Pet Shop Boys, the

Pet Shop Boys, the

▪ British music duo
      British pop music duo that recorded a string of international hits, several of which topped the charts in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. The band comprised Neil Tennant (b. July 10, 1954, Gosforth, Tyne and Wear, Eng.) and Chris Lowe (b. Oct. 4, 1959, Blackpool, Lancashire).

      Formed in London in 1981 by vocalist Tennant (then a writer for the music magazine Smash Hits) and keyboardist Lowe, the Pet Shop Boys arrived at a clever pairing of ironic, coolly delivered lyrics and catchy synthesizer-based dance music, underlain by emotional tension. Influenced by the music of gay nightclubs, the duo (who broke their carefully maintained sexual ambiguity when they came out in 1994) incorporated the sounds of disco, the frenetic style known as Hi-NRG, house, and techno. Their first single, “West End Girls,” recorded with American producer Bobby (“O”) Orlando, became a hit in France and Belgium in 1984, but it was not until two years later that a rerecorded version of the song shot to number one in Britain, the United States, and several other countries. Subsequent hits included “Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)” from the duo's first album, Please (1986), and “It's a Sin,” “Rent,” “Heart,” and “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” from Actually (1987).

      In 1988 the Pet Shop Boys starred in their own film, It Couldn't Happen Here, a surreal cross-country journey scored with the duo's hits, including their remake of Elvis Presley (Presley, Elvis)'s “Always on My Mind.” In 1989 the pair, which rarely performed live, undertook a tour that was elaborately staged by the painter and film director Derek Jarman. Their songs continued to place high on the British singles charts in the 1990s, and their 1993 album, Very, made the American Top 20 and reached number one in Britain.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pet Shop Boys — Infobox musical artist | Name = Pet Shop Boys |250px Img capt = Pet Shop Boys live in Boston, 2006. Img size = 250 Background = group or band Origin = London, England Genre = Synthpop House Electropop Years active = 1981 ndash;present Label =… …   Wikipedia

  • The Pet Shop Boys — Pet Shop Boys Die Pet Shop Boys im Oktober 2006 in Boston Gründung 1981 Genre Euro Disco, Electropop Website …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pet Shop Boys — Пет Шоп Бойз …   Википедия

  • Pet Shop Boys — à Bo …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pet Shop Boys — Existen desacuerdos sobre la neutralidad en el punto de vista de la versión actual de este artículo o sección. En la página de discusión puedes consultar el debate al respecto. Pet Shop Boys …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pet Shop Boys/Diskografie — Dieser Artikel oder Abschnitt ist nicht hinreichend mit Belegen (Literatur, Webseiten oder Einzelnachweisen) versehen. Die fraglichen Angaben werden daher möglicherweise demnächst gelöscht. Hilf Wikipedia, indem du die Angaben recherchierst und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pet Shop Boys discography — This Pet Shop Boys discography describes the release history of the English electronic/pop music duo Pet Shop Boys, consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboard player Chris Lowe.Albumstudio albumsCompilation albumsoundtrack and score… …   Wikipedia

  • Numb (Pet Shop Boys song) — Numb Single by Pet Shop Boys from the album Fundamental B side Pa …   Wikipedia

  • Nightlife (Pet Shop Boys album) — Nightlife Studio album by Pet Shop Boys Released 11 October 1999 ( …   Wikipedia

  • Yes (álbum de Pet Shop Boys) — Yes Álbum de estudio de Pet Shop Boys Publicación …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”