Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | London, England |
Genres | |
Discography | Pet Shop Boys discography |
Years active | 1981–present |
Labels |
|
Members | Neil Tennant Chris Lowe |
Website | petshopboys |
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide,[4][5] and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of The Guinness Book of Records.[6]
Three-time
At the
History
Early years (1981–1984)
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe met in a hi-fi shop, Chelsea Record Centre, on 203 King's Road, in Chelsea, London, in 1981.[9] Tennant had purchased a Korg MS-10 synthesizer which sparked a conversation with Lowe. Discovering that they had a mutual interest in disco and electronic music, they became friends.[9][10] In particular, the pair drew inspiration from two synth-pop records: "Souvenir" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD); and "Bedsitter" by Soft Cell, which reflected their lifestyles at the time.[11][12] According to Tennant, he and Lowe would listen to "pioneers of electronic music", including OMD, Soft Cell, Kraftwerk, the Human League, and Depeche Mode.[13]
The duo began to work together on material,[10] first in Tennant's flat in Chelsea, then, from 1982, in a small studio in Camden Town.[14] They briefly labelled their demo tapes under the band name West End before settling on Pet Shop Boys.[15] They say that their band name was taken from friends who worked in a pet shop in Ealing and were known as the "pet shop boys". They also noted a naming similarity with the recently formed rap rock group Beastie Boys.[16] In August 1983, Tennant, who was an assistant editor at Smash Hits, went to New York to interview Sting.[10] While there, he arranged to meet hi-NRG producer Bobby Orlando and gave him a demo tape containing "It's a Sin" and "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)".[9][17]
From 1983 to 1984, Orlando recorded 11 tracks with Tennant and Lowe, including "
Please (1984–1986)
In March 1985, after long negotiations, the Pet Shop Boys cut their contractual ties with Bobby O, with a settlement giving Bobby O significant
They returned to the studio in August to re-record "West End Girls" with producer Stephen Hague. Released in October 1985 it rose slowly in the British charts to become number one in January 1986. It subsequently replicated this success in the United States, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Israel, New Zealand and Norway and sold an estimated 1.5 million copies worldwide.
After the success of "West End Girls", the Pet Shop Boys released a follow-up single, "
Actually (1987–1988)
1987 started with the Pet Shop Boys receiving both a
The continued success of "It's a Sin" was followed by the release of "
Also in August 1987, Pet Shop Boys appeared on Love Me Tender, a UK television programme, on
Towards the end of 1987, Pet Shop Boys started work on an hour-long film that would incorporate the songs from Please and Actually. Working with director
1988 started with another collaboration. Pet Shop Boys wrote and produced the song "
Introspective and Behaviour (1988–1992)
In the 1996
Their third album,
The September 1990 single, "So Hard" reached No. 4 in the UK and was followed by their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990), which was recorded in Munich with producer Harold Faltermeyer. The album was not intended to reflect a dramatic change in mood from their earlier albums; however, it is noticeably subdued. It included the fan favourite "Being Boring", the second single from the album, which only reached No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart, their lowest placing at the time. The song was inspired by a quote by Zelda Fitzgerald: "...she refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn't boring", and was widely thought to be a commentary on the AIDS epidemic. The music video was directed by filmmaker Bruce Weber. By this time, the duo had also parted ways with manager Tom Watkins, replacing him with Jill Carrington,[30] who had previously been marketing director at Polydor.
In March 1991, a cover of
Before taking a break in 1992, in 1991 the Pet Shop Boys released an 18-track compilation called Discography, which included all of their single releases up until then and two new singles—"DJ Culture" and "Was It Worth It?"—omitting only "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (although it did appear on the video companion Videography). While "DJ Culture" had some success, "Was It Worth It?" became the duo's first single to miss the UK top 20 since their two Bobby O debut singles.
During this period, Pet Shop Boys continued to collaborate with many high-profile musicians. They worked again with
Tennant worked with
In 1992, they were the subjects of a South Bank Show documentary on ITV with contributions from Liza Minnelli, Eric Watson (photographer and video director), Simon Frith (music critic), David Alden and David Fielding.
Very and Disco 2 (1993–1995)
In June 1993, Pet Shop Boys re-invented their image and made a strong return to the UK Singles Chart with "
The duo's fifth studio album, Very, followed on 27 September and is the only Pet Shop Boys album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. It was produced by Pet Shop Boys and mixed with additional production by Stephen Hague, who had produced their first album and had subsequently produced records by OMD, New Order and Erasure. The other singles from Very, "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing", "Liberation" and "Yesterday, When I Was Mad", continued the theme of CGI videos, peaking with the "Liberation" video, which contained almost no real-life elements at all. All these videos were directed by Howard Greenhalgh, who continued to work with Pet Shop Boys well into the next decade. Very was also released in a limited edition including an entirely new album, Relentless, which was composed of six all-new progressive house tracks, with a darker tone to the perky Very.
In 1994, Pet Shop Boys offered to remix fellow
. The single was released under the artist name of 'Absolutely Fabulous' too. Tennant and Lowe do not consider it as a Pet Shop Boys single release and it was not included on their next best-of album. The video to the single featured clips from the sitcom, along with newly recorded footage of Tennant and Lowe with the characters of Edina (Saunders) and Patsy (Lumley).On 12 September 1994, Pet Shop Boys released the follow-up to their 1986 remix album Disco, in the form of Disco 2. The album featured club remixes of the singles released from Very and Behaviour, in a continuous megamix by Danny Rampling. Then, in October, Pet Shop Boys began their Discovery tour, which would see them visit areas that they had never performed in before: Singapore, Australia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. The following year, a new version of "Paninaro", the 1986 B-side to "Suburbia", was released to promote the B-sides collection Alternative. The single, called "Paninaro '95", is based on the live version from the Discovery tour.
Bilingual and Nightlife (1996–2001)
The Pet Shop Boys remix of the David Bowie song "Hallo Spaceboy" featured Tennant on backing vocals and was released in the UK on 19 February 1996.[31] The Pet Shop Boys then joined Bowie during his performance of the song at the 1996 Brit Awards ceremony, as well as an appearance on the Top of the Pops television program.[32][33]
In April, Pet Shop Boys released the single "
The majority of 1998 was spent with a series of live dates and minor releases, including a charity album of
During this time, Pet Shop Boys began to work with playwright
In 2000 the duo made their debut performance at the Glastonbury festival on the pyramid stage on Saturday 24 June as the sun was setting, before Travis headlined. Cerys Matthews (of band Catatonia) took the part of Dusty Springfield for the duet on "What Have I Done to Deserve This?". The performance was heralded as one of the weekend's most triumphant.
Release (2002–2005)
After the mixed fortunes of
The tour took them first to several universities around the UK; these dates saw them perform at
In 2003, Pet Shop Boys launched two new labels, Olde English Vinyl and Lucky Kunst, their
In September 2004, Pet Shop Boys appeared at a free concert in Trafalgar Square in London, where they performed, with the Dresdner Sinfoniker orchestra, a whole new soundtrack to accompany the seminal 1925 silent film Battleship Potemkin. There were four further live performances of the work with the Dresdner Sinfoniker in Germany in September 2005. The Battleship Potemkin soundtrack was then released on 5 September 2005. In November 2004, Pet Shop Boys played at the Prince's Trust concert titled Produced by Trevor Horn with other artists who had worked with the British producer Trevor Horn, including Grace Jones, ABC, Seal and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. In 2005, Pet Shop Boys was selected as the headline act for the Moscow Live 8 concert, in Red Square. They were received extremely well by the crowd in Moscow. Also in 2005, Pet Shop Boys were asked to put together the twentieth release in the Back to Mine series, an ongoing anthology showcasing artists' favourite music selections, with an emphasis on afterhours chill-out music. As a condition, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe were given one disc each, whereas all previous releases in the series consisted of only a single disc per group (see Back to Mine: Pet Shop Boys).
In July 2017, Pet Shop Boys reissued Release, as part of their 'Catalogue: 1985–2012' series. It features the remastered album, plus bonus tracks, demos and Pet Shop Boys' remixes of their tracks.[36]
Fundamental (2006–2008)
Pet Shop Boys began 2006 remixing
The week that
The second single to be taken from the album was the UK top twenty "
On 3 October 2006, the long-delayed U.S. release of their
On 16 October, Catalogue was published by
Also on 16 October, the third single from Fundamental, "Numb", was released, following its appearance at the end of the BBC's coverage of England at the World Cup. It was written by Diane Warren and is the only song on the album not written by Tennant and Lowe. "Numb" became only the second Pet Shop Boys single in their career to miss the Top 20.
On 23 October 2006,
During the latter part of 2006 and early 2007, Neil Tennant served as executive producer on Rufus Wainwright'salbum, Release the Stars, recorded in Berlin. He sang backing vocals on a number of tracks, including "Do I Disappoint You", and "Tiergarten". They continued their world tour, albeit with a slightly different production and set-list, on 14 March 2007, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil then played concerts in Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Australia (as co-headliners of the V Festival 2007), Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Singapore. Pet Shop Boys "played" at the free festival Secondfest, in the online virtual world Second Life, on 30 June.[38]
On 8 October 2007, Pet Shop Boys released
In October 2008, Pet Shop Boys released the single "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" featuring famous British photographer
In July 2017, Pet Shop Boys reissued Fundamental, as part of their 'Catalogue: 1985–2012' series. It features the remastered album, plus bonus tracks, demos and Pet Shop Boys' remixes of their tracks.[36]
Yes (2009–2011)
Pet Shop Boys completed their next album in late 2008. Recorded with Xenomania and released in UK on 23 March 2009, Yes was a critical success and hit No. 4 in the UK, their highest album chart position in more than a decade. Pet Shop Boys also appeared on Girls Aloud's new album Out of Control, collaborating on the Top-10 track "The Loving Kind", released on 12 January 2009 as a single. Originally written for Yes, The Loving Kind was deemed too bubblegum pop by Lowe and given to the popular girl group to record instead.
On 4 November 2009, Pet Shop Boys celebrated the Brazilian leg of the tour by releasing a compilation titled
On 15 February 2010, Pet Shop Boys released a live album/DVD double-pack called
In June 2010, Pet Shop Boys headlined the Other Stage on the Saturday evening of the 40th anniversary Glastonbury Festival (their second appearance after previously playing there in 2000) and were heralded as dazzling with "one of the most spectacular Glastonbury moments ever."[43]. This set included a surprise cover of Coldplay's Viva La Vida, which Tenant described as basically a Pet Shop Boys song when he first heard it.
In November they released their third compilation album
Elysium and Electric (2011–2015)
On 28 September 2011, Pet Shop Boys announced that they had written 16 songs for their next studio album and expected to start recording the new songs in November 2011 for release in Autumn 2012.[48][49][50] In the meantime, Format, an album of the duo's B-sides from 1996 to 2009, was released on 6 February 2012 as a sequel to their earlier B-side collection Alternative. Format entered the UK charts at No.26 on 12 February 2012.[50]
On 21 November 2011, the
In January 2012, Pet Shop Boys announced on their official website that they had started recording their new album in
The twelfth album, entitled Electric, was released on 12 July 2013. The album was the biggest-selling record among the UK's independent record shops during the week of its release, and went straight to the number 1 position on the Official Record Store Chart.[56] The album was produced by Stuart Price and the release coincides with the Electric World Tour that included Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Colombia, Asia (the duo performed in the Philippines, Indonesia, and China for the first time), Lebanon,[57] Israel, Turkey, Europe and North America.[58][59][60]
Super, Hotspot, and Nonetheless (2016–present)
On 21 January 2016, Pet Shop Boys announced that their thirteenth album, Super, would be released on 1 April.[61] The announcement was accompanied by the release of an album teaser track, "Inner Sanctum". The lead single from the new album, entitled "The Pop Kids", was released on 18 March 2016.[62] "The Pop Kids" was the duo's eleventh number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart.[63] The album debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, selling 16,953 copies in its first week, becoming their 13th consecutive top 10 studio album.[64] In the United States, Super debuted at number 58 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 10,000 copies. It also debuted at number one on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart, becoming Pet Shop Boys' first number-one album on the chart since Disco 3 (2003).[65]
Pet Shop Boys announced their 'Further Listening' reissues project, called 'Catalogue: 1985–2012' in June 2017. The first batch was released that July with a remaster of 'Nightlife', 'Release' and 'Fundamental'.[66] On 31 August 2017, Pet Shop Boys announced that the reissues for 'Yes' and 'Elysium' would be released on 20 October 2017.[67] Previously released 'Further Listening' albums will also be remastered for 2018, with 'Please', 'Actually' and 'Introspective' reissues being released on 2 March 2018.[68] The fourth and final batch of reissues—'Behaviour', 'Very' and 'Bilingual'—was released on 31 August 2018.[69][70]
Pet Shop Boys announced a live album/DVD/Blu-ray release,
In 2020, their fourteenth album, Hotspot, was released on x2 Records/Kobalt. The corresponding Dreamworld tour was planned to start mid-2020, but was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic; it finally got underway in May 2022 and included their third appearance at the Glastonbury festival (and second time headlining the other stage, this time on the Sunday night, closing the stage). The performance was another success with a lot of opinions saying they were one of the major highlights that year.
In September and October 2022, the band co-headlined the 'Unity Tour' with New Order, playing twelve arenas across Canada and the US.[73]
On 31 December 2022, Pet Shop Boys headlined Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations with a special Dreamworld show.[74] In 2023 they will continue their "Dreamworld" tour, among other headlining the Primavera Sound festivals in Barcelona, Madrid, Porto, Santiago, Sao Paulo and Lima.[75]
In March 2023, the duo announced on their website that they had started working on their fifteenth studio album with producer James Ford.[76] In the interim, the EP Lost, made up of music recorded during Super sessions was released.[77] On January 24, 2024, the album title Nonetheless and its cover art was announced with an April 26 release date,[78] along with its first single, "Loneliness" whose music video was released on YouTube.[79]
Style and image
In 2020, BBC journalist Nick Levine noted that they still maintain a somewhat "detached and ambivalent approach" to their success, which also shows in their low profile on social media.[80] Music journalist Steve Harnell described them as having both an "ear for commerciality" and the desire to create "something more highbrow". He also described Tennant's lyrics as showing a "love for language", which Tennant sparkles with sometimes quite-obscure cultural references.[80] Their music in the 1980s was inspired by dance music in gay clubs but transformed into a "very British and brainy brand of pop music, shot through with a streak of social comment so subtly done that people frequently missed the point entirely."[81]
Lowe said in a 1986
Their band dynamic has played a role in their public image. Early in their career, the duo were frequently accused of lacking stage presence, said to be a deliberate reaction to the hyper-cheerful music of the time, demonstrated by bands such as Wham!. A typical early performance featured Lowe in the background playing the bassline on a Fairlight synthesiser keyboard and Tennant singing, but otherwise passive, in the foreground. Tennant and Lowe both became well known for standing still throughout performances. In a 2016 interview, Chris Lowe said the duo's live performances were a response to the music scene in the 1980s: "Everyone was so active. It was a big party where everyone was having a great time and smiling at the camera. Thumbs aloft! We just didn't want to do that. So we ignored the cameras and the jollity of the situations. Let's face it, it's easier to stand stock-still isn't it?".[85]
When they first began touring, in 1989, they were heavily influenced by opera and theatre staging.
Typically, Pet Shop Boys have favoured
They have always been interested in the
Even the band's fan base has been subject to commentary. In 2001, music theorist Fred Everett Maus wrote that, contrary to the ideologies of anti-commercialism and authenticity embodied by "serious" discussions of popular music such as rock, Pet Shop Boys fans exhibit "an undisguised love of commercial success". This was demonstrated through mailing list discussions from 1998 onwards, in which fans voiced concern over the "most commercially promising selection and marketing of singles" for the then-upcoming Nightlife, and debated the quality of the then-recent Bilingual, spurred by the album's poorer performance in sales. Most posters, Maus summarised, feared that the band's appeal would become essentially limited to a cult following; "dissent, along the lines that the fans would always have the Pet Shop Boys, no matter what happened commercially, was scarce and ineffectual". Noting the fact that Pet Shop Boys "began their career with hits", Maus made the point that this early success was valued by fans: the band's "large audiences" were just as important to "many fans" as the making of "distinctive music that individual fans loved".[86]
The Pet Shop Boys have been noted for keeping their fingers on the musical pulse to date, while "maintaining the mystique of performers from a different era".[80] Lynn Barber, writing for the London Observer on 1 July 1997 stated that "The genius of the Pet Shop Boys was to combine these polar opposites: Neil's wistful introspective lyrics and Chris's mindless, cheerful, upbeat rhythms. They would never have been in the Top 10 without Chris; they would never have engaged an intelligent audience without Neil."[87]
Influence
As of 2003, Pet Shop Boys were ranked by
The history between Madonna and Pet Shop Boys goes back to 1988, with the song "
In October 2005, a Swedish
Sexuality
Neil Tennant, who neither denied nor confirmed gay rumours throughout the 1980s, "came out" in a 1994 interview for Attitude, a UK gay lifestyle magazine.[91][92][93] He has stated that his lyrics are not specifically gay. Many of the duo's songs are written using gender-neutral language, so that they could refer to any gender.[94][95][96]
Discography
Studio albums
- Please (1986)
- Actually (1987)
- Introspective (1988)
- Behaviour (1990)
- Very (1993)
- Bilingual (1996)
- Nightlife (1999)
- Release (2002)
- Fundamental (2006)
- Yes (2009)
- Elysium (2012)
- Electric (2013)
- Super (2016)
- Hotspot (2020)
- Nonetheless (2024)
Tours
- MCMLXXXIX Tour (1989)
- Performance Tour (1991)
- Discovery Tour (1994)
- Somewhere Residency (1997)
- Nightlife Tour (1999–2000)
- Uni/Release Tour (2002)
- Fundamental Tour (2006–2007)
- Pandemonium Tour (2009–2010)
- Electric Tour (2013–2015)
- Super Tour (2016–2019)
- Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live (2022–2024)
- Unity Tour (with New Order) (2022)
Awards and nominations
Billboard Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | Themselves | Top New Artist | Nominated | [97] |
Top Billboard 200 Artist | Nominated | |||
Top Hot 100 Artist | Nominated | |||
Top Hot 100 Artist – Duo/Group | Nominated | |||
Top Dance Club Play Artist | Nominated | |||
Top Dance Sales Artist | Nominated | |||
Please | Top Billboard 200 Album | Nominated | ||
"West End Girls" | Top Hot 100 Song | Nominated | ||
Top Dance Sales Single | Nominated | |||
Top Dance Club Play Single | Nominated | |||
"Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" | Nominated | |||
1987 | "It's a Sin" | Nominated | [98] | |
Themselves | Top Hot 100 Artist | Nominated | ||
Top Dance Club Play Artist | Nominated | |||
2007 | "Minimal" | Top Dance Club Play Single | Nominated | [99] |
Brit Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | Themselves | Best British Group | Nominated |
"West End Girls" | Best British Single
|
Won | |
1988 | Themselves | Best British Group | Won |
"Always on My Mind" | Best British Single
|
Nominated | |
Actually | Best British Album | Nominated | |
1989 | Introspective | Nominated | |
Themselves | Best British Group | Nominated | |
1992 | Nominated | ||
1994
|
"Go West" | Best British Video | Nominated |
2009
|
Themselves | Outstanding Contribution to Music | Won |
2010
|
"Go West" | Live Performance of 30 Years | Nominated |
Grammy Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1994
|
Very Relentless
|
Best Recording Package | Nominated |
1995
|
"Go West" | Best Music Video, Short Form | Nominated |
1995
|
"Alternative" | Best Recording Package - Boxed | Nominated |
1998
|
" To Step Aside "
|
Best Dance Recording
|
Nominated |
2006
|
"I'm with Stupid" | Nominated | |
Fundamental | Best Dance/Electronic Album | Nominated | |
2010
|
Yes | Nominated |
Ivor Novello Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | "West End Girls" | International Hit of the Year | Won |
Best Contemporary Song | Nominated | ||
1988 | "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" | Nominated | |
" It's A Sin "
|
International Hit of the Year | Nominated | |
1990 | "Nothing Has Been Proved" | Best Film Theme or Song | Nominated |
2000 | Themselves | Outstanding Contribution to British Music | Won |
Lunas del Auditorio
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Themselves | Best Foreign Pop Artist | Nominated |
2006 | Nominated | ||
2010 | Nominated |
Smash Hits Poll Winners Party
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Themselves | Best Group | Nominated |
1987 | Nominated | ||
1988 | Nominated | ||
Worst Group | Nominated | ||
"Heart" | Best Pop Video | Nominated | |
1990 | Themselves | Best Group[100] | Nominated |
Other awards
Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | Music Week Awards[101] | Themselves | Top Music Week/Studio Week Advertisement Mono | Nominated |
MTV Video Music Awards | "West End Girls" | Best New Artist | Nominated | |
1987 | American Music Awards | Favorite Pop/Rock Song | Nominated | |
ASCAP Pop Music Awards[102]
|
Most Performed Song | Won | ||
Bravo Otto Awards
|
Themselves | Best Rock Band (Silver) | Won | |
Silver Clef Award | Best Newcomer | Won | ||
1988 | Berolina Awards | Group of the Year | Won | |
Houston Film Festival | "It Couldn't Happen Here" | Gold July Award | Won | |
Billboard Music Awards | "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" | Top Dance Club Play Single | Nominated | |
ASCAP Pop Music Awards[103]
|
Most Performed Song | Won | ||
1991 | MTV Video Music Awards | "Being Boring" | Viewer's Choice (Europe) | Nominated |
Music Week Awards | Music Video of the Year | Won | ||
1992 | Pollstar Concert Industry Awards | Performance Tour | Most Creative Stage Production | Nominated |
1994 | D&AD Awards | "Go West" | Pop Promo Video | Wood Pencil |
MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Cover | Won | ||
Effects and Nomination Festival | "Liberation" | Best Music Video | Won | |
Siggraph Wave Awards | Won | |||
Billboard Music Awards | Themselves | Top Hot Dance Music Club Play Artist | Nominated | |
1999 | GAFFA Awards (Denmark)[104] | Best Foreign Band | Nominated | |
Viva Comet Awards | " I Don't Know What You Want "
|
Best International Video | Won | |
2000 | RSH Gold Awards | Themselves | Best International Band | Won |
2003 | GLAAD Media Awards | Release | Outstanding Music Artist | Nominated |
World Music Awards | Themselves | The World Arts Award | Won | |
2004 | Q Awards | Inspiration Award | Won | |
2007 | International Dance Music Awards | Best Dance Artist (Group) | Nominated | |
Webby Awards | Websites – Celebrity/Fan | Nominated | ||
GLAAD Media Awards | Fundamental | Outstanding Music Artist | Nominated | |
2008 | Cannes International Advertising Festival | "Integral" | Gold Cyber Lion Award | Won |
2009 | Popjustice £20 Music Prize | "Love Etc." | Best British Pop Single | Nominated |
2010 | International Dance Music Awards | Best Pop Dance Track | Nominated | |
Best Music Video | Nominated | |||
Themselves | Best Dance Artist (Group) | Nominated | ||
2011 | Evening Standard Theatre Awards | Beyond Theatre Award | Won | |
2012 | Hungarian Music Awards | Foreign Electronic Music Production of the Year | Nominated | |
2013 | Q Awards | Outstanding Contribution to Music | Won | |
2015 | Mnet Asian Music Awards | Worldwide Inspiration Award | Won | |
British LGBT Awards[105] | Best Music Artist | Nominated | ||
2016 | Gay Music Chart Awards[106] | "The Pop Kids" | Best Lyric Video | Nominated |
"The Pop Kids" (Offer Nissim Remix) | Best Music Video from Israel | Nominated | ||
Abilu Music Awards[107] | Super | International Electronic Album of the Year | Won | |
AMFT Awards[108] | Best Dance/Electro Album | Won | ||
2017 | NME Awards | Themselves | Godlike Genius Award | Won |
San Diego Film Awards[109] | "Twenty-Something" | Best Music Video | Won | |
2019 | Classic Pop Reader Awards[110][111] | Further Listening 1984–1986 | Reissue of the Year | Nominated |
2020 | Themselves | Group of the Year | Nominated | |
2021 | GAFFA Awards[112] | Best International Band | Pending | |
Hotspot | Best International Album | Pending |
References
- ^ a b c d Jason Ankeny. "Pet Shop Boys Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ISBN 0-415-14670-4.
- ^
- Lindsay, Cam (19 February 2007). "Pet Shop Boys A Life in Pop". Exclaim!. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- Comer, M. Tye (13 April 2014). "Coachella 2014: Empire of the Sun, Pet Shop Boys Bring Art Pop to the Desert". Billboard. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ Burke, David (27 November 2018). "The Lowdown: Pet Shop Boys". Classic Pop Magazine. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys: Biografie". Warner Music Germany (in German). Archived from the original on 18 November 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
- The Guinness Book of Records 1999. Guinness. 1998. p. 228.
- ISBN 978-0-4704-3851-0.
- ^ "Greatest of All Time: Madonna Is Billboard's No. 1 Dance Club Songs Artist". Billboard. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-13660-0.
- ISBN 978-1-61185-658-3.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will (12 November 2006). "Soundtrack of my life: Neil Tennant". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Lucas, Dan (19 April 2013). "Pet Shop Boys: Always Fascinating". Under the Radar. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ "35 Years ago – Pet Shop Boys ONLINE". Retrieved 25 August 2019.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys History - August 1981". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys come back with a lot of 'love, etc.'". Cnn.com. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-4472-2680-2.
- ^ "Pet-shop-boys-bobby-o-demos". Discogs.com. 2 May 1991. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – The Maxi-CD Collection of the Pet Shop Boys". Discogs.com. 2 May 1991. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "WLIR & WDRE 92.7 FM Screamer & Sheiks of the Week". Advancedspecialties.net. 9 January 2004. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ Cowton, 1991. p. 15.
- ^ "West End Girls – Pet Shop Boys". BBC Radio 2. BBC. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
- ^ "Cult – Classic TV – The Clothes Show". BBC. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ Elizabeth Landau (7 April 2009). "Pet Shop Boys come back with a lot of 'love, etc.'". CNN. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "1986 MTV Video Music Awards". MTV. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Jonathan King - Wild World". Discogs.com. 1987. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "Diary". The Spectator. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ a b "The Story of... 'Always on My Mind' by Elvis Presley". Smooth Radio. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "They did it their way". The Daily Telegraph. London. 20 November 2004. Archived from the original on 30 November 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ Heath, Chris (2001). In Behaviour [CD liner notes]. London: Pet Shop Boys Partnership
- ^ "David Bowie – Hallo Spaceboy". Discogs.com. 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
- ^ McKie, John (20 February 1996). "Bowie and Blair band together". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ covdik (24 February 2009). "PSB & David Bowie Top of the Pops". Google Inc. Archived from the original (Video upload) on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^ Kenneth, Stephen. "A-Z of PSB". So Pet Shop Boys. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 14 June 2006.
- ^ Mosler, Tomas. "Chronology". Pet Shop Boys at dead of night. Retrieved 14 June 2006.
- ^ a b "First trio of 'Catalogue: 1985–2012' reissues are out now". Pet Shop Boys. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys release 'Cubism', live DVD". Side-line.com. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys to play live in Second Life". Side-line.com. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Sam Tylor-Wood produced by Pet Shop Boys". Kompakt.fm. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys-News". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "This is the Sam Tylor-Wood/ Pet Shop Boys song". Popjustice. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "I'm in love with a German filmstar". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ McNulty, Bernadette (28 June 2010). "Glastonbury 2010, review". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – News – Ultimate Pet Shop Boys". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Ultimate Track-listing". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – The Most Incredible Thing". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "Sadler's Wells Theatre – Pet Shop Boys & Javier De Frutos – The Most Incredible Thing". Sadlerswells.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Pet Texts – Songwriting". Petshopboys.co.uk. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys enregistre un nouvel album à paraître en 2012". Chartsinfrance.net. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ^ a b "An interview with the Pet Shop Boys". Varsity. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
- ^ Brown, Mark (20 November 2011). "Evening Standard theatre awards: pair win joint prize for Frankenstein roles". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – News – Beyond Theatre". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Frankenstein pair share Best Actor honour at our Theatre Awards". The Standard. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Winner". News. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ^ Newman, Paul (28 July 2012). "Wimbledon's 'wee bit slippery' courts prove a test for tennis Olympians". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys top Official Record Store Chart". OfficialCharts.com. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – News – Electric – the first review". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ Robbie Daw (21 June 2013). "Pet Shop Boys Discuss 'Electric', Their Euphoric Summer Album: Idolator Interview". Idolator.com. SpinMedia Publishers. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys Touring Asia Intensively for 'Electric'". Music Weekly. Music Weekly Asia. 4 July 2013. Archived from the original on 9 August 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys 'Electric' Album and World Tour". PhabLife.com. 10 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ Eurochannel. "Pet Shop Boys – British Music – Eurochannel". Eurochannel: The European TV channel – European movies, TV series and music. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – The Pop Kids". Discogs.com. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Dance Club Songs". Billboard.com. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ Jones, Alan (8 April 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Everything You've Come To Expect tops the Official Albums Chart". Music Week. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys Make 'Super' Start at No. 1 on Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ Pet Shop Boys. "Pet Shop Boys – Catalogue: 1985–2012". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Pet Shop Boys. "Second set of Catalogue reissues announced". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ Pet Shop Boys. "Third batch of 'Catalogue' reissues announced". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ Pet Shop Boys. "Final batch of 'Catalogue' reissues announced". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- ^ Pet Shop Boys. "Final batch of 'Catalogue' reissues out now". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ Pet Shop Boys. "Inner Sanctum DVD/Blu-ray/CD". Pet Shop Boys. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ Pet Shop Boys. "Agenda". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^ "Unity Tour with New Order starts this week". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Dreamworld in Edinburgh". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Dreamworld at Primavera Sound 2023". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "In the Studio". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Harrison, Emma (21 April 2023). "Everything But the Girl get nostalgic, Pet Shop Boys ventriloquise Putin – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "Nonetheless". Petshopboys.co.uk.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys - Loneliness (Official Video)" – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c "Why Pet Shop Boys are still the cleverest men in pop". Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (24 January 2020). "Pet Shop Boys: 'The acoustic guitar should be banned'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "Broadcast Yourself". Retrieved 4 January 2010 – via YouTube.
- ISBN 9780822350101
- ^ Quirk, Justin (30 October 2010). "Pet Shop Boys prove the public are more open-minded than Simon Cowell gives them credit for". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "The Quietus – Features – A Quietus Interview – Pop Kid – Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys Interviewed". Thequietys.com. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- S2CID 161096920
- ^ "The Nature of the Tennant-Lowe Songwriting Partnership".
- ^ Shawhan, Jason (20 November 2005). Madonna – Confessions on a Dancefloor Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Arte Tracks (German-French magazine by Arte), YouTube. 2:50-3:10min.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys to make cameo appearance on The Archers". BBC News. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ Burston, Paul (13 March 2016). "Attitude Archive: Neil Tennant's 1994 Coming Out Interview". Attitude. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ ">> arts >> Pet Shop Boys". Glbtq.com. 20 September 2008. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Absolutely Pet Shop Boys Unofficial web site – Interviews – Outrage, October 1994". Petshopboys.net. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Absolutely Pet Shop Boys Unofficial web site – Interviews – Attitude May 2002". Petshopboys.net. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ Thompson, Ben (21 April 1996). "ARTS: AN ATTITUDE THING – Arts & Entertainment". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "For Hard-Core Petheads: The Tennant Interview in Full – The Daily Dish, By Andrew Sullivan". The Atlantic. 5 June 2009. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Billboard – Google йМХЦХ". 27 December 1986. p. 51.
- ^ "Billboard – Google йМХЦХ". 26 December 1987. p. 44.
- ^ "Billboard: 2007 Year-End Chart-Toppers". Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "Articles on Smash Hits". Michaelmouse1967.wixsite.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). 28 February 1987. p. 26. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "ASCAP Pop Award Winning Writers and Publishers" (PDF). Billboard. 6 June 1987. p. 24. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Gibson, Springsteen Share ASCAP Songwriter Award" (PDF). Billboard. 27 May 1989. p. 64. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "GAFFA-prisen 1991–2006 – se vinderne". gaffa.dk. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "LGBT+ Music artists 2015". Britishlgbtawards.com. 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Gay Music Chart: Gay Music Chart Awards 2016: the nominations". Gaymusicchart.blogspot.com. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "2016年阿比鹿音乐奖特别单元年度海外唱片获奖名单公布". Artist.douban.com. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "Winners". Amft-awards.jimdosite.com. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys". IMDb.com. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ^ "There's still time to vote in our 2018 Reader Awards!". Classicpopmag.com. 2 January 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ^ "2019 READER AWARDS". Classicpopmag.com. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "GAFFA-PRISEN 2021". Gaffa.dk. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
External links
- Official website
- Pet Shop Boys at AllMusic
- Pet Shop Boys discography at Discogs
- Pet Shop Boys at IMDb
- Pet Shop Boys dedicated page at Eurochannel