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Past PSB Survey Results - 2004 Surveys

This page presents the results of surveys I conducted in the year 2004. The results of surveys conducted in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 appear on separate pages.

Note: The response in each survey that received the most votes is highlighted in bold red. I usually list the responses in descending order according to the number of votes, but in a few cases I've decided that the results may be clearer or more meaningful if I list them in some other order. Incidentally, I do vote in my own surveys—and, yes, I vote only once. More often than not, what I vote for doesn't come in first place. In the results below, the symbol ¤ appears after the item(s) that I voted for in each survey.

Survey 190 - Week of December 26, 2004
PSB rendition of song written for another artist (148 voters)

Of all the songs that the Pet Shop Boys have written for other performers but which they haven't yet officially released in their own renditions, which would you most like for them to release in a "PSB version"?

21.6% - In Private
14.9% - For All of Us
08.1% - Call Me Old-Fashioned
07.4% - Jack and Jill Party
06.1% - Don't Drop Bombs
05.4% - Daydreaming
05.4% - It's Just My Little Tribute to Caligula, Darling!
05.4% - Out of My System
04.1% - Run, Girl, Run
03.4% - I Can't Say Goodnight
03.4% - I Want You Now
03.4% - If There Was Love ¤
03.4% - Love Life
02.7% - My Night
02.0% - All or Nothing
02.0% - Occupy Your Mind
01.4% - Something Special
00.0% - Nine Out of Ten

Survey 189 - Week of December 19, 2004
Another PSB Christmas song? (197 voters)

So far the Pet Shop Boys have released only one Christmas song: their own "It Doesn't Often Snow at Christmas." Would you like for them to record and release any other Christmas songs?

32.5% - Only if once again they write an original.
25.4% - Maybe—but first they should finally release "It Doesn't Often Snow at Christmas" into general distribution!
16.8% - No—absolutely not!
15.2% - Yes. In fact, an entire Christmas album would be nice!
08.1% - Only if this time it's a secular "Christmas standard" given the "PSB treatment." ¤
02.0% - Only if it's a religious Christmas hymn given the "PSB treatment."

Survey 188 - Week of December 12, 2004
Favorite type of remix (214 voters)

In general, what is your favorite type of remix?

39.7% - Radically different arrangement with a change in style, but the basic structure of the song is unchanged.
  Examples: "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously" video mix; "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" single mix 

20.1% - Subtly but noticeably different arrangement, though in the same general style; despite this, the song itself is essentially the same as the original
  Examples: "A Red Letter Day" and "Flamboyant" single mixes 

17.8% - Basically the same arrangement as the original, but lengthened and perhaps slightly embellished ¤
  Examples: "Being Boring" and "Jealousy" extended mixes 

10.7% - "I don't think I can generalize about this"

08.4% - Radical change in arrangement and style with significant changes in the song itself, including the chord structure and deletion of some lyrics, but the song is still recognizable
  Examples: "Can You Forgive Her?" Rollo Remix; "A Red Letter Day" Basement Jaxx Vocal Mix 

03.3% - Radical change in all aspects of the song, including the melody, to the point that it's a stretch even to call it the same song anymore
  Examples: "Liberation" E-Smoove and Murk remixes; "A Red Letter Day" Trouser Enthusiasts Congo Dongo Dubstramental

Survey 187 - Week of December 5, 2004
How often do you hear PSB on the radio? (205 voters)

On the average, about how often do you hear music by the Pet Shop Boys played on the radio?*

31.7% - Never—because I seldom if ever listen to the radio
23.4% - Less than once per month—and then it's almost always "West End Girls" ¤
12.7% - About once per month
11.7% - Never, even though I do often listen to the radio
10.2% - Two or three times per month
04.4% - About once per week
04.4% - Several times per week
01.5% - Every day, or close to it

*I purposely chose a time "between singles" to ask this question so that there would be more or less a "level playing field" worldwide. That is, new singles would skew the results in countries in which new PSB singles are much more likely to receive radio airplay. But at a time like this when there are no new PSB singles, every PSB song is, in effect, an "oldie," regardless of where it's played. Seeing as how even a relatively recent song like "Flamboyant" is now an oldie, this question, in a sense, asked the voters how often they hear PSB oldies played on the radio.

Survey 186 - Week of November 28, 2004
In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? (180 voters)
Do you think they'll put you in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame?
          – from "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?"

The Pet Shop Boys will become eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.* Do you think they will be inducted—if not right away, then eventually?

35.0% - No, although they should be ¤
27.2% - No, and they shouldn't be, either**
20.0% - Yes, within the first year or two of their eligibility
17.8% - Yes, eventually, but not right away

*Artists become eligible 25 years after the release of their first record. The first PSB record (the original "Bobby O version" of "West End Girls") came out in 1984, so they become eligible in 2009. The official Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website describes the induction process as follows: "The Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of about 1,000 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes, and more than 50 percent of the vote, are inducted." Incidentally, it was only after I started this poll that a site visitor brought to my attention the fact that recently the U.K. instituted its own Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But this poll is focusing on the original based in Cleveland, Ohio.

**Regardless of why these voters thought they shouldn't be inducted—either because they felt the Pet Shop Boys don't deserve it, because they "don't do rock and roll," or because they and/or the Boys themselves dislike the very concept of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Survey 185 - Week of November 21, 2004
How many PSB "desert island discs"? (163 voters)

If you could pick only ten albums to have with you on a "desert island" (where you conveniently had a battery-operated CD player and enough batteries to last a very long time), how many of those ten albums would be by the Pet Shop Boys? (A multi-disc set, such as Alternative or PopArt, counts as one album.)

25.2% - 2 albums ¤*
23.3% - 1 album
16.6% - 3 albums
09.2% - 5 albums
08.6% - All 10 albums
06.7% - 4 albums
03.7% - 6 albums
02.5% - 7 albums
01.8% - 0 (none)
01.8% - 9 albums
00.6% - 8 albums

*In case you're wondering, the two PSB albums that I would insist on having with me are Very (my favorite) and PopArt (to have the singles from the other albums). Considering that "2" was also the choice of the plurality of voters, I suspect that many followed a similar pattern—choosing their favorite PSB studio album plus a hits collection. Just for the record, the other artists that I'd want represented on my desert island (with one album each) are the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Erasure, Madonna, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, and Rufus Wainwright. In each case except for Wainwright it would be a "best of" collection—a multi-disc set if one is available. For example, the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations five-disc boxed set would do very nicely. For Wainwright (who hasn't yet put out such a collection) it would be his marvelous album Want One.

Survey 184 - Week of November 14, 2004
Why no U.S. comeback? (209 voters)

With their new single "Sunrise," Duran Duran seems on the verge of enjoying their second major U.S. comeback since their eighties heyday (their first being in 1993 with the hits "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone"). What do you think is the primary reason that this sort of U.S. comeback has so far eluded the Pet Shop Boys?

25.4% - Because most Americans don't "get" the Pet Shop Boys and find them confusing, whereas with Duran Duran there's not much to "get" ¤
17.2% - Because Duran Duran isn't thought of as a "gay band"
12.4% - Because Duran Duran is a more guitar-oriented band, which is more appealing to the general U.S. audience
11.5% - Because contemporary pop-music radio in the U.S. is a wasteland of tastelessness
10.5% - Because Duran Duran has always had a much larger fanbase in the U.S. than PSB
09.6% - Because Duran Duran has received much better record label promotion and support in the U.S. than PSB
07.7% - For some other reason not listed here.*
02.4% - Because Duran Duran isn't considered a "dance music" band
01.9% - Because Simon LeBon is a better and/or sexier frontman than Neil
01.0% - Because Duran Duran tours more
00.5% - Because Duran Duran's post-eighties music has been better than PSB's

Survey 183 - Week of November 7, 2004
How will PSB be remembered? (218 voters)

Think ahead to the future, to a time at least a full decade after the end of the Pet Shop Boys' career. In terms of their legacy to popular music, how do you think the Pet Shop Boys will be—rightly or wrongly—most remembered? (Please select up to three choices.)

18.4%/45.9%* - As an "eighties band"
11.4%/28.4% - As a "gay band"
09.0%/22.5% - For their intelligent, sometimes ironic social commentary
08.6%/21.6% - As one of the greatest synthpop bands ¤
08.5%/21.1% - As the most successful duo in U.K. chart history ¤
06.6%/16.5% - As one of the most successful dance-music acts ¤
06.4%/16.1% - As great songwriters
05.9%/14.7% - As an odd "archetypically British" pop act
03.9%/09.6% - For pointy hats and other bizarre costumes
03.5%/08.7% - For their brilliant lyrics
03.3%/08.3% - For their marvelous melodies
02.4%/06.0% - As a "one-hit wonder"
02.2%/05.5% - For their imaginative arrangements and musical "soundscapes"
02.2%/05.5% - For their "melancholic" image
01.8%/04.6% - As terrific producers, including for other artists
01.5%/03.7% - As eclectic risk-takers who pushed the boundaries of pop
01.1%/02.8% - As "anti-rock" inconoclasts who charted their own unique course
00.9%/02.3% - As a superficial pop act
00.7%/01.8% - For the humor in their music
00.7%/01.8% - For their imaginative stageshows
00.6%/01.4% - As prolific hitmakers
00.4%/00.9% - For some other reason not listed here**

*The first figure indicates the percentage of total votes that this choice received. (Each voter could select up to three choices.) The second figure indicates the percentage of voters who selected that choice. For this reason, the first figures for every choice total to 100%, whereas the the second figures for every choice total to far greater than 100%.

**One voter suggested both the planned but aborted Wotapolava "gay music festival" tour and the Boys' "dis" of Eminem in "The Night I Fell in Love" as likely ways in which they'll be remembered.

Survey 182 - Week of October 31, 2004
Should PSB do a "covers" album? (208 voters)

The Pet Shop Boys have often performed live "cover versions" of songs written and previously recorded by others ("Philadelphia," "It's Not Unusual," "Do Anything You Wanna Do," "Homosexuality," "Mr. Vain," etc.) that they haven't yet released in studio versions. Do you think the Pet Shop Boys should record and release a studio album consisting entirely of these and other "cover" songs?

31.7% - Yes, they should definitely do it!
28.4% - No, absolutely not!
25.0% - It would depend on the songs they choose to cover.
14.9% - It would have been a good idea at one time, but now it would seem they were copying Erasure's 2003 album Other People's Songs. ¤

Survey 181 - Week of October 24, 2004
Ever worn a PSB-inspired costume? (146 voters)

Have you ever attended a Halloween party, costume party, or other "dress-up" occasion (a PSB concert, perhaps?) wearing a costume inspired by the Pet Shop Boys, such as from one of their videos?

85.6% - "No, never." ¤
07.5% - "Yes, once."*
05.5% - "Not yet, but I plan on doing so soon."
01.4% - "Yes, on more than one occasion."

*One voter, Gilles, told of the time he and his friends created pointy hats like those from the "Can You Forgive Her?" video, took them to the Nightlife tour concert in Brussels, and put them on when the Pet Shop Boys performed that song—an occurrence recorded on the Montage DVD.

Survey 180 - Week of October 17, 2004
Best live song performance (160 voters)

What song do you think the Pet Shop Boys have performed best "live"? Or to put it another way, what song were they performing in what you feel was their very best live performance?

08.1% - "I haven't seen or heard enough PSB live performances to choose one"
07.5% - It's a Sin
06.9% - Can You Forgive Her?
06.9% - Go West
05.6% - Being Boring
05.6% - Young Offender
04.4% - Left to My Own Devices
04.4% - Love Comes Quickly
04.4% - This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave
04.4% - We All Feel Better in the Dark
03.1% - West End Girls
02.5% - Always on My Mind
02.5% - You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
01.9% - Discoteca
01.9% - Only the Wind
01.9% - Rent
01.9% - The Truck-Driver and His Mate
01.9% - What Have I Done to Deserve This?
01.3% - Domino Dancing
01.3% - For Your Own Good
01.3% - Girls & Boys
01.3% - My October Symphony
01.3% - One in a Million
01.3% - Shameless
01.3% - Somewhere
01.3% - Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)
01.3% - Your Funny Uncle
00.6% - Birthday Boy
00.6% - Footsteps
00.6% - Hallo Spaceboy
00.6% - Home and Dry
00.6% - Homosexuality
00.6% - How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?
00.6% - I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More
00.6% - I'm Not Scared
00.6% - It's Alright ¤
00.6% - King's Cross
00.6% - Love Is a Catastrophe
00.6% - Philadelphia
00.6% - Positive Role Model
00.6% - A Red Letter Day
00.6% - Rhythm of the Night
00.6% - Sexy Northerner
00.6% - Shopping
00.6% - So Hard
00.6% - The Theatre
00.6% - To Speak Is a Sin
00.6% - Was It Worth It?

Survey 179 - Week of October 10, 2004
Favorite Performance staging (155 voters)

Which song's staging or "visualization" in Performance is your favorite?

18.1% - "I can't say because I've never seen Performance"
14.2% - We All Feel Better in the Dark*
12.3% - This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave
08.4% - It's a Sin
08.4% - What Have I Done to Deserve This?
07.7% - My October Symphony
04.5% - Always on My Mind
03.9% - So Sorry, I Said
03.9% - How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? ¤**
03.2% - Suburbia
03.2% - So Hard
02.6% - West End Girls
01.9% - Losing My Mind
01.9% - Your Funny Uncle
01.3% - I'm Not Scared
01.3% - Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
01.3% - Where the Streets Have No Name…
01.3% - Jealousy
00.6% - Rent

*Considering the popularity of "We All Feel Better in the Dark" in Performance, perhaps Chris should consider stripping down in public more often.

**Personally, I was quite torn between "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" and "So Hard." But forced to choose, I settled on the former. Not only is it the more "serious" of the two ("So Hard" is hilariously bizarre — the hair! … the hand gestures! — but "Seriously" gets downright creepy there at the end when the "corporate pigs" start dining on the Boys, and creepy beats hilarious for profundity), but it also won the coin toss.

Survey 178 - Week of October 3, 2004
Which works best as a concept album? (181 voters)

Which Pet Shop Boys album works best as a "concept album"—that is, one with an overall theme or story?*

24.9% - Nightlife
17.7% - Bilingual ¤
13.3% - Behaviour
12.7% - Very
06.6% - "I don't think any of them work as a concept album"
06.1% - Introspective
04.4% - Release
03.9% - Please
02.8% - Alternative
02.2% - Relentless
01.7% - Disco
01.7% - Actually
01.7% - Disco 3
00.6% - Disco 2

*I disqualified the Closer to Heaven original cast album and the compilations Discography, Essential, and PopArt from the running.

Survey 177 - Week of September 26, 2004
Your religion? (201 voters)

What religion (if any) do you practice or adhere to?

22.9% - "No religion—I'm an atheist"
16.4% - Christianity: Catholicism
15.4% - Christianity: Protestantism ¤
15.2% - "No religion—I'm an agnostic"
14.9% - "No formal religion, but I'm not an atheist or agnostic (I do believe in God or a 'higher power')"
03.5% - Christianity: Some form other than Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, or Protestantism*
02.5% - Some other religion not listed here*
02.0% - "I prefer not to answer this question"
01.5% - Buddhism
01.5% - Christianity: Eastern Orthodoxy
01.0% - Islam: Sunni
01.0% - Judaism
00.5% - Confucianism
00.5% - Islam: Shiia
00.5% - "New Age" spirituality
00.5% - Wicca
00.5% - "I'm not sure"

*Two voters (1.0%) reported being Unitarian/Universalists. The others who chose the "Some other religion" or "Some other form of Christianity" categories didn't identify their particular faiths. The religions listed in this survey that weren't selected by any voters were Animism, Baha'i, Hinduism, "Some other form of Islam," Jainism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, "Traditional" or "folk" religion, and Zoroastrianism.

Survey 176 - Week of September 19, 2004
Your political persuasion? (185 voters)

Which of the following best describes your socio-economic-political philosophy?

39.5% - liberal/progressive
13.5% - socialist
08.1% - moderate/centrist ¤
07.6% - "I'm not sure"
06.5% - conservative
04.9% - libertarian
04.3% - "Some other socio-economic-political philosophy not listed here"*
03.8% - "I prefer not to answer this question"
02.7% - apolitical
02.2% - anarchist
02.2% - internationalist
01.6% - Marxist/communist
01.1% - monarchist
01.1% - religionist/theocrat
00.5% - fascist
00.5% - oligarchist

*One of the voters who chose this option wrote to tell me that he considers himself a "Europeanist"—akin to an internationalist but focusing on Europe. The additional choices that I had provided but were not selected by any of the voters were "autocrat," "corporatist," and "militarist."

Survey 175 - Week of September 12, 2004
Ever host a PSB party? (148 voters)

Have you ever hosted a party or other private social gathering of four or more people (yourself included) in which the "main attraction" was the music and/or video recordings of the Pet Shop Boys? (In other words, the chief entertainment or the main reason that your guests attended was to listen to and/or watch PSB.)

78.4% - No, I've never hosted nor attended such a party.
08.8% - Yes, I've hosted more than one such party.
07.4% - Yes, I've hosted one such party. ¤
05.4% - No, I've never hosted such a party, but I have attended one or more.

Survey 174 - Week of September 5, 2004
The most disturbing PSB song (177 voters)

What, in your opinion, is the most disturbing Pet Shop Boys song? (How you define "disturbing" is completely up to you.)

31.1% - The Sound of the Atom Splitting
07.9% - Love Is a Catastrophe
04.5% - Screaming
04.0% - The Theatre
03.4% - Being Boring
03.4% - It Couldn't Happen Here
02.8% - It's a Sin
02.8% - Rent
02.3% - DJ Culture
02.3% - Don Juan
02.3% - King's Cross
02.3% - Vampires
01.7% - Birthday Boy ¤
01.7% - Can You Forgive Her?
01.7% - Electricity
01.7% - Postscript
01.7% - To Speak Is a Sin
01.7% - Yesterday, When I Was Mad
01.1% - Dreaming of the Queen
01.1% - For All of Us
01.1% - Later Tonight
01.1% - Lies
01.1% - Some Speculation
01.1% - To Step Aside
00.6% - Betrayed
00.6% - Boy Strange
00.6% - Friendly Fire
00.6% - Hit and Miss
00.6% - If There Was Love
00.6% - In the Night
00.6% - Jealousy
00.6% - Only the Wind
00.6% - Silver Age
00.6% - Somebody Else's Business
00.6% - This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave
00.6% - Up Against It
00.6% - Violence
06.2% - Some other song not listed here (email it to me)*:
    00.6% - Absolutely Fabulous
    00.6% - Metamorphosis
    00.6% - Tall Thin Men
    00.6% - Try It (I'm in Love with a Married Man)
    00.6% - We Came from Outer Space
    00.6% - You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk

*Unfortunately, only about half of those who chose the "Some other song" option emailed me their own choices.

Survey 173 - Week of August 29, 2004
Are you glad they started smiling? (172 voters)

Early in their career, the Pet Shop Boys generally avoided smiling in photographs and were often referred to as an "unsmiling" duo. Of course, they later abandoned that aspect of their image and started smiling more often in photos. Are you glad that they did?

Survey 172 - Week of August 22, 2004
Planning to attend Potemkin performance? (162 voters)

Are you planning on attending the Pet Shop Boys' live September 12, 2004, performance of their Battleship Potemkin film score at London's Trafalgar Square?

Survey 171 - Week of August 15, 2004
More solo projects? (140 voters)*

Should Chris and Neil take part in more "solo" musical projects—that is, making music that doesn't involve the "other Boy"?

Survey 170 - Week of August 8, 2004
Performance DVD extras preference (193 voters)

The Pet Shop Boys' Performance concert video will reportedly be released soon on DVD with some "extras." If you could choose only one, which type of extra would you most like to be included on the DVD?*

Survey 169 - Week of August 1, 2004
Number of PSB tracks owned in mp3, etc. (147 voters)

About how many unique PSB tracks do you own in mp3, m4p, or other digital format that can be stored on your computer or portable solid-state player (such as an Apple iPod)?*

Survey 168 - Week of July 25, 2004
"The Rating Project": "Jack and Jill Party" (173 voters)

Please rate the song that the Pet Shop Boys wrote and produced for Pete Burns, "Jack and Jill Party," on a scale of 0 to 10 as it compares with other PSB songs (0 = "one of the worst PSB songs ever"; 10 = "one of the very best PSB songs ever"):

Rating
Voters giving it
this rating
Abstain
62
35.8%
0
6
3.5%
¤ 1
6
3.5%
2
7
4.0%
3
13
7.5%
4
8
4.6%
5
9
5.2%
6
17
9.8%
7
20
11.6%
8
15
8.7%
9
7
4.0%
10
3
1.7%
Average
5.324
  

This outcome places "Jack and Jill Party" in the lower reaches, so to speak, of my overall Rating Project.

Survey 167 - Week of July 18, 2004
Where in Europe do you live? (202 voters)

This question is directly primarily to my site visitors who live in Europe: In which European country do you live?

Survey 166 - Week of July 11, 2004
In which U.S. state or territory do you live? (200 voters)

Although Pet Shop Boys fans living in the United States apparently make up only about a third of my regular site visitors, I've often wondered about their geographic distribution. So in which U.S. state or territory do you live?*

*I asked about the worldwide distribution of my site visitors some time ago. If you like you can check out the results of that previous survey. It may also be worth noting that I didn't include my usual ¤ symbol to indicate how I voted in this survey. Yes, I did vote, but for personal reasons I prefer to try to maintain my "geographic anonymity" within the United States.

**Considering that California is the most populous U.S. state, its "first-place" ranking shouldn't be surprising. On the other hand, since California accounts for about 12% of the overall U.S. population, the "California vote" is about twice as high as one would expect from a purely random poll. So that suggests that Californians have greater than average Internet usage (perhaps so) and/or that the Pet Shop Boys are unusually popular in California (again, perhaps so).

Survey 165 - Week of July 4, 2004
What do you think of the Battleship Potemkin plans? (162 voters)

What do you think of the recent news that the Pet Shop Boys have written, will perform live, and will record a new score for the silent film classic Battleship Potemkin?

Survey 164 - Week of June 27, 2004
Would you buy "enhanced audio" PSB albums? (151 voters)

Little by little, classic albums by various artists are being re-released in "enhanced audio" formats, such as DVD Audio or SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc). If the Pet Shop Boys were to release one or more of their albums in enhanced audio format sometime in the near future, which of the following statements do you think would most closely reflect your purchasing decision?

Survey 163 - Week of June 20, 2004
Which "PSB artifacts" do you own? (154 voters)

Which of the following types of Pet Shop Boys artifacts or memorabilia (other than recordings, videos, and album and single sleeves) do you own one or more copies or examples of? (Please select all that apply.)

*Additional items submitted by voters are listed here. But not everyone who selected this option submitted their own additions to the list. I've used my usual ¤ symbol to indicate those additional items that I own examples of as well.
Survey 162 - Week of June 13, 2004
How many PSB songs did you listen to last week? (147 voters)

Think about last week, June 6-12. Try to think of all the music you listened to during that period. About how many different Pet Shop Boys songs did you listen to (in their entirety or close to it) last week?

Survey 161 - Week of June 6, 2004
How often do you visit the official website? (179 voters)

Generally, about how often do you visit the Pet Shop Boys' official website at http://www.petshopboys.co.uk?

Survey 160 - Week of May 30, 2004
Favorite PSB fansite (180 voters)

What is your favorite Pet Shop Boys fansite?*

Survey 159 - Week of May 23, 2004
The most you'd pay for a PSB concert ticket (184 voters)

Imagine the Pet Shop Boys have announced a farewell tour (heaven forbid, at least anytime soon!), and it's coming to your town or close by. You don't know anything else about the show. Be honest now: What's the most you would realistically be willing and/or able to pay for a ticket?

Survey 158 - Week of May 16, 2004
Fan Club member? If not, why not? (176 voters)

Are you a current member of the official Pet Shop Boys Fan Club and, if not, why not?*

Survey 157 - Week of May 9, 2004
"The Rating Project": The PopArt era (200 voters)

Please rate the new songs on the Pet Shop Boys' album PopArt and its associated singles on a scale of 0 to 10 as they compare with other PSB songs (0 = "one of the worst PSB songs ever"; 5 = "an average PSB song"; 10 = "one of the very best PSB songs ever"):

Song (Listed from Highest Average Rating to Lowest)
Average
Rating
% of
voters
rating
10
% of
voters
rating
0
Wayne's
Rating¤
Flamboyant
7.520
16.2%
0.5%
7
Miracles
7.387
15.1%
0.5%
5
I Didn't Get Where I Am Today
7.185
17.3%
0.6%
6
We're the Pet Shop Boys
6.183
5.7%
3.4%
3
Transparent
5.135
1.2%
1.8%
2

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Survey 156 - Week of May 2, 2004
PSB autobiography? (190 voters)

Imagine, twenty or thirty years from now, if Neil and/or Chris (in retirement or semi-retirement) were to write a tell-all "Pet Shop Boys autobiography." Which of their song titles—just the title, not the song itself—do you think would probably be the most accurate description of the book's contents, even if it's not the actual title of the book itself?

15.3% - Was It Worth It?
11.1% - Being Boring
09.5% - The Survivors
06.8% - Hit and Miss
06.8% - How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?
05.8% - What Have I Done to Deserve This?
04.7% - It Always Comes as a Surprise ¤
04.2% - Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
03.7% - Delusions of Grandeur
03.7% - Shameless
02.6% - In Private
02.6% - Lies
02.6% - Love Is a Catastrophe
02.6% - Miserablism
02.6% - Positive Role Model
02.1% - Decadence
02.1% - Saturday Night Forever
02.1% - Up Against It
01.6% - Heart
01.6% - It's a Sin
01.1% - Transparent
00.5% - The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On
00.5% - Nightlife
"Some other song not mentioned here" (one write-in vote each):
   00.5% - Absolutely Fabulous
   00.5% - Before
   00.5% - I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More
   00.5% - Left to My Own Devices
   00.5% - Somebody Else's Business
   00.5% - This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave
   00.5% - Actually*

*One voter wrote to say that he thought the album title Actually would be a more apt description than any particular song title.

Survey 155 - Week of April 25, 2004
Disco albums ranking (227 voters)

Rank the Pet Shop Boys' three Disco albums from 1 to 3, with 1 being your favorite and 3 your least favorite.

In the following results, please note that the lower the figure, the higher the ranking.

Album
Average
Rank
How I Ranked Them¤
Number of voters giving it this rank*
#1
#2
#3
Disco 3
1.511
1
130
72
21
Disco
1.737
2
80
123
21
Disco 2
2.748
3
15
26
181

*Discrepancies among the totals are explained by the fact that some voters didn't rank every album. Early on, two voters apparently disliked Disco 3 so much that they gave it a ranking of "4"—which surprised me until I noticed that an error in my initial coding allowed ranks worse than 3. So I immediately corrected that error, and I recorded those "4" rankings of Disco 3 as 3's. Incidentally, the most common voting pattern precisely matched the cumulative rankings above: #1 Disco 3, #2 Disco, and #3 Disco 2. The least common voting pattern was exactly the opposite: #1 Disco 2, #2 Disco, and #3 Disco 3.

Survey 154 - Week of April 18, 2004
"Studio" albums ranking (222 voters)

Rank the Pet Shop Boys' eight "studio" albums to date (that is, the albums other than the compilations, Alternative, the Disco albums, and the "special case" of Relentless) from 1 to 8, with 1 being your favorite and 8 your least favorite.

In the following results, please note that the lower the figure, the higher the ranking.

Album
Average
Rank
How I Ranked Them ¤
Number of voters giving it this rank*
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
Very
2.991
1
69
35
33
32
23
9
9
6
Behaviour
3.274
2
60
41
28
24
20
23
8
11
Actually
4.347
8
19
32
29
31
37
26
21
18
Bilingual
4.620
5
18
27
27
24
31
37
34
15
Please
4.766
4
16
25
24
37
25
29
29
29
Introspective
4.925
3
12
21
32
30
23
36
27
33
Nightlife
5.234
6
12
20
22
17
30
35
50
28
Release
5.749
7
12
14
18
19
25
20
35
72

I was quite surprised by the fact that Very received the most #1 rankings and averaged at the top of the list since Behaviour has previously won other "favorite album" polls. Also, some interesting voting patterns emerged in the data. For one thing, voters who ranked Behaviour #1 also tended to rank Release rather highly as well. To be sure, there were many exceptions, but that was the general pattern. By contrast, those who ranked Very #1 tended not to rank Release highly. Of the lower-ranking albums, they tended to prefer Introspective and/or Nightlife.

*Discrepancies among the totals are explained by the fact that some voters didn't rank every album.

Survey 153 - Week of April 11, 2004
The next PSB DVD release (197 voters)

Which of the following would you most like to be the next Pet Shop Boys DVD release?

Survey 152 - Weeks of March 28 and April 4, 2004
Favorite version of "Miracles" (207 voters)

What is your favorite version of "Miracles"?*

Survey 151 - Week of March 21, 2004
Favorite among top ten dance artists (256 voters)

According to a recent publication based on the Billboard dance charts, the Pet Shop Boys are the fourth most successful "dance artist" in U.S. chart history. Aside from the Pet Shop Boys, which artist among the ten most successful is your favorite? (Each artist's position in the "top ten" is listed in parentheses.)

Survey 150 - Week of March 14, 2004
Professional fields of fans/site visitors (244 voters)

From time to time I try to get a "cross-section" of Pet Shop Boys fandom—or at least of those fans who visit my website. In the past I've asked about location, age, and gender/orientation. I thought it would be interesting to get a breakdown of how we PSB fans earn our livings. Which of the following general fields most closely describes your profession/career/job category?

18.0% - Computers ¤*
 Computers, computer science, programming, hardware, software, systems, Internet technology, web design

16.0% - Undetermined/undecided
Children, students, retired, nonworkers

14.8% - Business & Commerce
Accounting, banking, finance, investments, insurance, marketing, sales, retail, wholesale, real estate, shipping

09.4% - Education & Social Work
Teaching, academia, training, school administration, library, childcare, physical education, coaching, career counseling, social work, archeology, anthropology

07.8% - Arts & Entertainment
Music, theater, film, dance, graphics, creative writing, museums, non-journalistic television, nightclubs

07.4% - Communications
Advertising, public relations, journalism, radio, publishing, language

07.4% - Engineering & Physical Sciences
Aerospace, chemistry, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, astronomy, statistics, mathematics

04.5% - Healthcare
Healthcare, medicine, dentistry, hospital administration, nursing, surgery, pharmacology, physical therapy, public health, nutrition, psychology, mental health

03.3% - Other
Any area that you feel doesn't fit into any of the other categories

02.9% - Government & Diplomacy
Government (all levels), politics, military, defense, security, intelligence, diplomacy, foreign service, postal work

02.5% - Transportation, Tourism, & Accommodations
Transportation, airlines, mass transit, automotive, travel, tourism, hotels, restaurants

01.6% - Agriculture, Life Sciences, & Environmental
Agriculture, animal husbandry, animal science, veterinary medicine, zoology, marine science, botony, forestry, fish and wildlife, park services

01.6% - Law & Public Policy
Law, legal services, police, criminal justice, labor relations, public policy

01.2% - Architecture & Planning
Architecture, interior design, landscaping, urban/regional planning

01.2% - Industry & Trades
Heavy industry, manufacturing, carpentry, construction, plumbing, mechanics, tailoring, crafts

00.4% - Nonprofit & Public Service
Clergy, charity, advocacy

00.0% - Homemaking & Housekeeping
Homemaking, housekeeping, domestic work, janitorial services

*Actually, depending on how you look at it, I could be said to work in the areas of "Business & Commerce" and "Education & Social Work" as well as in "Computers." (I design educational intranet websites for a business that falls squarely in the "Business & Commerce" category.) I waffled on this point even before I started this survey, but finally settled on "Computers" since I spend an average of about 6 out of 8 hours every workday doing HTML-related work at the computer keyboard. I'm sure many of the other participants in this survey do work that crosses the boundaries in similar ways.

Survey 149 - Week of March 7, 2004
One single to add to PopArt (268 voters)

If you could pick only one, which of the following songs—all of which were released as PSB singles somewhere in the world—would you most like to have been included in the PopArt CD package (assuming that it could have been added without deleting any of the songs that actually were included)?

Survey 148 - Week of February 29, 2004
Preferred "special format" album (187 voters)

The Pet Shop Boys and their fans have often mentioned possible "special format" albums that they might release at some point. If you could pick only one, which of the following types of albums would you most like for the Pet Shop Boys to release?

Survey 147 - Week of February 22, 2004
"Miracles" & "Flamboyant" vs. "DJ Culture" & "Was It Worth It?" (271 voters)

How do you think "Miracles" and "Flamboyant"—together, as a pair—compare to "DJ Culture" and "Was It Worth It?" as new songs to help promote their respective Pet Shop Boys singles compilations (PopArt and Discography)?

Survey 146 - Week of February 15, 2004
Album most listened to all the way through (304 voters)

Which Pet Shop Boys album do you most often listen to all the way through, from beginning to end, in a single uninterrupted sitting?

Survey 145 - Week of February 8, 2004
Which PopArt tracks belong on the other disc? (292 voters)

Neil has referred to the process of determining where songs belong on the PopArt discs as an interesting "game." So let's play! In your opinion, which songs on the Pop disc should have been on Art, and which songs on the Art disc should have been on Pop?*

Pop songs that should have been on Art
Art songs that should have been on Pop
30.5% - Love Comes Quickly ¤

26.0% - Miracles ¤

25.0% - Home and Dry

20.9% - Suburbia

18.2% - It's a Sin ¤

16.1% - Before

15.8% - A Red Letter Day

14.7% - What Have I Done to Deserve This?

14.4% - It's Alright

11.3% - Domino Dancing

09.6% - Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) ¤

09.2% - I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing

09.2% - Se A Vida E (That's the Way Life Is)

05.5% - Always on My Mind

05.5% - Go West

04.1% - Heart

03.8% - New York City Boy 		28.4% - Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) ¤

25.7% - West End Girls ¤

24.3% - Somewhere

24.0% - Flamboyant ¤

22.9% - Paninaro '95

21.9% - So Hard

20.2% - Can You Forgive Her?

18.5% - Single-Bilingual

18.2% - Yesterday, When I Was Mad

17.8% - I Get Along

13.7% - I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More ¤

11.0% - Liberation

10.3% - Left to My Own Devices

09.6% - Rent

08.9% - DJ Culture

08.6% - You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk

07.2% - Being Boring

04.1% - Jealousy
12.0% - "I think the track listings of Pop and Art are perfect 'as is'."

*The figures indicate the percentage of voters who selected each song. Because participants could make multiple selections, the figures total to considerably more than 100%.

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Survey 144 - Week of February 1, 2004
Which PopArt disc do you prefer listening to? (700 voters)*

Which disc from PopArt do you prefer listening to?

Survey 143 - Week of January 25, 2004
Which video "adds" the most to its song? (344 voters)

Which video do you think adds the most to a Pet Shop Boys song? Or to put it another way, which PSB song do you think benefits the most from its "visualization" in the video?

Survey 142 - Week of January 18, 2004
Percentage of PSB in music collection (173 voters)

Rounded to the nearest 5%, approximately what percentage of your music collection (CDs, tapes, and vinyl combined) is by the Pet Shop Boys?

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Survey 141 - Week of January 11, 2004
Listening to PSB compared to other artists (164 voters)

Which of the following statements comes closest to describing how much you listen to music by the Pet Shop Boys compared to music by other artists?

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Survey 140 - Week of January 4, 2004
Frequency of listening to PSB (190 voters)

On the average, about how often do you listen to music by the Pet Shop Boys?

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