Neil Tennant turns 60! We Celebrate with 20 of the Pet Shop Boys’ Greatest Hidden Gems
“Nervously” – Behaviour, 1990
Neil Tennant had been somewhat coy about his sexuality in some of his early work. There’s the furtive late-night encounter on “Later Tonight,” from Please, and the desperate “One More Chance” from Actually, on which a man pleads with his lover not to cast him adrift after his rampant anonymous infidelities are discovered. “Nervously” is a bit more obvious as it beautifully captures the tenuous, shy beginnings of love between two young men, in the early stages of their mutual attraction and fascination with each other. It’s a touching song and captures the mood of what so many young men and women have gone though as they first explore their sexuality.
“Miserablism” – b-side to “Was it Worth It?”, 1991
“Just for the sake of it, make sure you’re always frowning… It shows the world that you’ve got substance and depth,” Tennant drawls with piercing scorn on the sardonic “Miserablism,” one of their great b-sides (could he possibly be talking about Morrissey?). The track was reportedly pulled from Behaviour at the last minute and was considered as a possible single before landing as the b-side to “Was it Worth It?”, a single from the band’s hits collection Discography. A mistake. “Miserablism” should have been on the album, and would have made a great single.
“The Theatre” – Very, 1993
Underneath all the big splashy keyboard riffs and hyper dance beats there is a somber undertone to the Very album. “The Theatre” is the juxtaposition of a glamorous fantasy world of opulence and wealth with the gritty reality of those scraping merely to survive. It’s a powerfully dramatic track that adds weight and gravity to the duo’s finest album.
“Shameless” – b-side to “Go West,” 1993
“You don’t know nothing, you’re not hot enough to matter!” Tennant deadpans in “Shameless,” an archly overwrought tweaking of the absurd excess in celebrity worship and in people’s complete willingness to debase themselves in whatever way necessary to achieve fame. With its oversize beat, anthemic keyboard and vast wall-of-sound production, “Shameless” is high camp and a masterpiece of scorn.
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