Song:West End Girls
Album:Discography: The Complete Singles Collection
The Guinness Book of Records says that Pet Shop Boys are the most successful duo in British music history. West End Girls was their only US number one hit in 1985. Today they are still popular in England. In 1981, lead singer Neil Tennant had worked as an editor for Marvel Comics. At the time, he was working for the teen pop magazine Smash Hits. He met keyboard player Chris Lowe and they started working together on synth pop. They called themselves Pet Shop Boys because a couple of friends worked at a pet shop. Tennant was sent to New York to interview The Police and he had lunch with dance music producer Bobby Orlando. The two were big fans of his remixes. After hearing their demo, Pet Shop Boys singed with his Hi-NRG label. West End Girls was released in 1984. It was a minor dance hit but the record wasn't as successful as was hoped. So they left Hi-NRG and signed with Parlophone/EMI. They went back into the studio to re-record West End Girls with producer Stephen Hague. Hague was a session musician who was becoming a force as a producer of synth pop. West End Girls was released in Oct. 1985 and eventually topped the charts in Jan. 1986. It was a global hit. That was their only number one hit in the US. Their other top ten hits were Opportunities, It's A Sin, What Have I Done To Deserve This? and Always On My Mind. They were a lot more successful in England winning awards and they continue to chart in England today. And they are still a popular dance music act. They released their latest CD in July. But most fans will only be familiar with Pet Shop Boys' 80s songs and you can get them on this comp. Here's the video for West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys.
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