New wave and synth pop was the name of the game in the mid 80’s on both sides of the Atlantic, and the Pet Shop Boys found success through a blend of synthesizers and electronic rhythm that creates a hypnotic effect on the listener.
“West End Girls” was mainly a cult favorite in the United States when it was first released in 1984, gaining traction in clubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but it never had a formal release in the states until the following year, when it finally made it’s way to #1 for one week on May 10th, 1986.
Lead singer Neil Tennant is at the top of his game, drawling his way through the almost post-apocolyptic pictures that he paints, talking about there being “too many shadows whispering voices/faces on posters, too many choices,” and being “better off dead,” with a “gun in your hand pointed at your head.”
Though the original by the Pet Shop Boys is a great piece of down-beat new wave, let’s not forget that it also inspired the Flight of the Conchord’s fantastic “Inner City Pressure,” which touches on many similar themes, including giving up on being a concert flutist, playing with synthesizers, counting coins in a 7/11 for hours, and wearing second-hand underpants.
