Formed in London in 1981, Pet Shop Boys is an English synth-pop duo that is consist of Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant. The Pet Shop Boys was hailed by The Guinness Book of Records as the most successful duo in the UK. They have won three times in the Brit Awards, nominated six times in the Grammy’s and had a total of 42 hit singles. The Pet Shop Boys have sold over more than 50 million records worldwide. And on 2016, they were named by the Billboard Magazine the number one dance duo/group.
Albums and Hit Singles
The Pet Shop Boys released a total of thirteen studio albums since 1986. They were also responsible for the hit songs like
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)
Hit Singles
- It’s a Sin
- West End Girls
- Go West
- Always on My Mind/ In My House
- Go West
- What Have I Done To Deserve This?
- Love Comes Quickly
- Suburbia
- Love Etc.
- Left To My Own Devices
- Being Boring
- New York City Boy
- Heart
- It’s Alright
- The Pop Kids
- I’m With Stupid
- Can You Forgive Her
History and Career
Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant met each other at an electronics shop at Chelsea, London in 1981. They learned that they have a common interest in dance music and they started working together to create music. They first made music in Neil Tennant’s flat in 1982 and those were the times that the duo created the hit songs “It’s a Sin”, “Rent”, and “Jealousy”. They thought of the name Pet Shop Boys in honor to their friends who worked at the pet shop. The Pet Shop Boys career started when Neil Tennant met producer Bobby Orlando who produced their first single “West End Girls”. Unfortunately, the single went nowhere and only became a minor hit in the United States.
In 1985, the Pet Shop Boys signed a contract with EMI Records and released the single “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)”. And just like their first single, it became a flop and failed to gain attention from the market. The duo decided to release a new version of their first single “West End Girls”. The Pet Shop Boys saw success when the song became an international chart topper. The duo took that chance and released their debut album “Please” in 1984 which managed to enter the top ten of the charts. They also re-released their single “Opportunities” which also became a hit single. Their second studio album “ Actually” was released in 1987 which spawned the two hit singles “It’s a Sin”, and “What Have I Done To Deserve This?”. They also release a cover of an Elvis Presley song “Always On My Mind” which managed to climb the top spot of the charts in several countries. And a year later the Pet Shop Boys released a documentary film entitled “It Could Happen Here”.
The Pet Shop Boys released their third album in 1988 with the title “Introspective” which held two successful singles entitled “Domino Dancing” and “Left To My Own Devices”. The duo also collaborated with different artists like Liza Minelli. Sometime in 1989, Neil Tennant formed a group called Electronic with New Order’s vocalist, Bernard Summer, and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. They had one hit single entitled “Getting Away With It”. The next year, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe reunited and released their fourth album “Behavior” which contained their covers of songs like “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”. After that, they released their fifth studio album “Very” in 1993 which also garnered success like their past albums.
After taking a rest for three years, the Pet Shop Boys came back with their sixth studio album “Billingual”. It was followed by their 1999 album “Nightlife” which contained the dance club hit single “New York City Boy”. The success of the song and the album allowed the Pet Shop Boys to tour the United States after eight years. In April 2002, the Pet Shop Boys released their album “Release” and a compilation album with the title “Disco 3”. The duo continued to release albums and materials throughout the years and in 2005 they issued their album “Fundamental”. It’s a more mature and somewhat political album. And by March 2009, they released their album “Yes” which is their tenth studio album.
In 2012, the Pet Shop Boys released a sports-themed single with the title “Winner”. It was played during the 2012 Olympics Summer Games which was held in London that year. The single was included in their album Elysium which was produced by Kanye West and Andrew Dawson. In 2013, the duo released their twelfth album “Electric” which was produced by Stuart Price, Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Seal. “Electric” contained no ballads, just dance tracks. And in 2016, the Pet Shop Boys issued their thirteenth studio album “Super” which featured more electronic sounds. No guitars, or organic instruments. They were even awarded the Godlike Genius Award by NME. They definitely had a major influence on their era of music and the new technology available to musicians.