What's New? – Recent Updates & Additions
August 9, 2022
Updates / Corrections
Thanks once again to Andrew Shaw, this time for informing me of the death several days ago (August 5) of Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, who's noteworthy in the "Pet Shop Boys world" by virtue of Chris Lowe's fondness for his creations. His passing called for an update to one of my annotations for the song "Flamboyant," which I've now addressed. I also refer to him in a number of other places here on my website, but none of these other references require corresponding updates.
August 8, 2022
PSB Lists
Thanks to Andrew Shaw for letting me know (and for providing the necessary supporting evidence) that Robin Bextor—English film/television producer and director, political candidate, and father of singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor—is a fan of the Pet Shop Boys. Hence I've added his name to my list of celebrity PSB fans outside the field of music.
August 5, 2022
Song Annotations
Thanks so much to Steve N. for sharing his very interesting observation that the meaning of the title line of "So Sorry, I Said" can change depending on where one might place that line's "missing" quotation marks. I now discuss this matter in a new final bullet-point annotation to my commentary on that song.
July 26, 2022
Updates / Corrections
Thanks to longtime site visitor Jules Chance for finding and reporting a couple of typos, now corrected, on my page for the song "Did You See Me Coming?"
July 22, 2022
PSB Lists
Thanks to Steve N. for pointing out that the "PSB Freedom Remix" of "Leaving" includes the additional lyrics that I had already noted in the "PSB Side-by-Side Remix" in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs with "extra lyrics." I've now appropriately updated my entry for that song at #12 in that list.
July 17, 2022
PSB Lists
Thanks to Eke Webb for reporting that the Eighth Wonder rendition of "I'm Not Scared" could be heard as background music during the July 4, 2019 edition of the British television show Homes Under the Hammer. I've noted this fact in the entry for that song at #69 in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs used in non-musical TV shows and films. I also corrected there a typo (or, more accurately, an extra, unneeded word held over from an earlier draft) that Eke brought to my attention.
July 15, 2022
PSB Lists
Thanks to leesmapman for letting me know that "In the Night" appears as background music during a sequence of the second episode of the three-part BBC documentary series AIDS: The Unheard Tapes (as previously noted, it had also played over the first episode's end credits), and that "It's a Sin" kicks off the third episode. I've made note of these facts in the entries for those songs at #2 and #21, respectively, in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs that can be heard in non-musical television shows and films.
July 13, 2022
Updates / Corrections
Thanks to Borislav (whom I've just added to my Thank You page) for finding and reporting a longstanding typo, now corrected, on my page for the song "Go West." I'm fascinated by the way some typos linger for years, sometimes even for more than a decade, before anyone—myself included—catches them. It happens more often than one might think!
July 12, 2022
PSB Lists
Thanks so much to Margaret M. for telling me about "This Is How Your People Dance" from the 2019-2021 stage musical Diana, which earns a spot at #54 in my list of songs that mention the Pet Shop Boys by name. If you would like to see a performance of this song, it's available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube. Yes, the musical flopped on Broadway, but I thought that at least this number was pretty nifty.
July 10, 2022
Personal Observations
I wish a very happy birthday to Neil Tennant!
Updates / Corrections
Thanks to Raymond Merkh for catching and reporting a longstanding typo, now corrected, on my page for "The Loving Kind."
July 9, 2022
Lyrics / Song Annotations
Although I had previously observed in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs with "extra lyrics" that there some lyrical differences between the Girls Aloud version of "The Loving Kind" and the PSB rendition, I had "missed" some of those differences and I hadn't gone into very much detail about them on my page devoted to that song. I've rectified these oversights in expansions on both the third bullet-point annotation to my commentary on the song and its entry at #13 of the aforementioned list.
July 7, 2022
PSB Lists
Having previously overlooked it, I've now added "Listening" (which they initially called "I Will Listen") to my list of early titles for Pet Shop Boys songs.
July 4, 2022
Song Annotations
Happy Independence Day to my fellow U.S. site visitors! But thanks to Nicolas Proulx, one of our neighbors to the north (Canada)—and whose name I've just added to my Thank You page—for pointing out an intriguing musical similarty that I'd never noticed before between "How I Learned to Hate Rock and Roll" and "Pazzo!" I've gone into a little detail about this in a new annotation to my commentary on the latter song.
July 3, 2022
Personal Observations
Neil Tennant's birthday, July 10, is one week from today. As she has done so often in the past, dedicated fellow Pet Shop Boys fan Sherry Gahan has posted a page where we can offer our birthday wishes to him. Thanks, Sherry!
June 29, 2022
PSB Lists
Thanks to Rory Simpson for letting me know that "In the Night" played over the closing credits of the first episode of the three-part BBC documentary AIDS: The Unheard Tapes, which debuted on June 27. I've made note of this fact in the entry for that song at #2 in my list of Pet Shop Boys songs used in non-musical televisions shows and films.
June 27, 2022
PSB Tours
The Pet Shop Boys have just announced four new U.K. dates for a 2023 continuation of their Dreamworld Tour. I've now added these new dates to my PSB Tours page. Since I believe it's most unlikely that they would head out on tour again for only four shows, additional dates will almost undoubtedly be announced in the weeks and months ahead. Stay tuned!
PSB News
Incidentally, PSB online fandom was abuzz with regard to Chris's late appearance onstage for the Boys' concert yesterday at Glastonbury. As it turns out, it was caused by a technical glitch in the staging materiel, for lack of a better word. I've mentioned this incidental in an item for yesterday's date on my On This Day in Pet Shop Boys History page, athough of course it won't resurface there until June 26 rolls around again next year.
I should note that this performance is available for viewing on the BBC website, but apparently—and most unfortunately—only in the U.K. Or at least not here in the States. ☹
Updates / Corrections
Thanks to Nigel Brand for catching and reporting a typo in my June 24 entry, just below, which I've now corrected.
June 24, 2022
PSB News
The Pet Shop Boys' official website has posted a link to a recording of Zoe Ball's BBC 2 Radio show today, which includes a brief interview with Neil and Chris. Among the things they discussed were that they wrote "a ton of new songs" during the pandemic lockdown—at least two albums' worth, as Neil observed—and a new musical titled Naked based on the famous Hans Christian Andersen tale "The Emperor's New Clothes." They had originally envisioned it as a ballet like their previous Andersen adaptation The Most Incredible Thing, but it evolved into a full-fledged musical with lyrics and singing. It's still very much in the preliminary planning stages, however, one of its challenges (according to Neil, though perhaps facetiously) being to find singing actors who are willing to appear naked onstage. Chris also shared an amusing anecdote involving Paul McCartney that I've decided to add to my list of "PSB-Beatles connections" on my page devoted to my other favorite artists. Thanks, incidentally, to Simon from Newcastle for sharing with me some information about this interview even before I heard it for myself.
June 23, 2022
Mixes / Versions
Thanks to Adris for letting me know that the "solo" version of "Purple Zone," featuring Soft Cell but not the Pet Shop Boys, is officially available on the vinyl edition of Soft Cell's album Happiness Not Included. (By contrast, the CD edition of the album does include the version featuring PSB.) I've made the appropriate updates on my page devoted to that song.
June 22, 2022
PSB Tours
Thanks so much to Tas (whom I've just now added to my Thank You page) for catching a couple of errors on my Pet Shop Boys Tours page, which arose from my having confused a couple of their concerts performed in February and March of 2002. This includes my having overlooked their show at the Astoria in London on February 14 of that year and misdated their concert at London's BBC Radio Theatre in March. I've now made the necessary corrections.
June 20, 2022
PSB News
In case you've mised it, the official Pet Shop Boys online shop is now allowing you to pre-order Dreamworld Tour merchandise. Since I won't be able to see them on tour this time around, I've just now placed my own order for the official tour program.
June 13, 2022
A World of PSB Fans
The Flag Counter routine on my home page has just recorded my first-ever page-hit from the island nation of Madagascar. So I've made note of this fact on my "A World of Pet Shop Boys Fans" page. And I extend a hearty welcome to my first Malagasy site visitor!
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