"West End girls"
1985 7" single cover
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Please
B-side(s)	"Pet Shop Boys" (1984) "A Man Could Get Arrested" (1985)
Released	April 9, 1984 October 28, 1985
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	???
Genre	Dance, pop
Length	various
Label	Epic, Parlophone
Producer(s)	Bobby Orlando (1984) Stephen Hague (1985)
Chart positions
1985: Image File history File links Westendgirls-psb. ... In music, a single is a short (usually ten minutes or less*) record, usually featuring one or two tracks as A-side, often accompanied by several B-sides, usually remixes or other songs. ... Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic/pop music act, formed by Neil Tennant (b. ... Please is the first album by the UK electronic music group Pet Shop Boys. ... It has been suggested that Double A-side be merged into this article or section. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... A gramophone record (also phonograph record, or simply record) is an analogue sound recording medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove. ... The 12-inch [30 cm] single gramophone record gained popularity with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Dance music is music composed, played, or both, specifically to accompany social dancing. ... For Popular music (music that is popular, rather than of a specific genre or style), see Popular music. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Epic Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony BMG. // History Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... Parlophone Records Parlophone is a record label which was founded in Germany prior to World War I by the Carl Lindstrom Company. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Bobby Orlando, also known as Bobby O and known by his pseudo Orbob, is a New York based dance music artist and record producer. ... Stephen Hague is a British music producer most active in the 1980s. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ... #1 (US Hot Dance Music/Club Play) #1 (US Billboard Hot 100) #5 (US Mainstream Rock Tracks) #27 (US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks) #36 (US Adult Contemporary) #1 (UK Singles Chart)
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
	"West End girls" (1984)	"Opportunities (Let's make lots of money)" (1985)

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 group the Pet Shop Boys. It was written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and was the duo's first hit reaching number one in the US and UK in 1986. Billboards Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart is a weekly national survey of what songs are most popular in U.S. dance clubs. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (i. ... The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, formerly known as Top Soul Singles, Top Black Singles, and Top R&B Singles (before the hip-hop term was added in the late 1990s), is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ... The Adult Contemporary chart (formerly known as Adult Contemporary Singles) lists the most popular songs weekly calculated by airplay and occasionally sales. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic/pop music act, formed by Neil Tennant (b. ... Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic/pop music act, formed by Neil Tennant (b. ... West End Girls (left to right): Isabelle Erkendal and Rosanna Jirebeck. ... Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic/pop music act, formed by Neil Tennant (b. ... Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born July 10, 1954 in North Shields, Northumberland, United Kingdom) is a British musician, who, with his colleague Chris Lowe, makes up the successful pop duo, the Pet Shop Boys. ... Christopher Sean Lowe (born on October 4, 1959 in Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom) is a British musician, who, with his colleague Neil Tennant, makes up the successful pop duo, the Pet Shop Boys. ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government • President • Vice President Federal Republic George... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The song lyrics were written in the early 1980s and were influenced by the Grandmaster Flash rap hit "The Message" and the T. S. Eliot poem The Waste Land. The lyrics of the song focus more on class issues of East End boys and West End girls in London than the inner city problems focused on in Grandmaster Flash's hit. Neil Tennant has stated, despite rumours to the contrary, that the lyrics do not refer to rough trade. The verses are fragmental stories, told from several different narrators' point of view - a form of verse influenced by The Waste Land. MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... Grandmaster Flash (born Joseph Saddler on January 1, 1958 in Barbados) is a hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing. ... T.S. Eliot (by E.O. Hoppe, 1919) Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26, 1888 – January 4, 1965) was an American-born British poet, dramatist, and literary critic, whose works, such as The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, and Four Quartets, are considered defining achievements of... T. S. Eliot (by E. O. Hoppe, 1919) The Waste Land (sometimes mistakenly written as The Wasteland) is a highly influential 433-line modernist poem by T. S. Eliot. ... The East End of London, known locally as the East End, is part of London in the United Kingdom. ... The West End of London is part of the city centre of London in England. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ...

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". 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bobby Orlando, also known as Bobby O and known by his pseudo Orbob, is a New York based dance music artist and record producer. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ...

Having signed to the EMI label Parlophone and having their first major label single "Opportunities (Let's make lots of money)" sink without a trace, it was decided to give "West End girls" another go. After some serious reworking by producer Stephen Hague the track was re-released in August 1985 to greater acclaim. 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 EMI Group is a major record label, based in Kensington in London, in the United Kingdom. ... Parlophone Records Parlophone is a record label which was founded in Germany prior to World War I by the Carl Lindstrom Company. ... Stephen Hague is a British music producer most active in the 1980s. ... This article is about the year. ... Please is the first album by the UK electronic music group Pet Shop Boys. ...

The duo continue to dip into the "West End girls" well. In 1994 Sasha was commissioned to complete a couple of 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 completed a remix that eventually featured on the "Flamboyant" single. Sasha on the cover of Involver Realesed Sasha Sokol, mexican singer Sasha, born Alexander Coe (born September 4, 1969), is a Welsh DJ and record producer. ... Remix Remix is a Indian Television series produced by It airs on Indias new and upcoming channel STAR ONE. In its first year itself it has created a rage among teens and has been named the most successful Indian Teen show. ... Pop Art: Pet Shop Boys - The Hits is the fourteenth album by the UK electronic music duo Pet Shop Boys. ... DJ Hell is a German House/Techno DJ. He is the label boss of International DeeJay Gigolo Records and has been responsible for many of the big records to come out of the Electroclash or German Squelch scene that emerged in Berlin in the mid ninties. ...

Trivia

• As Tennant rapped the lyrics of the song, BBC.co.uk and Allmusic.com consider it to be the first 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.
• 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 also had the extra line of "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 song title refers to the English class society and London under Thatcher's neo-liberal era in the 1980s, a topic which have been revisited in other songs like Shopping and Opportunities (Let's make lots of money). The refrain depicts a divide between the traditional and working class East End (where massive expropriation were taking place accommodate a financial centre) and the cosmopolitan, consumer-driven West End.
• The idea of a political rap song on urban decay, albeit about London than New York, was inspired by Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five and their song The Message.
• The song has been heard as incidental music on television several times, including in a 1986 episode of Moonlighting ("Sleep Talkin' Guy") and on a 2003 episode of The Simpsons ("Three Gays of the Condo").
• 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 Pet Shop Boys tribute band named themselves after the song. West End Girls come from Sweden and are comprised of Isabelle Erkendal and Rosanna Jirebeck. In October 2005, they released a cover version of "Domino dancing" as a single. Their interpretation of "West End girls" followed in January 2006.
• 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.

New Edition is an American R&B group formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1980, that was most popular during the 1980s. ... Album cover of What Cha Gonna Do For Me? Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953 in Illinois) is an African-American singer. ... Lake Geneva - or Lake Léman, (French Lac Léman, le Léman, or Lac de Genève, German Genfer See) is the second largest freshwater lake in Central Europe (after Lake Balaton), divided as 40% France (Haute-Savoie) and 60% Switzerland (cantons of Vaud, Geneva, and Valais). ... Finland Station was the station in which Lenin arrived by train in 1917 to make the October Revolution. ... (Russian: Влади́мир И́льич Ле́нин, IPA:, born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov; April 22 [O.S. April 10] 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a Communist revolutionary of Russia, the leader of the Bolshevik party, the first Premier of the Soviet Union, and the main theorist of what has come to be called Leninism, which is described... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total of dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First... The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political events in Russia, which, after the elimination of the Russian autocracy system, and the Provisional Government (Duma), resulted in the establishment of the Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ... For the battleship, see Russian battleship Potemkin article Броненосец Потемкин (1925) (variously Bronenosec Potemkin, Battleship Potemkin, Battleship Potyomkin and The Battleship Potemkin) is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq. ... This article describes the paraphrase of the Holy Bible. ... Moonlighting is a television series that first aired on ABC in the United States from 1985 to 1989 with a total of 66 episodes. ... The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening. ... Three Gays of the Condo is an Emmy Award-winning episode from the fourteenth season of The Simpsons that aired April 13, 2003. ... Jonathan Harvey is a British playwright whose work has earned multiple awards. ... Poster for London production of Closer to Heaven, 2001. ... West End Girls (left to right): Isabelle Erkendal and Rosanna Jirebeck. ... Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born 2 October 1951), usually known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician from Newcastle upon Tyne. ... Stephen Hague is a British music producer most active in the 1980s. ...

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 Blaknoisewhitesoul 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' ('...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.
• "West End girls" won the Ivor Novello award as 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).

A boyband (British English)—or boy band (American English)—is a type of pop group featuring between three and six young male singers who are usually also dancers. ... ... A girl group is the equivalent of a boy band, but, as the name implies, featuring a group of female rather than male singers. ... Mis-Teeq was a female R&B trio from the UK. Its members were Alesha Dixon, Su-Elise Nash and Sabrina Washington. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Blaknoisewhitesoul are a Scottish band who describe themselves as pop experimentalists. Their first release was a double A-side release of Pop Genius (song for Brian Wilson) and Sal The Swindler and this was released in early 2005. ... Kelis (born Kelis Rogers in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York on August 21, 1980) is an American singer and songwriter who has seen moderate success in the United States and major success overseas. ... I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For is a song by the Irish rock band U2. ... U2 are an Irish rock band featuring Bono (Paul David Hewson) on vocals, rhythm guitar, and occasionally harmonica; The Edge (David Howell Evans) on lead guitar, keyboards and backing vocals; Adam Clayton on bass guitar; and Larry Mullen, Jr. ... Addicted To Love is a song by Robert Palmer. ... Robert Palmer can refer to: Robert Palmer (British singer) Robert Palmer (author/producer) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Creep was the first single from the rock band, Radiohead and a track on their album Pablo Honey. ... Radiohead are a British quintet from Oxfordshire, England. ... Unfinished Sympathy is a song written and performed by Massive Attack, and regarded by many reviewers as among the best songs of all time. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

• Pet Shop Boys Official Site
• All Music article on West End girls
• BBC2 Sold on Song article on West End girls
• BBC Nottingham lies on gangster film origins of West End girls lyrics
• Song Facts article on West End girls