West End Girls White chords". Orlando was thrilled by the song's production; his idea was to make a rap record in a British accent. In April 1984, "West End Girls" was released, becoming a club hit in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and a minor dance hit in Belgium, and France, but was only available in the United Kingdom as a 12" import. In March 1985, after long negotiations, Pet Shop Boys cut their contractual ties with Orlando, and hired manager Tom Watkins, who signed them with EMI. They re-recorded "West End Girls" with producer Stephen Hague, and re-released the song in late
West End Girls the UK Singles Chart at number 80, and within eight weeks of its release it had reached the top of the chart, becoming the first hip hop song to top the UK charts and the first British hip hop song to top a national chart. It maintained the number one position for two weeks and received a gold certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in January 1986. Across Europe, "West End Girls" also topped the singles chart in Norway, as well as peaking in the top three in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. In Canada, where