The Best of Five Series: Five things about the Pet Shop Boys
Electronic pop never sounded so good. From the days of Domino Dancing and West End Girls in the mid 80s, the Pet Shop Boys withstood over three decades of changing music tastes to remain standing today.
Their latest album, Electric, released on 12 July, is Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s 12th collaborative effort. Their Electric World Tour takes them to Resorts World Sentosa on 3 August 2013. To keep you amped up about their upcoming gig, here are five fun facts about the synth-pop duo.
- Finding that unique name
The duo named their group after some friends who worked in a pet shop in Ealing, West London, because they thought it sounded like a rap group. They were trying to develop a rap part for their sound. They almost named themselves ’West End’, because both are deeply passionate about London’s West End.
- How did they meet?
The pair met in 1981 at an electronics store on Kings Road in Chelsea, London, discovered their common interest in electronic music, and decided to work together. They began collaborating on their material in Tennant’s flat.
- The Marvel Man
Before he became a pop icon, Neil Tennant worked for the UK office of Marvel Comics in the 70s. One of his responsibilities was to inspect female characters in the comics and determine if they were too risqué for the UK market and needed any touching up.
- West End Girls
When their first single ‘West End Girls’ hit number one in the UK in 1985, it became the first single containing rap to reach the top of the charts. Back then, the rap phenomenon had not begun yet, so majority of listeners just thought he was talking instead of rapping.
- Great success
According to Wikipedia, to date, the Pet Shop Boys have sold 50 million records worldwide, and according to The Guinness Book of Records, they are the most successful duo in UK music history.
Catch Pet Shop Boys in action at their Electric World Tour live at the Resort.
Think you have what it takes to be a Pet Shop Boy? Check out our post on Facebook and give it a shot. We have something special in store that would be worth the effort!