Being Boring

Since the longest of time, I have been wanting to put up something from the Pet Shop Boys, but I have some reservations on people's acceptance to the band, whatever those reservations may be. Over the last few days, I have spoken to some friends and discovered that they are more receptive to it than I have initially feared.

Well, for one, I have been quite a fan of this technopop duo - Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. The longevity of Pet Shop Boys' career is generally attributed to their ability to create melodic pop/dance music with intelligent lyrics and striking style. The duo are one of the most consistently successful duos in pop music, particularly in Europe.

Neil Tennant has consistently labelled Pet Shop Boys' music as "disco." Their music's trademark sound is a combination of pure synthesised pop, with sometimes slightly over-the-top instrumentation, contrasting with Tennant's laconic vocals, sometimes spoken-word or rap. Despite a history of implementing current musical trends from the underground (house, electro, jungle, techno etc.) into their productions, they have always maintained their own specific and defined sound. Their lyrics have been described as articulate, stylish and poetic.

The dynamic of Pet Shop Boys' image lies in the duo's public personalities — Tennant is perceived as an erudite intellectual, articulate, and verbose in speech; while Lowe, now almost always seen in his trademark attire of hat and sunglasses, appears as guarded and terse but nevertheless behaves as casual, flippant and fun-loving.

A defining element of Pet Shop Boys' style is their obsession with extended and remixed versions of their songs. As of 2006, they have been remixed by over eighty different DJs and producers. The vast array of Pet Shop Boys' remixes have made them one of the most collectible bands in the world. Collectors relish the assortment of triple-vinyl limited editions, unique artwork sleeves, and multiple compact disc singles.

Secondly, this entry is dedicated to englishrose, a friend from faraway, whom I am using as an 'excuse' to put up this Pet Shop Boys entry. Thanks pal :-) While you are lying in bed on one of those days and staring at the ceiling listening to this song, and wondering "What have I done to deserve this?" - remember that Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield also said in the same song:

"We don't have to fall apart, we dont have to fight
We don't need to go to hell and back every night
Gonna get through, baby, Im gonna get through it"

This song peak at number two in the UK charts, and at the same position on the Billboard Hot 100, to become the fourth Top Ten hit for Pet Shop Boys as well as the biggest hit of Springfield's career in the States for nothing :-)

I also wish to pay tribute to the British sitcom: Absolutely Fabulous - led by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley. It aired from 1992-2005 and was affectionately called Ab Fab. Personally, it was the best thing that ever happened on the telly during those years - it was absolutely campy and yet absolutely fabulous!

Edina and Patsy are two immature, prosperous, but preposterous substance-abusing fashion and fad-obsessed Londoners who value fame and style over substance (unless they are controlled substances). Saffron, Edina's daughter, provides the persistently dour voice of Monsoon and Stone's super-ego. Edina and Saffy live in a house in Holland Park, with Patsy spending most of her time there as well.

The sitcom circles around Edina's constant struggle to achieve fame and success amidst the disapproval of her daughter and the constant presence of her increasingly senile mother. Much of the comedy of the show is physical, usually derived from Edina and Patsy's drunken and/or stoned states - and I wonder how it got passed the censors then. The mutual loathing that exists between Saffy and Patsy as each tries to guide Edina's behaviour also makes for many comic situations. A recurring gag found new ways for Edina to fall headfirst out of cars, windows, or down her kitchen stairs at least once every series. Many celebrities have made guest appearance on the show, which included Lulu, Naomi Campbell, Whoopi Goldberg, Christian Lacroix, Twiggy, Elton John, Jean-Paul Gautier and the glamorous list goes on...

The soundtrack was hilariously, yet tastefully done by Pet Shop Boys - and if you missed the show, listening to the song, you will know what I mean.

But, one of my favourite tracks from Pet Shop Boys is simply Being Boring. It was not particularly successful upon release, reaching only number twenty in the UK singles chart and being the first single released by the group not to get into the top ten since Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money four years previously. Despite this, Being Boring has been a regularly-played song at concerts since its release.

This song is concerned with the idea of growing up and how people's perceptions and values change as they grow older. This song is about the ideals that you have when you were young then and how they turned out, eventually.

It is a 'simpler' song with timeless appeal to it but yet evoking times gone by...

"And we were never holding back, or worried that
Time would come to an end
We were always hoping that, looking back
You could always rely on a friend

I never dreamt, that I would get to be
The creature that. I'd always meant to be
But I thought in spite of dreams
You'd be sitting somewhere here with me "