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 1985, topping the charts in both the UK and the US. In an interview on BBC4's "Synth Britannia" programme ( at 1h 21m 19s), Neil Tennant explains the role of the then new sampling technology on the track and how every single sound came from the newly introduced E-mu Emulator keyboard. "West End Girls" is a synthpop song influenced by hip hop music. The song's socially conscious streak, as well as the propulsive bass line, derives from Grandmaster Flash's protest rap song "The Message". Lowe and Hague created a "snaky, obsessive rhythm punch" for the music, replacing the song's previously