Past PSB Survey Results - 2012 Surveys
This page presents the results of surveys I conducted in the year 2012. The results of surveys conducted in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 , 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 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
588 - Week of December 30, 2012 The highlight of the 2012 "PSB year" (408 voters) |
What, in your opinion, is the single greatest highlight of 2012 for the Pet Shop Boys?
41.9% - The release of their new studio album Elysium ¤
21.8% - Their participation in the 2012 Olympics and surrounding events, including the closing ceremonies and Olympics/Paralympics parade
13.5% - Their live show with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, including the debut of "He Dreamed of Machines" from their upcoming Alan Turing project
10.8% - The release of their second b-sides collection, Format
04.7% - Their live Elysium album launch performance in Berlin
03.9% - The release of their "Leaving" single with its music video and bonus tracks
01.5% - Something else not listed here*
01.2% - The release of their "Memory of the Future" single with its bonus tracks
00.7% - The second run (with revisions) of their ballet The Most Incredible Thing
00.0% - The releae of their "Winner" single with its music video and bonus tracks
*Among the other highlights cited by voters:
- When "Invisible" was released online accompanied by its video (2 votes for this)
- Their live performance at the New Year's Party at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
- The performances of The Most Incredible Thing at the Festspielhaus in St. Poelten, Austria
- "All of the above"
| Survey
587 - Week of December 23, 2012 Interest in "non-musical" topics about PSB (336 voters) |
To what extent are you interested in each of the following subjects about the Pet Shop Boys?
The percentages don't all add up to 100% because not every voter made a selection in every category. In case you're wondering about my own "mild" interest in each of these topics: I'm interested in these things to the extent that (1) they may contribute to or inform me about their songs, and (2) I'm interested in such things about any friendly acquaintances of mine (that is, people I know and with whom I'm on good terms, although I couldn't consider them "close personal friends," for whom I would be very interested in these things).
| Survey
586 - Week of December 16, 2012 The other PSB album Elysium is most like (278 voters) |
Every PSB studio album is of course unique. But if you had to choose, which of their other studio albums do you think Elysium is most like? And do you think this similarity is a "good," "neutral," or "bad" thing?
| Survey
585 - Week of December 9, 2012 A PSB orchestral tour? (338 voters) |
The Pet Shop Boys' concert with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra made me wonder whether they would seriously consider a world tour in which they would be accompanied at each venue by a local orchestra. But such a tour would almost certainly have drawbacks. There would probably be far fewer shows at more scattered locations, and the associated costs would probably mean much higher ticket prices. So let's assume that if the Boys were to embark on such a tour, its closest show to where you live would be a fairly long distance away—far enough that travel by land (automobile or train) would require more than a single day's journey round-trip. And let's also say that the ticket prices were indeed considerably more expensive than normal—perhaps as much as twice what you would ordinarily pay. Assuming these caveats, would you like for the Pet Shop Boys to have an "orchestral" concert tour?
43.2% - "Yes, and I probably would attend, even if I had to travel a long distance and/or pay a lot more for tickets." ¤
28.1% - "Yes, I would like for them to have an orchestral concert tour, despite the fact that I probably wouldn't be able to attend myself if I had to travel a long distance and/or pay a lot more for tickets."
14.5% - "No, I wouldn't like for them to have an orchestral concert tour, period—despite the fact that I could probably travel a long distance and/or pay a lot more for tickets."
08.0% - "No, I wouldn't like for them to have an orchestral concert tour since I probably wouldn't be able to travel a long distance and/or pay a lot more for tickets."
06.2% - "I really have no opinions about this."
In all, 71.3% of voters chose a "Yes" response, while just 22.5% said "No."
| Survey
584 - Week of December 2, 2012 Elysium instrumentals vs. vocals (286 voters) |
Do you prefer the instrumental version of any of the Elysium songs to the vocal version? If so, which one(s)?
43.4% - "No, I don't prefer the instrumental version of any of the Elysium songs." ¤
23.1% - "I really can't make any choices because I haven't heard the instrumental versions of the songs, or at least not enough of them to choose (or for some other reason)."
33.5% - Indicated that they prefer the instrumental version of one or more of the following songs:*
- 13.3% - Hold On
- 12.2% - Ego Music
- 11.5% - Winner
- 08.4% - Give It a Go
- 07.3% - Everything Means Something
- 06.3% - A Face Like That
- 05.9% - Breathing Space
- 05.2% - Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin
- 04.9% - Your Early Stuff
- 03.1% - Leaving
- 02.4% - Invisible
- 01.7% - Memory of the Future
*Because voters could choose more than one song, the percentage figures for the songs total to much more than the 34.4% who made one or more such choices, and the overall total comes to more than 100%.
| Survey
583 - Week of November 25, 2012 Various singles vs. original album tracks (383 voters) |
The following PSB songs were originally released on a studio album but then later re-released as a single in a re-recorded or substantially remixed (not merely edited) form. For each of these songs, which do you prefer: the original album version or the later single version?
Song |
% prefer original |
% prefer single |
% abstained |
Suburbia |
20.4% |
¤ 74.4% |
5.2% |
Heart |
29.8% |
¤ 64.0% |
6.3% |
It's Alright |
32.6% |
¤ 61.9% |
5.5% |
How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? |
43.1% |
¤ 49.1% |
7.8% |
Jealousy |
43.1% |
¤ 48.8% |
8.1% |
I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing |
37.9% |
¤ 56.7% |
5.5% |
Yesterday, When I Was Mad |
46.2% |
¤ 47.5% |
6.3% |
A Red Letter Day |
35.0% |
¤ 56.9% |
8.1% |
Integral |
¤ 70.5% |
21.4% |
8.1% |
All Over the World |
¤ 52.5% |
39.4% |
8.1% |
Memory of the Future |
¤ 51.2% |
38.4% |
10.4% |
I may be mistaken, but I believe that this, in more than a decade of conducting these polls, is the first time that, for a survey in which people could vote for so many different things, my own votes coincided with the plurality of voters for every single item. Frankly, I'm amazed! I will say, however, that I really struggled over my choice for "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" since I love both the simple, clean pop elegance of the original album version and the audaciously Beatlesque techno-psychedelic pastiche of the single. I finally settled on the latter—but ask me again a month from now and I could just as well choose the former.
And if I were out dancing in a club (something I haven't done in a long time), I'd take the original album version of "It's Alright" over the single version any day—or night, as the case would almost certainly be.
Incidentally, some voters felt that I left out some songs that should have been included in this survey, such as "Rent," "Left to My Own Devices," "Flamboyant," and "Numb." As I pointed out in my footnotes for this poll, I fully realize that my selection was not comprehensive in that there would be disagreements as to what constituted sufficient differences between the original album version and the single version for some songs, these among them.
| Survey
582 - Week of November 18, 2012 "Memory of the Future" single vs. original (343 voters) |
Which of the following statements comes closest to expressing your opinion of the recently previewed Stuart Price single remix of "Memory of the Future" as it compares to the original Elysium album version?
25.7% - I wouldn't say that the single mix is any better or worse than the original album version—just different.
17.5% - I think the single remix is a big improvement! I love it!
14.3% - The single remix isn't quite as good as the album version.
13.7% - The single remix is perhaps a slight improvement.
10.8% - I like it, but I don't think it really has "single potential."
06.1% - The single remix is a huge disappointment, vastly inferiror to the album version. ¤
05.8% - I really can't say because I haven't heard it yet.
03.5% - I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I have mixed feelings about it.
01.7% - I don't much care for it, but I think it does have "single potential."
00.9% - I have some other opinion very different from any of those listed here.**Among the alternate opinions offered by voters:
- "I haven't heard the album in its entirety yet.… [so] I cannot participate fully in this survey."
- "I LOVE the single mix… but the album version is my favourite song on Elysium and I think it's ultimately a better song. However, I think the single mix is a far better single than the album version, and I enjoy them both in different ways.… Similarly, the idea that it's slightly less good than the album version doesn't communicate that it's a vastly better seven-inch."
- "I don't have a view, one way or the other."
| Survey
581 - Week of November 11, 2012 Elysium and the "L.A. sound" (372 voters) |
Which Elysium track, in your opinion, best exemplifies the "L.A. sound" that the Pet Shop Boys were presumably looking for when they decided to record the album in Los Angeles?
27.4% - "I can't say since I have no idea what an 'L.A. sound' would sound like."
13.4% - "I really don't think any of them has an 'L.A. sound'."
12.1% - Leaving
10.5% - Hold On
06.5% - Give It a Go ¤
06.2% - Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin
05.9% - Invisible
05.9% - "I disagree with the premise of the question. I don't think they were looking for an 'L.A. sound,' but decided to record there for other reasons."
03.5% - Your Early Stuff
02.2% - Breathing Space
01.9% - A Face Like That
01.6% - Ego Music
01.6% - Memory of the Future
01.1% - Everything Means Something
00.3% - Winner
| Survey
580 - Week of November 4, 2012 Favorite alternate mix of "Leaving" (312 voters) |
Not counting the album/single mix, which of the "official" (and officially released) remixes of the Pet Shop Boys' most recent single "Leaving" is your favorite?
26.0% - PSB Side-by-Side Remix ¤
23.7% - Believe in PSB Remix
17.9% - "I'm unable to choose (for whatever reason)"
09.6% - Dusty Kid Lost Her Love Remix
09.3% - Andrew Dawson Happy/Sad Remix
05.4% - PSB Freedom Remix
03.8% - Demo
02.2% - Andrew Dawson Happy Hour Remix
01.9% - Instrumental
| Survey
579 - Week of October 28, 2012* The Rating Project: Elysium (423 voters) |
Please rate each of the following tracks from the Pet Shop Boys' album Elysium, as well as the bonus songs accompanying the "Winner" single, 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").
*This poll came a month after the preceding poll on account of a sabbatical that I took for most of the month of October.
To see where these tracks fall in relation to other songs in the PSB catalog, please visit the overall "Rating Project" page.
*I personally gave "Ego Music" a rating of 1 when this poll was conducted, but my opinion of the song has declined even further since then. If I were rating it now, I would give it a 0.
| Survey
578 - Week of September 23, 2012 A third single from Elysium? (521 voters) |
Do you think there should be a third single from Elysium (following the first two singles, "Winner" and "Leaving")? And, if so, what should it be?
38.2% - A Face Like That
21.5% - Memory of the Future ¤
10.7% - "Yes, but only because I want the bonus tracks, so I don't care which song in the 'single'."
07.5% - Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin
05.2% - "No" (there shouldn't be a third single from Elysium)
04.8% - Breathing Space
03.6% - Hold On
02.5% - Invisible
02.1% - Give It a Go
01.5% - Ego Music
01.3% - Your Early Stuff
01.0% - Everything Means Something
| Survey
577 - Week of September 16, 2012 Early comparative assessment of Elysium (494 voters) |
In terms of comparing its overall quality to that of the Pet Shop Boys' other studio albums, which of the following statements comes closest to describing your early impression of their new album Elysium?
31.0% - It's not their best, but it's better than most.
24.1% - It's an average PSB album, falling near the middle in overall quality. ¤*
12.8% - It's not their worst, but it's weaker than most.
07.1% - It's too diverse to generalize. In some ways it's among their best, but in other ways it's among their worst.
05.9% - I have very mixed feelings about it.
05.5% - It's their worst album yet!
04.3% - I can't say because I still haven't heard it!
04.0% - It's their best album yet!
03.8% - I've heard it, but I'm not yet prepared to offer an early impression of it.
01.6% - I have an opinion very different from any of those listed here.**
*In case you're dismayed that I consider Elysium only an "average" PSB album, please let me remind you that the Pet Shop Boys make excellent albums on the average, and an "average" PSB album is better, in my opinion, than at least 99% of the rock/pop music out there. So for me to call Elysium an "average" PSB album is still to praise it. And I'm hardly alone in this viewpoint. As another voter put it, "Their 'mediocre' is still miles above most musical acts' 'excellent.'"
**Among the alternate opinions offered by some of the voters are:
- "Impossible to compare.… I can never say which album is best.… So I don't compare ever."
- "It's like comparing flowers and saying roses are the worst flower."
- "Elysium is a fresh, new catalogue of music to be enjoyed as such—not to be compared to anything else PSB has done in the past…."
- "They tied the knot and made a beautiful album of hits and experimentals."
| Survey
576 - Week of September 9, 2012 Songs not yet performed live you'd like for the next tour (Part 2) (372 voters) |
Which five of the following songs from the b-sides collections Alternative and Format that (as far as I know) the Pet Shop Boys have never performed live would you most like to hear them perform on their 2013 tour? (You may choose up to five, but if you prefer to choose fewer than five, you may do so.)*
29.3% - After the Event
28.5% - The Resurrectionist ¤
22.8% - Miserablism
22.8% - I Didn't Get Where I Am Today ¤
22.6% - Delusions of Grandeur
22.3% - I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)
19.9% - Bright Young Things
18.3% - Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend ¤
18.0% - Hit and Miss
16.9% - Too Many People ¤
15.3% - Hey, Headmaster
15.3% - Always
14.5% - A Man Could Get Arrested
14.0% - That's My Impression
13.2% - The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On
12.9% - A New Life
12.9% - Between Two Islands
11.6% - Jack the Lad
11.6% - It Must Be Obvious
09.1% - You Know Where You Went Wrong
09.1% - Was That What It Was?
09.1% - Don Juan
08.1% - Decadence
07.5% - One of the Crowd
07.0% - Up and Down
06.5% - The Ghost of Myself
06.2% - We're All Criminals Now
06.2% - Gin and Jag
05.6% - The View from Your Balcony
05.1% - How I Learned to Hate Rock 'n' Roll
05.1% - Lies ¤
04.8% - Screaming
04.8% - Nightlife
04.3% - The Calm Before the Storm
04.0% - Blue on Blue
03.8% - Confidential
03.5% - Girls Don't Cry
03.0% - Betrayed
03.0% - Searching for the Face of Jesus
02.7% - What Keeps Mankind Alive?
02.7% - Party Song
02.4% - If Love Were All
02.4% - Transparent
01.6% - Silver Age
01.1% - The Former Enfant Terrible*Because voters could make more than one selection, the percentages total to considerably more than 100%.
| Survey
575 - Week of September 2, 2012 Songs not yet performed live you'd like for the next tour (Part 1) (467 voters) |
Which five of the following songs that (as far as I know) the Pet Shop Boys have never performed live would you most like to hear them perform on their 2013 tour? (You may choose up to five, but if you prefer to choose fewer than five, you may do so.)¹
31.9% - Fugitive
28.1% - It Couldn't Happen Here
27.4% - I Want to Wake Up
25.7% - The End of the World ¤
24.2% - It Always Comes as a Surprise ¤
22.5% - This Used to Be the Future
19.5% - Up Against It
19.3% - King of Rome ¤
17.8% - I Made My Excuses and Left
17.6% - More Than a Dream² ¤
17.3% - A Different Point of View
15.6% - The Survivors
15.4% - Single
14.6% - I Want a Dog
14.6% - Radiophonic
13.7% - One Thing Leads to Another ¤
12.8% - Somebody Else's Business
11.8% - Forever in Love
10.5% - Metamorphosis
10.1% - Hit Music
09.6% - The Samurai in Autumn
08.6% - Beautiful People
08.4% - Saturday Night Forever
08.1% - Vulnerable
07.7% - One and One Make Five
06.9% - In Denial
06.2% - E-mail
06.0% - Boy Strange
06.0% - Twentieth Century
05.6% - If Looks Could Kill
03.4% - Postscript
03.4% - KDX 125
03.0% - Legacy
02.8% - The Man Who Has Everything³
02.8% - The Only One
02.8% - Electricity
02.6% - Time on My Hands
01.9% - My Head Is Spinning
01.9% - We Came from Outer Space¹Because voters could make more than one selection, the percentages total to considerably more than 100%.
²Although the opening portion of a remix of "More Than a Dream" could be heard during the Pandemonium tour shows, I really don't consider it a true live performance of the song, especially considering that none of the lyrics were used. That's why I felt justified in including it among the choices in this poll. It has nothing to do with the fact that I voted for it myself; I would have included it even if I weren't personally inclined to vote for it.
³Several hours after I started this poll, one of the voters alerted me to the fact that it was a mistake for me to have included "The Man Who Has Everything" since it had indeed been performed at some of the 1997 Somewhere shows—a fact I had already documented on my own live setlist table, but which I had somehow overlooked in setting up this survey. Because it had already received several votes, however, it was too late for me to delete it from among the choices. I apologize for this error.
| Survey
574 - Week of August 26, 2012 Most anticipated Elysium track (339 voters) |
Based on what you've read and heard so far, aside from the previously heard tracks "Invisible" and "Winner," which Elysium album track are you most eager to hear in its entirety? (Or if you've already heard them all, which one are you most eager to hear in "full audio fidelity"?)
23.9% - Leaving
17.7% - A Face Like That
17.7% - Memory of the Future ¤
15.6% - Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin
08.6% - Ego Music
05.0% - Your Early Stuff
03.8% - Everything Means Something
03.2% - Breathing Space
03.2% - Hold On
01.2% - Give It a Go
| Survey
573 - Week of August 19, 2012 Activities in anticipation of Elysium (376 voters) |
Which, if any, of the following things have you done or been doing in anticipation of the Pet Shop Boys' new album Elysium? (Select all that apply.)*
69.9% - Checking the internet regularly for news and/or interviews related to the new album ¤
51.3% - Checking the internet regularly for early reviews and/or excerpts from the new album ¤
42.0% - Placed a pre-release advance order for the album online ¤
36.2% - Listening to even more older PSB material than usual ¤
21.5% - Helping to spread the word about the new album to others in person and/or via online social media (such as Facebook) ¤
16.5% - Watching PSB videos, live shows, and/or other PSB-related things on DVD (or other video format)
15.4% - Participating in online discussion forums to speculate about the new album ¤
11.4% - Reading material about the Boys "offlline" (that is, in non-internet print media)
08.5% - None of the above
05.9% - Some other special activity not described above**
*Because voters could make more than one choice, the percentages total to considerably more than 100%.
**Among the other activities described by voters are:
- "'Filling in the gaps' – As a new album approaches, I often start gathering up the last few releases I haven't gotten yet."
- "Downloading leaked tracks."
- "Writing their career epitaph—'cos it ends with this album."
| Survey
572 - Week of August 12, 2012 The last "great" PSB music video (455 voters) |
In your opinion, what was the last (that is, most recent) great Pet Shop Boys music video?
20.9% - Love etc.
12.3% - Flamboyant
06.2% - I'm with Stupid
05.9% - I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More
05.9% - Minimal
05.1% - Integral
05.1% - Together
04.2% - Miracles
04.2% - Invisible
03.1% - Winner
02.9% - Being Boring
02.4% - You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk ¤*
01.8% - Did You See Me Coming?
01.5% - Single-Bilingual
01.5% - Numb
01.3% - Domino Dancing
01.3% - Can You Forgive Her?
01.3% - Go West
01.1% - West End Girls
01.1% - It's a Sin
01.1% - Liberation
01.1% - Yesterday, When I Was Mad
00.9% - New York City Boy
00.9% - London
00.9% - All Over the World
00.7% - Heart
00.7% - Paninaro '95
00.7% - I Get Along
00.4% - DJ Culture
00.4% - Was It Worth It?
00.4% - I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing
00.4% - Absolutely Fabulous
00.4% - Se A Vida E
00.2% - Opportunities (Version 1)
00.2% - Rent
00.2% - Left to My Own Devices
00.2% - How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?
00.2% - Jealousy
00.2% - A Red Letter Day
00.2% - Somewhere
00.2% - Home and Dry
00.2% - Before
00.0% - Love Comes Quickly
00.0% - Opportunities (Version 2)
00.0% - Suburbia
00.0% - Paninaro
00.0% - What Have I Done to Deserve This?
00.0% - Always on My Mind
00.0% - It's Alright
00.0% - So Hard
00.0% - Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)
*In case you're wondering about the rationale for my own choice of "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk," it's because on my page that lists and rates each PSB music video it's the most recent one to which I've assigned my own rating of at least four stars. Four- and five-star videos are, from my own perspective, "great" ones. Fewer stars don't mean they're "bad" by any means; in fact, I would say that three-star videos are very good indeed. They're just not "great" in my humble opinion.
| Survey
571 - Week of August 5, 2012 Buying "Winner" and/or its bonus tracks? (390 voters) |
With regard to the new single "Winner" and its various bonus tracks, which of them are you planning to buy or have already bought?*
65.6% - The CD EP with all four songs ¤
34.4% - The "Winner" remixes mp3 digital bundle**
32.1% - "Winner" mp3 download ¤
28.5% - "A Certain 'Je Ne Sais Quoi'" mp3 download
27.4% - "I Started a Joke" mp3 download
25.9% - "The Way Through the Woods" mp3 download
10.8% - One or more individual "Winner" remixes as mp3 downloads (if available)**
10.5% - None of the above
*Because voters could make more than one choice, the percentages total to considerably more than 100%.
**It goes without saying that I've bought the CD EP. (I placed my order the first day I could although, as of this writing, it hasn't yet arrived in the mail.) New PSB songs (as opposed to just remixes) are always worth buying! Now, if the "Winner" remixes were also released on CD, I would almost certainly buy that as well. But, personally, I'm not keen on mp3 files as a "primary" format, so I'm still undecided as to whether I'll buy all or just some of the remixes. I think I'll wait until I've heard all of them online. If I like just one or two of them, I'll buy just those (assuming they're available that way). But if I like most of them, I'll probably spring for the full digital bundle of remixes.
| Survey
570 - Week of July 29, 2012 Rating the "Winner" and "Invisible" videos (344 voters)* |
Question 1: Compared to other PSB music videos, how would you rate the video for "Winner"?
29.1% - It may not be their worst, but it's certainly one of the worst. ¤
22.1% - It's a below-average PSB music video.
18.0% - It's an average PSB music video.
15.7% - It's the worst PSB music video ever!
07.8% - It's a better-than-average PSB music video.
03.5% - I haven't seen it yet (or seen enough of it), so I really can't say.
02.0% - It may not be their best, but it's certainly one of the best.
01.7% - It's the best PSB music video ever!
Question 2: Compared to other PSB music videos, how would you rate the video for "Invisible"?
29.0% - It's an average PSB music video.
24.2% - It's a better-than-average PSB music video.
21.7% - It's a below-average PSB music video. ¤
12.6% - It may not be their worst, but it's certainly one of the worst.
08.7% - It may not be their best, but it's certainly one of the best.
01.9% - It's the worst PSB music video ever!
01.4% - I haven't seen it yet (or seen enough of it), so I really can't say.
00.5% - It's the best PSB music video ever!
*There were 344 voters for the first question, but only 207 for the second.
For the record, I feel I ought to remind my readers that voting to declare a PSB video as their "worst," "one of their worst," or "below average" doesn't necessarily mean than the voter thinks it's a bad video or even strongly dislikes it—although, of course, that could well be the case. But within any set of objects in which people can make evaluations of quality, some must inevitably be considered better than others. Even the "worst" might still be "good"—just not as nearly good as the best. To use a bejeweled analogy, in a handful of diamonds even the most seriously flawed gem may still be worth a small fortune.
| Survey
569 - Week of July 22, 2012 Preferred style for PSB cover of "I Started a Joke" (307 voters) |
Which of the following "treatments" would you most like for the Pet Shop Boys to give their cover of the Bee Gees classic "I Started a Joke"?*
27.4% - Still a ballad, but in a much more electronic/techno style. ¤
21.8% - "I'm really not familiar enough with the original to have much of an opinion about it."
18.6% - A complete transformation into a stormin' dance track
18.2% - A very contemporary-sounding midtempo pop treatment
13.7% - A ballad style very faithful to the original
00.3% - Some other style unlike those described here*As it turns out, a 30-second preview of the PSB version became available on Amazon about halfway through the course of this poll, after well over half of the votes had been submitted. I'm not sure, based on that excerpt, which category it falls into—perhaps something of a straddler between an electronic ballad and a midtempo pop song. I had already asked, however, in the case such an excerpt did become available during the polling period, for the subsequent voters to make their choice based on what they themselves would have preferred, regardless of the actual stylistic treatment.
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568 - Week of July 15, 2012 The prospect of PSB at the Olympics closing ceremoneies (401 voters) |
What do you think of the prospect of the Pet Shop Boys performing at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics in London?
67.3% - "I think it's wonderful!"
17.7% - "I think it's a good thing for the most part."
05.5% - "I have completely neutral feelings about it."
05.2% - "I have very mixed feelings about it." ¤*
02.7% - "I think it's a bad thing for the most part."
01.5% - "I think it's terrible!"*As for my own vote, my initial impulse was to choose "I think it's wonderful!" After all, the Boys would probably enjoy their biggest simultaneous audience ever. But then I read advance reports (though still unofficial and speculative) that they might play just one song, that being "West End Girls." If that should indeed turn out to be the case, I would prefer they not perform at all! The last thing the Pet Shop Boys need is a worldwide audience of up to a billion people receiving apparent confirmation—grossly inaccurate but understandable—that they're a one-hit wonder act from the 'eighties. That wouldn't do them one bit of good. Hence I ultimately went the "mixed feelings" route.
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567 - Week of July 8, 2012 Opinion of "Winner" as a PSB single (433 voters) |
Which of the following statements comes closest to expressing your opinion of the new song "Winner" as a Pet Shop Boys single?
34.4% - "It's an average single for them: neither particularly good nor bad." ¤*
22.2% - "It may not be one of their best, but it's definitely better than average."
18.0% - "It may not be one of their worst, but it's definitely below average."
15.5% - "It's one of their worst singles ever!"
06.7% - "It's one of their best singles ever!"
03.2% - "I haven't heard it yet (or haven't yet heard it enough), so I can't say."*As I stated on my website in conjunction with this poll, considering that nearly everyone who takes part in my surveys are dedicated PSB fans, most of us surely feel that an "average" PSB track—and probably even a "below average" one—is still better than most other things we hear on the radio these days.
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566 - Week of July 1, 2012 The release strategy for "Winner" (394 voters) |
Which of the following statements comes closest to describing how you feel about the release strategy that has been announced for the Pet Shop Boys' new single "Winner"?
- July 2 - Radio premiere
- July 3 - Single track available for digital purchase from iTunes (and perhaps other online digital outlets)
- August 6 - Single released on CD with three bonus tracks and in two digital bundles with bonus tracks and remixes
30.5% - "I like it personally, and I think it makes good commercial/marketing sense as well."
23.6% - "I really have no strong opinions about this one way or the other." ¤*
22.8% - "I don't like it personally, and I don't think it makes good commercial/marketing sense, either."
11.9% - "I don't like it personally, but I think it makes good commercial/marketing sense."
11.2% - "I like it personally, but I don't think it makes good commercial/marketing sense."*It's very unusual for me not to have a strong opinion in response to one of my own survey questions. Personally, I have mixed feelings about the release strategy, and I don't know enough about the finer points of how commercial/marketing decisions are made to hold a strong feeling one way or the other about that, either. I suppose if I had to choose something other than the "no strong opinions" option, I would say that I don't particularly like the release strategy, nor do I think it makes good commercial/marketing sense. But I certainly don't feel strongly about it.
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565 - Week of June 24, 2012 Expectations for Elysium (374 voters) |
From everything you've heard so far about the Pet Shop Boys' next album—including its preview track "Invisible," the fact that it was recorded in Los Angeles with young producer Andrew Dawson (best known for his work with hip-hop artists), even its title Elysium—which of the following statements comes closest to summarizing your expectations?
40.4% - "So far everything sounds good to me, so I have great expectations!" ¤
30.7% - "Things sound good for the most part, so I'm fairly optimistic."
11.5% - "Although what I've heard so far gives me cause for concern, I'm nevertheless confident they'll come through with a good album."
07.0% - "I'm getting mixed messages, so to speak, so I have mixed feelings."
04.8% - "Things don't sound good for the most part, so I'm feeling fairly pessimistic."
03.7% - "Although nothing that I've heard so far gives me cause for concern, for some reason I can't help but have a bad feeling about it."
01.9% - "So far everything sounds bad to me, so I have very low expectations!"
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564 - Week of June 17, 2012 Descriptions of the title Elysium (390 voters) |
Which of the following adjectives accurately describe, in your opinion, the title of the Pet Shop Boys' upcoming album, Elysium?*
46.9% - intriguing ¤
31.3% - cryptic ¤
28.7% - imaginative ¤
27.4% - surprising ¤
17.4% - puzzling ¤
15.9% - pretentious
15.4% - exciting
15.1% - heavenly
11.5% - lovely ¤
10.5% - worrisome ¤
08.5% - bizarre
07.9% - disappointing
07.7% - fabulous ¤
06.9% - "I think it's premature to choose any words to describe the title Elysium."
05.1% - annoying
01.3% - silly
01.0% - stupid
*Because voters could make more than one choice, the figures add up to more than 100%. Note that the poll's voting routine prevented people from choosing both the "I think it's premature…" option and any of the adjectives; choosing one deselected the other.
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563 - Week of June 10, 2012 Two questions: "Invisible" and the Diamond Jubilee Show (469 voters) |
Question 1 (469 voters):
Which of the following one-word descriptions comes closest to expressing your early impression of the new Pet Shop Boys track "Invisible"?
37.1% - Excellent! ¤
35.2% - Good
15.1% - Average
09.8% - Disappointing
02.8% - Terrible!
Question 2 (238 voters):
Could've, would've, should've – Do you think the Pet Shop Boys could have performed at the Diamond Jubilee concert for Queen Elizabeth II? (That is, could they have gotten themselves invited to perform if they wanted to?) Do you think they would have if they could? (That is, do you think they would have liked to?) And do you think they should have performed? (Select all that apply.)*
46.6% - Yes, I think they could've gotten themselves invited to perform. ¤
31.1% - No, I don't think they could have, would have, or should have!
23.9% - Yes, I think they should've performed at the concert. ¤
15.1% - Yes, I think they would've performed if they could.
*Because voters could make more than one choice for this second question, its figures add up to more than 100%. Regarding my own votes ("could've" and "should've"), far be it from me, of course. to tell the Boys what they should do. But if, as the new song "Invisible" suggests, "visibility" is a matter of concern, performing at the Diamond Jubilee show certainly wouldn't have hurt.
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562 - Week of June 3, 2012 Have you observed the Diamond Jubilee with DOTQ? (300 voters) |
Have you observed Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in "Pet Shop Boys style" by making it a point to listen to "Dreaming of the Queen"?
56.3% - No, I haven't, nor do I have any intention to do so.
29.7% - No, I haven't, nor was I planning to—but now that you mention it, I will. ¤*
05.7% - Yes, I already have!
05.7% - Well, I happened to listen to it within the past few days, but not for that reason.
02.7% - No, not yet, but I was already planning to do so.
*I chose "No, I haven't, nor was I planning to—but now that you mention it, I will" because it frankly didn't occur to me to make a point of listening to "Dreaming of the Queen" until after it was suggested to me that I ask this question. And I didn't actually listen to it until after I launched this poll.
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561 - Week of May 27, 2012 Have you bought or will you buy "Listening"? (361 voters) |
Have you bought or are you planning to buy the PSB-penned track "Listening" by Morten Harket?
46.5% - No.
16.6% - I'm undecided.
11.1% - Yes, I bought it on the album Out of My Hands.
09.1% - Not yet, but I'm planning to buy the album.
09.1% - Yes, I bought it as a download.
07.5% - Not yet, but I'm planning to buy it as a download. ¤**Surprised that I haven't bought it yet? I'd love to buy it as a single-song download, but unfortunately that option doesn't yet appear to be available here in the United States. Since I've been able to hear the song whenever I like on YouTube, I'm in no rush to purchase it otherwise. But I do want to have a copy eventually. I'll give it another month or two, waiting for what I hope will be its eventual Stateside "download release." But if by, say, mid-summer it's still not available that way, I suppose I'll break down and finally spring for an import copy of the album via Amazon UK.
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560 - Week of May 20, 2012 Do they treat their fans badly? (361 voters) |
Not long ago I read in an online discussion forum the opinion expressed that the Pet Shop Boys don't treat their fans very well. Which of the following statements comes closest to expressing your own opinion about this?
29.4% - I strongly disagree! I think they treat their fans very well. ¤
18.3% - I really have no opinion about this.
17.2% - I don't think they treat their fans any better or worse than most other rock/pop music acts.
16.1% - I somewhat disagree. I think they generally treat their fans well, but there's room for improvement.
11.9% - Sometimes and in some ways they treat their fans very well, but at other times and in other ways they don't treat them well at all.
05.8% - I agree! I don't think they treat their fans very well.
01.4% - I have a very different opinion than any of those expressed here.**Among the alternate opinions were the following excerpts:
- "After what I have heard from different fans' views of them on meet and greets and so on they seem reasonable to me. I think it's the crazy fans that drive them up the wall."
- "The Boys are wildcards when it comes to the question 'How are they going to treat you tonight? What mood are they in?'… One is more prone to mood swings and hence, wider range of mood when they see you than the other.… When one is in the foul mood, it is almost instinctively the other is compensating for that, and becomes not just jovial, but extremely amusing to the fans…."
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559 - Week of May 13, 2012 The PSB manager under whom best decisions were made (256 voters) |
Managers clearly play an important role in artists' careers. Under which of their managers do you think the best decisions have been made with regard to the Pet Shop Boys' own career?
52.3% - Tom Watkins (1984-1989) ¤*
32.0% - Jill Carrington (1989-1998)
10.9% - Angela Becker (2009-present)
03.1% - David Dorrell (2003-2008)
01.6% - Mitch Clark (1998-2003)*Regarding my own vote – As far as I'm concerned, it all boils down to one essential business decision, which was to break away from Bobby "O" Orlando and sign with EMI. Despite the legal wrangling that ensued, it proved absolutely crucial in making the Pet Shop Boys as commercially successful (and, quite possibly, as artistically successful) as they ultimately proved to be. Whatever else, Tom Watkins deserves tremendous credit for that—so much that I personally feel it overshadows virtually every other business decision that followed.
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558 - Week of May 6, 2012 Favorites from among questions proposed for PSB (330 voters) |
If you could pose up to three of the following questions to the Pet Shop Boys—especially if they promised to respond with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth—which three would you ask them?
31.8% - What do you believe is the single biggest mistake you've made in your professional career in music? ¤
28.2% - Of which single piece of music that you've written are you most proud?
21.8% - Neil, given your writing talents and your fabulously interesting life, would you ever seriously consider writing an autobiography? If not, why not? ¤
21.2% - Do you expect to keep making music until you're simply no longer able to do so, or do you expect actually to "retire" at some point and consciously decide to stop making new music? If the latter, about how many more years do you think you still have before your retirement?
19.4% - How many unreleased songs in the "vaults" have you written that you think are good enough that they may actually be released in one form or another at some point in the future?
19.4% - Once and for all—Chris, are you gay?
18.2% - For more than 20 years you've avoided discussing Erasure. How do you really feel about them?
17.3% - When you first met at that Kings Road electronics shop more than 30 years ago, were you sexually attracted to each other? If so, did you actually end up having sex?
17.0% - How have you managed to keep out of the tabloid press, keeping your private lives so private?
17.0% - If you could write and/or produce an album for any artist of your choice, living or dead, whom would you pick?
12.4% - Do you feel that anyone else has ever performed one of the songs you've written better than you yourselves have performed it (or even could perform it)? If so, can you offer one or more examples?
11.8% - Which popular music band or artist from the 1960s to the present do you believe is the most overrated?
11.5% - Do you participate anonymously on PSB fansites, on PSB-related material on Wikipedia, and so on?
07.8% - In the official Suede biography Love & Poison (David Barnett, 2003), singer Brett Anderson states that he once got together with Neil in a hotel in New York City, where the two of you "did a lot of coke together." Is this story true or false?
07.3% - What is your song "Fugitive" really about?
04.8% - You've been critical in the past of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but if you were chosen to be inducted, would you accept the honor? ¤
03.9% - Have any of your lyrics or music been written while under the influence of mind-altering substances other than alcohol?
02.1% - If you could be anyone's bar of soap, whose bar of soap would you be?
02.1% - When you wrote "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)," were you originally at least partly inspired by your own musical partnership? If so, who had "the brains" and who had "the looks"?
01.5% - Is the female vocal in "Lies" a sample? If so, what is the source? If not, who's the singer?
*Note: Because voters could place up to three votes, the percentages total to considerably more than 100%.
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557 - Week of April 29, 2012 Questions you'd like PSB to answer (159 submissions) |
If you could ask Neil and/or Chris any question whatsoever—and if they were to promise to respond with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth—what question would you ask them?
This was a very unusual "open-ended" poll—the first half of a two-parter—in which my site visitors could anonymously submit one or more questions to me. (That's why I refer to "submissions" rather than the usual "voters" in the header above; I really don't know how many actual "voters" there were this time around.) I then selected my twenty "favorites" from the submissions to use in the following week's second part of the poll, in which I would allow my site visitors to vote on their own favorites, although I allowed myself the liberty to edit the final precise wording of each question.
In selecting my twenty favorites, I made sure to "mix it up," choosing several different types of questions:
- The Boys are, after all, songwriters and recording artists, so I made sure to choose a number of questions that focused on their music—some more general questions, others focusing on specific songs.
- I also selected some questions that dealt with various "non-musical" aspects of their professional careers.
- To avoid suggestions of excessive "safety" or prudery, I made it a point to pick a few of the more "edgy" questions that dealt bluntly with sex or drugs. (Incidentally, the matter of whether Chris and Neil have ever had sex with each other came up repeatedly; it was the gist of more than a half-dozen different submissions.)
- To avoid suggestions of over-seriousness, I selected a couple of the more light-hearted, humorous questions.
To be honest, considering that I usually have 300–400 voters in my polls each week, I was surprised that I received only 159 question submissions. Still, that's too many to list all of them here. But I will list the ones (in no particular order) that I chose as my favorites to use for the follow-up survey:
- How have you managed to keep out of the tabloid press, keeping your private lives so private?
- Of which single piece of music that you've written are you most proud?
- Is the female vocal in "Lies" a sample? If so, what is the source? If not, who's the singer?
- In the official Suede biography Love & Poison (David Barnett, 2003), singer Brett Anderson states that he once got together with Neil in a hotel in New York City, where the two of you "did a lot of coke together." Is this story true or false?
- For more than 20 years you've avoided discussing Erasure. How do you really feel about them?
- Once and for all—Chris, are you gay?
- Do you participate anonymously on PSB fansites, on PSB-related material on Wikipedia, and so on?
- If you could write and/or produce an album for any artist of your choice, living or dead, whom would you pick?
- When you first met at that Kings Road electronics shop more than 30 years ago, were you sexually attracted to each other? If so, did you actually end up having sex?
- What is your song "Fugitive" really about?
- How many unreleased songs in the "vaults" have you written that you think are good enough that they may actually be released in one form or another at some point in the future?
- What do you believe is the single biggest mistake you've made in your professional career in music?
- Have any of your lyrics or music been written while under the influence of mind-altering substances other than alcohol?
- Do you expect to keep making music until you're simply no longer able to do so, or do you expect actually to "retire" at some point and consciously decide to stop making new music? If the latter, about how many more years do you think you still have before your retirement?
- Neil, given your writing talents and your fabulously interesting life, would you ever seriously consider writing an autobiography? If not, why not?
- You've been critical in the past of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but if you were chosen to be inducted, would you accept the honor?
- If you could be anyone's bar of soap, whose bar of soap would you be?
- When you wrote "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)," were you originally at least partly inspired by your own musical partnership? If so, who had "the brains" and who had "the looks"?
- Which popular music band or artist from the 1960s to the present do you believe is the most overrated?
- Do you feel that anyone else has ever performed one of the songs you've written better than you yourselves have performed it (or even could perform it)? If so, can you offer one or more examples?
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556 - Week of April 22, 2012 Most pleasant surprise on Format (305 voters) |
Which track (if any) on Format proved to you to be the most pleasant surprise?
27.2% - "I can't say that ANY of the tracks proved a pleasant surprise to me."
09.5% - After the Event
04.6% - Between Two Islands
03.6% - The Resurrectionist
03.3% - Bright Young Things
03.3% - The Ghost of Myself
03.0% - Blue on Blue
03.0% - I Didn't Get Where I Am Today
03.0% - Always
03.0% - We're All Criminals Now
03.0% - Nightlife
02.6% - Gin and Jag
02.3% - In Private (with Elton John)
02.0% - The Truck-Driver and His Mate
02.0% - Delusions of Grandeur
02.0% - We're the Pet Shop Boys
01.6% - Sexy Northerner
01.6% - The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On (International Club Mix)
01.6% - The View from Your Balcony
01.6% - Discoteca (New Version)
01.6% - Betrayed
01.3% - Up and Down
01.3% - Hit and Miss
01.3% - Casting a Shadow
01.3% - Lies
01.0% - Searching for the Face of Jesus
01.0% - In the Night (1995 version) ¤
01.0% - Transparent
01.0% - Screaming
01.0% - Girls Don't Cry
01.0% - Friendly Fire
01.0% - Confidential
00.7% - The Calm Before the Storm
00.7% - No Time for Tears
00.7% - Party Song
00.3% - Disco Potential
00.3% - Silver Age
00.0% - How I Learned to Hate Rock and Roll
00.0% - The Former Enfant Terrible
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555 - Week of April 15, 2012 Is their sexuality relevant to discussing their songs? (361 voters) |
Are considerations of their sexuality relevant to discussions of the songs of the Pet Shop Boys? (And since I'm curious as to whether opinions about this correlate to voters' own sexuality, I'm asking about that as well.)
I don't believe that considerations of their sexuality are relevant to discussions of the songs of the Pet Shop Boys. I do believe that considerations of their sexuality are relevant to discussions of the songs of the Pet Shop Boys. As for correlating voters' self-identification to their beliefs concerning the "main question"—
- 70.7% of the voters who self-identify as "gay" believe that considerations of the Pet Shop Boys' sexuality are relevant to discussions of their songs;
whereas—
- only 48.3% of the voters who do not self-identify as "gay" believe that considerations of the Boys' sexuality are relevant to discussions of their songs.
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554 - Week of April 8, 2012 Two-letter-word title for next album? (369 voters) |
If the next Pet Shop boys album were to have a two-letter-word title, what do you think it would be?*
*This question was inspired by the fact that Neil had suggested in an interview in the January 2011 issue of The Word magazine that their next studio album might have their shortest title ever.
20.3% - "I don't believe the next album will have a two-letter-word title."
12.7% - So
11.7% - Us (or US)
07.0% - "Some other two-letter-word title not listed here"**
06.2% - No
05.7% - If
05.1% - LA ¤***
04.9% - By
03.8% - Go
03.3% - Up
02.4% - Be
02.4% - Oh
02.4% - On
02.4% - Or
02.4% - We
02.4% - "I don't think you should even be asking this question! It might advesely affect the Boys' decision on their next album title."
01.9% - Is
01.1% - Do
00.8% - Hi
00.5% - Id
00.3% - Si
**Other two-letter-word titles suggested by voters included:
- 11 (or XI, or II)
- 30
- PG
- LP
- Qi (or KI)
- IQ
- Mm
- Re:
- Ah!
- vs
- PS
- CA (for California)
- VG (for verbi gratia, generally but not literally translated as "for example")
… and, deviating from the two-letter-word title pattern, an especially imaginative suggestion:
- an emoticon
***Actually, I'm inclined to agree with the plurality of voters that the upcoming studio album probably won't have a two-letter-word title. But if it were to have such a title, I think LA would be an especially good one; hence my own vote.
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553 - Week of April 1, 2012 Favorite Eric Watson music video (348 voters) |
Of the Pet Shop Boys music videos directed or co-directed by Eric Watson, which is your favorite?
22.7% - Domino Dancing
14.7% - West End Girls
11.2% - What Have I Done to Deserve This?
11.2% - So Hard
10.3% - Jealousy
07.8% - Suburbia
07.2% - DJ Culture ¤
04.6% - Left to My Own Devices
04.3% - It's Alright
02.9% - Love Comes Quickly
01.7% - Opportunities (first version)
01.4% - Was It Worth It?
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552 - Week of March 25, 2012 Favorite Eric Watson single sleeve (422 voters) |
Which Pet Shop Boys single had your favorite single sleeve photograph(s) taken by Eric Watson?
14.7% - Heart
12.1% - So Hard
11.6% - Rent ¤
09.5% - It's a Sin
09.0% - Suburbia
08.1% - DJ Culture
07.6% - Love Comes Quickly
06.6% - I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More
05.7% - What Have I Done to Deserve This?
04.5% - Always on My Mind
03.3% - It's Alright
02.1% - Jealousy
01.7% - Paninaro '95
01.2% - West End Girls (second release)
00.9% - New York City Boy
00.7% - West End Girls (first release)
00.5% - Opportunities (first release)
00.2% - One More Chance
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551 - Week of March 18, 2012 The studio albums: pop or art? (360 voters) |
Taking a cue from the Pet Shop Boys' PopArt singles collection, if you had to categorize each Pet Shop Boys studio album as either "pop" or "art," which would you choose for each?
It's interesting to note that I disagreed with the majority opinion in only two cases: Very and Bilingual, both of which I considered "art" as opposed to the majority's assessment of "pop." To be honest, I regard Very (my favorite PSB album) as a special case. I think it's the absolute pinnacle of pop, but rendered so brilliantly that, conversely, it transcends pop and becomes indisputable art. In essence, it's pop art in its highest form. But, forced to choose, I have to go with art.
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550 - Week of March 11, 2012 A strong "American flavor" for the next album? (347 voters) |
Considering that the Pet Shop Boys have so far spent roughly two months in the United States recording their next studio album with an American producer, I'm wondering—how likely do you think it is that the next PSB studio album will have a strong "American flavor" (however you might define it)?
42.4% - Possibly, but not very likely ¤
22.2% - Fairly likely
16.4% - I think that would be a near-impossibility for the Pet Shop Boys!
13.3% - I disagree with the key premise of the question: I don't think there is such a thing as music having an "American flavor."
05.8% - A near certainty!
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549 - Week of March 4, 2012 Preferred alternate format for next single (370 voters) |
With the next Pet Shop Boys studio album currently scheduled for autumn release, we should consider the possibility of singles. But there's been a lot of talk recently about the "death" of the CD single. I'm certainly not ruling out CD singles for the Pet Shop Boys, but let's assume for the sake of argument that there won't be any general-release CD singles from the next album. In that case, what alternate format for a single would you MOST prefer?
33.5% - A paid download from iTunes, Amazon, etc.
18.6% - If it's not going to be a general-release CD single, I'd just as soon they not bother with releasing a "single" at all. ¤*
15.7% - A limited-edition promo CD single
14.9% - A DVD single with a music video
08.1% - A 12-inch vinyl "dance club" single
04.6% - As part of an exclusive subscription download service from the official PSB website
04.6% - A limitd-edition vinyl 45***Although I must confess that a promo CD or 12-inch single targeted to dance clubs would be nice, if for no other reason than to try to sustain PSB's status as the "Kings of the U.S. dance charts." From my perspective, the only other strong reason for the Boys to continue to release singles these days is for the bonus tracks—but, then again, they don't need singles to release those. For instance, bonus tracks could be released as EPs or "mini-albums." Of course, Neil and Chris could also set aside their aversion (understandable though it is) to completely filling up a studio album's CD in order to offer well over an hour of music.
**More than one voter suggested that I should have offered EPs as an option in this poll. Another suggested that an "I don't know…" choice would have been nice as well.
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548 - Week of February 26, 2012 "Misses" (vs. "hits") on Format (309 voters) |
Taking a cue from the title of the song "Hit and Miss," which of the tracks on Format are "misses" as opposed to "hits"?
28.8% - The Former Enfant Terrible
26.5% - Disco Potential
23.0% - Nightlife
20.4% - Screaming
19.4% - In Private (with Elton John)
19.4% - Party Song
18.4% - Searching for the Face of Jesus
17.8% - Transparent
17.2% - Gin and Jag
16.5% - Silver Age
15.2% - Confidential
14.9% - Casting a Shadow
14.9% - Discoteca (New Version)
14.2% - "I don't consider any of them 'misses' – they're all 'hits'!" ¤*
13.6% - In the Night (1995)
13.6% - Lies
13.6% - The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On
12.3% - Blue on Blue
12.0% - Up and Down
10.7% - How I Learned to Hate Rock and Roll
10.7% - Between Two Islands
09.7% - The Calm Before the Storm
09.7% - We're All Criminals Now
09.4% - The View from Your Balcony
08.4% - Betrayed
08.4% - The Ghost of Myself
07.4% - Always
07.1% - We're the Pet Shop Boys
06.8% - Girls Don't Cry
06.8% - Friendly Fire
05.8% - Sexy Northerner
05.5% - After the Event
04.9% - The Truck-Driver and His Mate
04.9% - Bright Young Things
04.2% - Hit and Miss
04.2% - Delusions of Grandeur
03.9% - I Didn't Get Where I Am Today
03.6% - The Resurrectionist
02.3% - No Time for Tears
*Honestly! And, no, I'm not a sycophant!
Note: Because each voter could make multiple choices, the total percentage adds up to considerably more than 100%. At least two would-be voters told me that that they were abstaining because they had not yet had an opportunity to buy and hear Format.
| Survey
547 - Week of February 19, 2012 The most religious PSB song (372 voters) |
What, in your opinion, is the most "religious" Pet Shop Boys song?
49.5% - It's a Sin
13.7% - "I don't believe there are any 'religious' Pet Shop Boys songs!"
13.4% - Birthday Boy ¤
06.2% - Your Funny Uncle
04.3% - Searching for the Face of Jesus
03.2% - Our Daily Bread
02.7% - The Sodom and Gomorrah Show
02.7% - God Willing
02.2% - Some other song not listed here*
01.3% - Fugitive
00.8% - To Step Aside
*Other songs specifically suggested by voters were:
- After All
- Hey, Headmaster
- Paninaro
- Postscript
- This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave
- What Keeps Mankind Alive?
| Survey
546 - Week of February 12, 2012 Miscellaneous track most "missed" on Format (393 voters) |
Which one "miscellaneous" Pet Shop Boys track that's not included on Format would you most have wished had been included?
20.1% - Fugitive
11.7% - Sail Away
09.4% - This Used to Be the Future
08.7% - Positive Role Model
07.1% - "None of these. Format is perfect (or close to it) as is!"
06.9% - A Powerful Friend ¤
04.8% - I Cried for Us
04.6% - Je T'Aime… Moi Non Plus
04.6% - Glad All Over
04.3% - Baby
04.1% - Girls & Boys
04.1% - Love Life
03.3% - Alone Again, Naturally
03.3% - Transfer
01.8% - Some other song not listed here*
01.3% - Night Song*The only other songs specifically cited by voters were:
- Bounce (an officially unreleased track)
- Break 4 Love
| Survey
545 - Week of February 5, 2012 Hip-hop collaboration if it went to #1? (390 voters) |
Would you support the idea of the Pet Shop Boys recording a single with Kanye West (or any other hip-hop star with whom producer Andrew Dawson has worked) if you somehow knew for a fact that it would give them another #1 hit in the United Kingdom, the United States, and/or (if you live elsewhere) your own country?
| Survey
544 - Week of January 29, 2012 Are your parents and/or children familiar with PSB? (313 voters) |
Are your children and/or parents very familiar with the Pet Shop Boys? (If you have different answers for different children and/or parents, please select the most positive appropriate response. For example, if one child or parent hardly knows they exist, another knows about them but doesn't really like them, and a third really likes them, then select "Yes, and they like them, too!")
43.8% - Yes, and they like them, too!
24.0% - No, they hardly know they exist!
24.0% - Yes, but they don't really like them.
08.3% - Not applicable / Don't know / No children and/or parents deceased ¤
| Survey
543 - Week of January 22, 2012 Two questions on recording with Andrew Dawson (367 voters) |
Two questions—
- Which of the following descriptions comes closest to matching your own feelings about the news that the Pet Shop Boys have been working in Los Angeles with producer/engineer Andrew Dawson in recording tracks for their next studio album?
28.8% - Cautiously optimisitc ¤
24.4% - Enthusiastic—maybe even excited!
18.6% - Neutral
15.1% - Uncertain
11.0% - Worried
02.2% - Thoroughly pessimistic! - Most of Dawson's past work has been with hip-hop artists like Kanye West and Lil Wayne. Collaborations are a frequent aspect of their music. Would you like for the Boys' next studio album to feature any collaborations with one or more popular hip-hop artists?
39.5% - No, absolutely not!
31.5% - Maybe just one, but no more than that
21.4% - Yes, but only a couple ¤*
07.7% - Yes, it would be great if many of its tracks could be such collaborations!
*Speaking strictly for myself, I mean "a couple" quite literally; though I'm no great fan of hip-hop music, I do like the idea of the album having exactly two hip-hop collaborations: one with a male hip-hop star and the other with a female hip-hop star.
| Survey
542 - Week of January 15, 2012 On the continued use of the Pandemonium stage show (298 voters) |
The Pet Shop Boys performed their Pandemonium stage show on New Year's Eve in Sydney, Australia for what they said was the last time—but, as they themselves admitted, they had said that before. Which of the following statements comes closest to expressing how you feel about their continued use of the Pandemonium stage show?
56.0% - "It's OK that they've used it this long, but no more. New Year's Eve should definitely be the last!" ¤
24.5% - "I wouldn't mind if they were to continue staging it a little longer."
11.7% - "As good as it was, they should nevertheless have retired it long ago."
04.4% - "I have a very different opinion that any of those described here."*
03.4% - "I never much cared for it, so they certainly should have stopped staging it long ago."
*The following excerpted (and slightly edited) comments were included among the alternate viewpoints expressed by voters:
- "The show as excellent and looked amazing—in the dark. The compromised version for the Take That tour looked cheaper and was in daylight, which ruined the look…."
- "I don't mind that they continue to perform [the Pandemonium tour show] on locations where they haven't been so far."
- "I think if PSB would do more changes [in the show], it would be much better."
| Survey
541 - Week of January 8, 2012 The last time you heard a PSB song on the radio (345 voters) |
To the best you can recall, when was the last time you heard a Pet Shop Boys song on the radio?
24.1% - More than a month ago, but no more than six months ago
23.8% - More than a week ago, but no more than a month ago ¤*
21.7% - Within the past week
12.8% - More than a year ago, but no more than a decade ago
07.0% - More than six months ago, but no more than a year ago
03.1% - Yesterday
03.1% - More than a decade ago!
02.3% - Today!
02.0% - I've never heard a PSB song on the radio!*Regarding my own vote, this was true at the time I voted. But then, somewhat ironically, later that same day I heard "So Hard" on a satellite radio station. (In fact, I believe it may have been the first time I had ever heard that particular song on the radio.) Still, I wasn't going to change my vote; that wouldn't be fair.
| Survey
540 - Week of January 1, 2012 Why "It's a Sin" is the most-covered Tennant-Lowe song (275 voters) |
What do you think is the main reason for "It's a Sin" being covered by other artists more often than any other Tennant-Lowe song (as evidenced on my page devoted to such covers)?
57.5% - It's just a great song with terrific music and lyrics!
15.3% - The personal struggle against "sin" (however you define it) is something nearly everyone can relate to.
11.6% - It strikes some people as controversial and perhaps even irreligious, which appeals to them.
10.2% - All its talk about sin appeals to the "bad boy" (or "bad girl") image of many rock/pop musicians. ¤
05.5% - None of the above. I have another theory as to the main reason for its popularity as a cover.**Among the alternate explanations offered by various voters were:
- "It's also a very strong, bold, and defiant song that could apply in multiple contexts."
- "… [Its] emotions and expressiveness [speak] volumes…. [T]his song is very dead-on personal.… Maybe I wasn't the only one felt liberated by the song—which voices all these frustrations out and for once, questioning or even stronger yet, condemning the Establishment for punishing lay persons for not being able to understand their dogmas."
- "I think one of the reasons for its appeal is that the song offers a language for prayer for many of us who live in a secularlized or secularizing world.… I also think the song is a kind of liberation anthem for those who feel that they have moved out of a religious situation into something post-religious, and it articulates this ongoing struggle in an honest way."
- "Or maybe this is covered more often because, frankly, it'll get the artists more exposure than covering Luna Park."
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