so perhaps Parlophone just thought staying away from "love songs" might be a wiser option.
Well, I´m also not totally here for PSB love songs. And let´s face it: Love Comes Quickly as the follow-up to WEG was doomed from the get go. It´s not even a love song, but more of of a call for perseverance...with very, very high notes.
Oh no that's beneath even me.
At the time, I loved it! Until December 1987, it was their highest-charting single on my charts (#2 peak). It had a great moody vibe, and that sequencer (foreshadowing I'm Not Scared?) is completely irresistible. But yeah, the public weren't really there for Neil's pining upper register, singing about lurve.
I don´t want to get ahead of ourselves (when tomorrow Love GOES Quickly) but I just watched the video for the first time in ages. I will say this:
- Chris was smoldering hot (and he/they knew it)
- In fact he was so hot that they had to hire a girl for distraction.
- the song is missing that one feature that made WEG so irresitible (THAT ascending bassline)
- Chris was smoldering hot (and he/they knew it)
- In fact he was so hot that they had to hire a girl for distraction.
- the song is missing that one feature that made WEG so irresitible (THAT ascending bassline)
For me Suburbia is awful, I honestly can’t explain it but when it starts I just recoil in horror and immediately skip. That only happens with a handful of tracks not on Elysium.
I need to stop being so generous in these rates with tracks I don't like. I think I gave 'Suburbia' a 4.5, but I really wanted to give it a 2. Tops. I hate it!
Either you meant AT (Austria), or someone has vandalised the wikipedia page (where you presumably took these from).
'Suburbia' missed the top 100 in Oz, though was listed as a single with "significant sales reports beyond the top 100" (if that's not a contradiction in terms) for one week. I think it was ranked 10th or thereabouts on the list... so #110, but not really, as it's akin to a 'bubbling under' type chart.
edit - ah, it was #9 in Austria. And my memory was correct re: 10th on that list.
Exactly. I think it's rubbish. Was always a skip on 'Discography'. I'm so glad you gave it a zero.
Just a heads up to those who think I am insane/wrong/idiotic for giving Suburbia a 0, I also have a 0 to a Track from Actually which I find dreary, dull and mind numbingly boring.
Thanks, glad you appreciate the 0. ;)
Ah THAT is short for Austria. Will correct ASAP.
There aint nothing sweet about you
They/them, he/him
Given that your screename is (presumably) a nod to the dreadful Kylie song of the same name, this doesn’t surprise me!
17.
My favourite song off the album.
can't even be bothered to comment properly for some reason
Why was this a single?
Neil: You wrote the music, Chris, a very long time ago.
Chris: I can't really remember it. It's my mum's favorite track ever.
I HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY
17. Jealousy
8.4902777778
AU #147, FIN #4, GER #20, IRL #8, PL Radio Three #36, SPA #19 SWI #14, UK #12
The best single from the album Behaviour, released with so many formats and covers that I lost count (those are not all of them)
Highest score: 11 (@Scoundrel_Days), 10x10 (@tylerc904, @KingBruno, @CorgiCorgiCorgi LOSING THE FIRST TEN, @Auntie Beryl, @JonBcn, @SmashHitter, @One Stop Candy Shop, @Jóga, @Farnaby and obviously @Ray)
Lowest score: 5 (@Sally_Harper)
Neil: It's the first proper song we wrote. You wrote the music, Chris, a very long time ago. We now travel back 8½ years [to 1982] to the dining room of the Lowe family household in Blackpool. Chris is up for the summer holidays...
Chris: That year I was at college in Liverpool and I used to go home quite often. There was a piano at home, in the dining room, and I'd sit playing it. I would doodle, normally, and not be able to remember anything I'd done, and I'd think: I'm just wasting creative juices here – what I need is a computer that's going to be able to save it all for posterity. But one day I sat down at the piano and this just came out. It's my mum's favourite track ever.
Neil: I can remember Chris coming back from Blackpool, about June '82, and he'd actually gone to the bother – astonishingly enough – of putting it on a cassette. Obviously I nearly dropped down dead at this point. I was amazed at the sophistication of the music. He said, 'Why don't you write some words for that?' And they haven't been changed, unless I change them when I do the vocal. For lyrical content, see "To Face The Truth". When I first knew Chris, other friends, particularly one very old friend from Newcastle, was jealous that Chris and I used to spend a lot of time writing songs and that I didn't want to go out and play as much. And it was kind of, not about that, but inspired by that.
Chris: There's some good lyrics in there, like "you didn't phone when you said you would". You know when you stay in and they say they're going to phone at eight o'clock and they don't phone all night and you go absolutely bonkers?
Neil: The first time we went into a demo studio – we hired it with my redundancy money from Macdonald Educational – we did three songs, 'Bubadubadubadubadum', 'Jealousy' and 'Oh Dear'.
I'm not quite sure why we haven't put it on a record before. I think when we did the first album we were a little bit insecure about our early songs. We thought that because we wrote them a while ago they can't have been very good. When we did the second album we decided that Ennio Morricone was going to arrange it and there was that convoluted thing which ended with us writing "It Couldn't Happen Here" with him. So "Jealousy" didn't go on the record.
Neil: The twelve-inch version has a long introduction over which I quote a Shakespeare speech about jealousy from Othello. I only knew it because I did Othello for A-level, by the way. When we were recording the twelve-inch I didn't know how you pronounced 'mandragora', so I phoned up our foremost Shakespearean actor, Ian McKellen, and he told me.
Ray: I adore everything about this, and if not for my actual 11, this would be my 11. The video is gorgeous. It's got the idea from It Couldn't Happen Here – Neil and Chris do nothing while things happen around them. The visuals are perfectly synced with the music – take notice of the glass splashing against that bar stool for instance. (Also two of the guys, and I'll leave you to guess which two, are SO DAMN HOT.) The scene where Dainton closes the door slowly at the end sIays me. It is not your business what the rich and famous do behind closed doors. The video completely changes the concept of the song – the jealousy is justified, and there is no waiting for a phone call involved – but really, who cares when it looks so good. It is an incredible song, and adding orchestra and an extended mix just made me so incredibly happy. I am glad it made it to top 20, as I am aware it is not the most popular single among PSB fans (see comments in a minute). It was covered and ruined by Dubstar. It was sung by Robbie Williams, completely unnecessarily. It is, in my opinion, perfect just as it is. Pairing it with "Losing My Mind" as the flipside was... a choice, though. Lyrically perhaps, yes. But sound-wise it's... well, a choice. Oh well, we've been through the "Losing My Mind" debacle.
Unfortunately @Scoundrel_Days did not provide commentary for this song, so mine has to suffice. Oh. Wait. There are more from y'all. Let's start with all the WRONG ones.
@ohnoitisnathan: Strange single choice.
@Sally_Harper: This is a nice enough song but Christ, what a downer to finish an already quite downbeat album on!
@TrendyMüller: Why was this a single? It just feels a bit weak if compared tot he advanced drama of the rest of Behaviour. [I'm sorry, but what would y'all release as a single instead? And please don't say 'My October Symphony'. Behaviour is not really a... single-y album.]
@Bleu Noir: can't even be bothered to comment properly for some reason
@Mikey1701: An odd one. Do I think it should have been a single? I don’t know to be quite honest. The album version is fluff, forgettable. The 7’ version is an improvement- it’s clearer and the orchestral outro is much more pronounced and therefore effective. But still, there is a disconnect for me. There’s something missing that stops me from connecting to it. It’s simply….. okay. [The orchestra is actually recorded especially for the single mix. The album version is all synths. The 7"/12" mixes make me very, very happy.]
@DominoDancing: Pretty enough, but I never would have selected this as a single, and to this day I think that especially the verses start to drag after a while. It fits the album's mood well, and the crescendo is a nice way to finish it, but taken on it's own the song is not among my favorites.
Now the comments I agree with. Not that I am completely not objective or anything.
@Jóga: Perfect ending for the album. Best ending of an album ever? It could be.
@JakeMagnus: the Robbie Williams live version is very good
@One Stop Candy Shop: My favourite song off the album. The big orchestra finale does things to me.
@KingBruno: That’s how you do an outro.
YES.
Performance:
Glastonbury:
The difference in scores between "Jealousy" and #16 is 0.00139.
My favourite song off the album.
can't even be bothered to comment properly for some reason
Why was this a single?
Neil: You wrote the music, Chris, a very long time ago.
Chris: I can't really remember it. It's my mum's favorite track ever.
I HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY
17. Jealousy
8.4902777778
AU #147, FIN #4, GER #20, IRL #8, PL Radio Three #36, SPA #19 SWI #14, UK #12
The best single from the album Behaviour, released with so many formats and covers that I lost count (those are not all of them)
Highest score: 11 (@Scoundrel_Days), 10x10 (@tylerc904, @KingBruno, @CorgiCorgiCorgi LOSING THE FIRST TEN, @Auntie Beryl, @JonBcn, @SmashHitter, @One Stop Candy Shop, @Jóga, @Farnaby and obviously @Ray)
Lowest score: 5 (@Sally_Harper)
Neil: It's the first proper song we wrote. You wrote the music, Chris, a very long time ago. We now travel back 8½ years [to 1982] to the dining room of the Lowe family household in Blackpool. Chris is up for the summer holidays...
Chris: That year I was at college in Liverpool and I used to go home quite often. There was a piano at home, in the dining room, and I'd sit playing it. I would doodle, normally, and not be able to remember anything I'd done, and I'd think: I'm just wasting creative juices here – what I need is a computer that's going to be able to save it all for posterity. But one day I sat down at the piano and this just came out. It's my mum's favourite track ever.
Neil: I can remember Chris coming back from Blackpool, about June '82, and he'd actually gone to the bother – astonishingly enough – of putting it on a cassette. Obviously I nearly dropped down dead at this point. I was amazed at the sophistication of the music. He said, 'Why don't you write some words for that?' And they haven't been changed, unless I change them when I do the vocal. For lyrical content, see "To Face The Truth". When I first knew Chris, other friends, particularly one very old friend from Newcastle, was jealous that Chris and I used to spend a lot of time writing songs and that I didn't want to go out and play as much. And it was kind of, not about that, but inspired by that.
Chris: There's some good lyrics in there, like "you didn't phone when you said you would". You know when you stay in and they say they're going to phone at eight o'clock and they don't phone all night and you go absolutely bonkers?
Neil: The first time we went into a demo studio – we hired it with my redundancy money from Macdonald Educational – we did three songs, 'Bubadubadubadubadum', 'Jealousy' and 'Oh Dear'.
I'm not quite sure why we haven't put it on a record before. I think when we did the first album we were a little bit insecure about our early songs. We thought that because we wrote them a while ago they can't have been very good. When we did the second album we decided that Ennio Morricone was going to arrange it and there was that convoluted thing which ended with us writing "It Couldn't Happen Here" with him. So "Jealousy" didn't go on the record.
Neil: The twelve-inch version has a long introduction over which I quote a Shakespeare speech about jealousy from Othello. I only knew it because I did Othello for A-level, by the way. When we were recording the twelve-inch I didn't know how you pronounced 'mandragora', so I phoned up our foremost Shakespearean actor, Ian McKellen, and he told me.
Ray: I adore everything about this, and if not for my actual 11, this would be my 11. The video is gorgeous. It's got the idea from It Couldn't Happen Here – Neil and Chris do nothing while things happen around them. The visuals are perfectly synced with the music – take notice of the glass splashing against that bar stool for instance. (Also two of the guys, and I'll leave you to guess which two, are SO DAMN HOT.) The scene where Dainton closes the door slowly at the end sIays me. It is not your business what the rich and famous do behind closed doors. The video completely changes the concept of the song – the jealousy is justified, and there is no waiting for a phone call involved – but really, who cares when it looks so good. It is an incredible song, and adding orchestra and an extended mix just made me so incredibly happy. I am glad it made it to top 20, as I am aware it is not the most popular single among PSB fans (see comments in a minute). It was covered and ruined by Dubstar. It was sung by Robbie Williams, completely unnecessarily. It is, in my opinion, perfect just as it is. Pairing it with "Losing My Mind" as the flipside was... a choice, though. Lyrically perhaps, yes. But sound-wise it's... well, a choice. Oh well, we've been through the "Losing My Mind" debacle.
Unfortunately @Scoundrel_Days did not provide commentary for this song, so mine has to suffice. Oh. Wait. There are more from y'all. Let's start with all the WRONG ones.
@ohnoitisnathan: Strange single choice.
@Sally_Harper: This is a nice enough song but Christ, what a downer to finish an already quite downbeat album on!
@TrendyMüller: Why was this a single? It just feels a bit weak if compared tot he advanced drama of the rest of Behaviour. [I'm sorry, but what would y'all release as a single instead? And please don't say 'My October Symphony'. Behaviour is not really a... single-y album.]
@Bleu Noir: can't even be bothered to comment properly for some reason
@Mikey1701: An odd one. Do I think it should have been a single? I don’t know to be quite honest. The album version is fluff, forgettable. The 7’ version is an improvement- it’s clearer and the orchestral outro is much more pronounced and therefore effective. But still, there is a disconnect for me. There’s something missing that stops me from connecting to it. It’s simply….. okay. [The orchestra is actually recorded especially for the single mix. The album version is all synths. The 7"/12" mixes make me very, very happy.]
@DominoDancing: Pretty enough, but I never would have selected this as a single, and to this day I think that especially the verses start to drag after a while. It fits the album's mood well, and the crescendo is a nice way to finish it, but taken on it's own the song is not among my favorites.
Now the comments I agree with. Not that I am completely not objective or anything.
@Jóga: Perfect ending for the album. Best ending of an album ever? It could be.
@JakeMagnus: the Robbie Williams live version is very good
@One Stop Candy Shop: My favourite song off the album. The big orchestra finale does things to me.
@KingBruno: That’s how you do an outro.
YES.
Performance:
Glastonbury:
The difference in scores between "Jealousy" and #16 is 0.00139.
In fairness I don’t even like the Kylie track, I just thought it was an appropriate username for the boards.
I do feel that I underscored Jealousy and it should have been a 10 from me. It has so much atmosphere, tense and a slow building power punch.