WEST END GIRLS
- This article is about the Pet Shop Boys hit single. For the Swedish Pet Shop Boys cover group, see West End Girls (band).
"West End Girls" is a song by pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and was their first hit, reaching number one in the US and UK in 1986.
Lyrics
The lyrics were written in the early 1980s and were influenced by the Grandmaster Flash rap hit "The Message",[citation needed] although they focus more on class issues in London than on the inner city problems depicted in Grandmaster Flash's song. The title and refrain refer to London's divide between the traditional and working class East End and the cosmopolitan, consumer-driven West End.
Neil Tennant has stated, despite rumours to the contrary, that the lyrics do not refer to rough trade. The verses are fragmented stories, told from several different narrators' points of view - a form of verse influenced by T.S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land [citation needed].
The lyric "From Lake Geneva to the Finland Station" refers to the train route taken by Vladimir Lenin when he was smuggled by the Germans to Russia during the World War I, a pivotal event in the Russian Revolution. The Bobby Orlando produced version of the single included another line, "All your stopping, stalling and starting, / Who do you think you are, Joe Stalin?" which was removed for the 1985 version. Neil Tennant has a degree in history and his interest in Russian history is evident in many other Pet Shop Boys projects such as their soundtrack to the silent film Battleship Potemkin.
The lyrics also mention '...a dive bar in a west end town'. This actually refers to a popular gay bar that was situated at one end of Gerrard Street in London's Chinatown. At the time this song was written it was called The Dive Bar. The bar has now shut down.
During the intro of the song (where a woman in heels can be heard walking on the pavement on top of some street noise) there is a female voice asking "is that Sting?" approximately seven seconds into the original version of the song. The producer, Stephen Hague, who recorded the sound effect just outside the studio, apparently looked somewhat like him.[citation needed]
Releases
The single was first released in April 1984 through writer/producer Bobby Orlando's label, and although not a hit in the United Kingdom, it was a minor dance hit in The Netherlands, Belgium, France and the USA. This initial release, on Epic in the UK, featured a mainly instrumental B-side called "Pet Shop Boys". There have been numerous reissues and remixes of Orlando's version as he still owns the original recordings.
Having signed to the EMI label Parlophone but having their first major label single "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" sink without a trace, the Pet Shop Boys decided to give "West End Girls" another release. After serious reworking by producer Stephen Hague the track was re-released in August 1985 to greater acclaim. Stephen Hague suggested slowing the song down from its faster 1984 version. It was number one on the United Kingdom singles chart for two weeks and number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. It also was a top ten hit in Australia and throughout Europe. The success of the song helped the album Please climb into the top ten of the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
The video for the second release was directed by Andy Morahan and Eric Watson; it consists of shots of Neil rapping in various down-at-heel parts of London while Chris glowers behind him.
Awards
"West End Girls" won the Ivor Novello Award for song of the decade 1985-1994. It was preselected by the critics together with "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (U2), "Addicted to Love" (Robert Palmer), "Creep" (Radiohead) and "Unfinished Sympathy" (Massive Attack).
Afterlife
Remixes
In 1994, Sasha was commissioned to make two remixes of the track as a B-side for the "I Wouldn't Normally Do this Kind of Thing" single. In 2003, as part of the promotion for the PopArt album, DJ Hell made a remix that eventually featured on the "Flamboyant" single.
Covers and soundtrack use
There have been numerous cover versions.
- British boy band East 17 had a hit in the UK and Australia with their version of the song from the album Walthamstow in 1993.
- British girl band Mis-teeq used a sample of the song for their top-20 single "Style" in 2003.
- In October 2005, Scottish band Blaknoisewhitesoul tried to use lyrics from "West End Girls" on a single called "Sometimes With the Pet Shop Boys", but an argument over royalties forced them to rewrite the lyrics and remove all references to "West End Girls". The rewritten single was released as "Sometimes Without the Pet Shop Boys".
- U.S. urban act Kelis used an adapted version of the line 'call the police there's a mad man around' (altering it to '...mad girl in town') in her 2003 track "Trick Me" from her album Tasty.
- West End Girls, the Swedish Pet Shop Boys tribute band, have performed a cover version of "West End Girls" live.
The song has also been used as incidental music on television several times, including a 1986 episode of Moonlighting ("Sleep Talkin' Guy") and on a 2003 episode of The Simpsons ("Three Gays of the Condo").
Influence
The song title was the inspiration for the Jonathan Harvey television production of the same name. Pet Shop Boys would later work with Harvey on their musical Closer to Heaven.
In 2005, a Swedish Pet Shop Boys tribute band named themselves after the song. West End Girls. Their interpretation of "West End Girls" was released in January 2006.
Trivia
Both BBC.co.uk and Allmusic.com consider "West End Girls" to be the first UK number one hit to be rapped rather than sung. However, New Edition's "Candy Girl" and Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You", which both feature rap elements, had previously reached number one in the UK.
External links
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