west end girls '' was pet shop boys' first uk number one single.
west end girls '' was pet shop boys' first uk number one single.
pet shop boys' first uk number one single?
`` west end girls ''
english synth-pop duo pet shop boys have released 13 studio albums, three live albums, eight compilation albums, four remix albums, three soundtrack albums, two extended plays and 55 singles. the duo's debut single, "west end girls", was first released in 1984 but failed to chart in most regions. however, the song was entirely re-recorded in late 1985, and this newly recorded version became their first number-one single, topping the uk singles chart, "billboard" hot 100 and canadian singles chart. parlophone released the duo's debut album, "please", in the united kingdom in march 1986. the album peaked at number three on the uk albums chart and was certified platinum by the british phonographic industry (bpi). it also peaked at number seven on the "billboard" 200 in the united states and was certified platinum by the recording industry association of america (riaa). the following summer they released "it's a sin", the lead single from their second album, "actually". the single became another uk number one and also reached number nine in the us. this was followed by "what have i done to deserve this?", with dusty springfield, which peaked at number two in both the uk and us. in the summer of 1987, the pet shop boys recorded a cover of brenda lee's song "always on my mind", which became their third uk number-one single over christmas 1987. this was followed by another uk number one, "heart", in spring 1988. the album "actually" was released in september 1987, peaked at number two in the uk and was certified three-times platinum by the bpi.
pet shop boys discography
in late 1987, springfield was beginning to look back towards the uk as a source of recording work, due in large part to her collaboration with pet shop boys on their single "what have i done to deserve this?". pet shop boys had contacted springfield's manager to ask if springfield would perform guest vocals on the duet. being a fan of their work, springfield accepted the offer and the song became a massive hit all over the world, peaking at no. 2 in both the uk and the united states, which proved to be the biggest hit of her career in the us. this renewed springfield's confidence in recording, as well as interest in her work from the general public, and led to another hit single "nothing has been proved", also written by pet shop boys with springfield in mind. the song was written for the movie "scandal", an account of the so-called profumo affair of 1963, starring joanne whalley and john hurt. "nothing has been proved" made the top 20 in britain, and led to yet another hit single, "in private", which peaked at no. 14 on the british charts. despite the fact that "in private" never was commercially released in the us it managed to become a dance-floor hit in the states as well, peaking at no. 14 on "billboard"'s hot dance club play chart in early 1990. both singles were included on "reputation", and pet shop boys collaborated with springfield on half the album's tracks, which made up side b of the original vinyl edition. side a included tracks produced by the pet shop boys' longtime collaborator andy richards, swing out sister producer paul staveley o'duffy and dan hartman. three of these titles were also mixed by the pet shop boys' co-producer julian mendelsohn. critics gave "reputation" very favourable reviews, saying it was a long overdue return to form for springfield, and the album spawned two further single releases, the title track "reputation" and the ballad "arrested by you", written by rupert hine and jeanette obstoj.
reputation (dusty springfield album)