Exposure and success

[Nickname]

I remember the days when people here used to say PSB were not more famous because of the lack of promotion they recieved. I'm not sure if this is true or false these days. I mean, what kind of exposure could they get (tv show, film, advert, etc) to see them on the official charts again?, can they do something for that or they are not able to reach a high position on charts whatever they do? (I know people usually say charts don't mean anything these days but it's not so true).

And apart from that, if you wanted to give PSB the biggest exposure they could get, where do you think they could achive that?

We can play to be Angela Becker.

[One of the crowd]

Dare I say it but it’ll be when one of them, more Neil than Chris, passes away and West End girls, It's a sin or Always on my mind starts getting downloaded in its masses

[Gabby]

I think it would be cool to see a song (or two) of theirs really capture the public consciousness in the same way Running Up That Hill did for Kate Bush. Short lived as it was, it really resonated with a new generation in that moment.

[Patrick Bateman]

nickname, you are obsessed with recreating their imperial success but that was a moment in time that is gone forever. Yes, it's nice they can continue to get public exposure on cheesy Saturday night TV but we're never going to get PSB contending for the Christmas number one again like in 1987 because they're old and it will be Last Christmas anyway. You're like Gatsby reaching his arms out across the bay.

[Leonidas]

Dare I say it but it’ll be when one of them, more Neil than Chris, passes away and West End girls, It's a sin or Always on my mind starts getting downloaded in its masses

Sadly.

[petshopgrrl]

Hatchet-burying duet with Taylor Swift and/or Drake?

Joking aside, you can't force a viral moment. It's a perfect storm of circumstances.

[herts101]

What I noticed the other day which I found odd was that A-ha, who, whilst of course I am aware of their many albums over the years, I would consider much more a “80s one hit wonder” in the public consciousness than PSB, have 18.2m monthly listens on Spotify as opposed to PSB with 7.2m.

Clearly I am living in some kind of PSB bubble (certainly!) or maybe just UK centric, but I was surprised.


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[Sithblade]

What I noticed the other day which I found odd was that A-ha, who, whilst of course I am aware of their many albums over the years, I would consider much more a “80s one hit wonder” in the public consciousness than PSB, have 18.2m monthly listens on Spotify as opposed to PSB with 7.2m.

Clearly I am living in some kind of PSB bubble (certainly!) or maybe just UK centric, but I was surprised.


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America sees A-ha more as a one hit wonder, but The Sun Always Shines on TV made no. 1 in the UK, Train of Thought, Hunting High and Low, I've Been Losing You, Cry Wolf all were top 10 singles. Strangely one of best songs Manhattan Skyline only made top 20.
The Living Daylights and Stay on these Roads got them some more top 10s, but The Blood that moves the Body and subsequent singles I think never made it into the top 10.
Their last song to make it into the UK top 10 was Analogue in 2005.


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[TallThinMan]

What I noticed the other day which I found odd was that A-ha, who, whilst of course I am aware of their many albums over the years, I would consider much more a “80s one hit wonder” in the public consciousness than PSB, have 18.2m monthly listens on Spotify as opposed to PSB with 7.2m.

Clearly I am living in some kind of PSB bubble (certainly!) or maybe just UK centric, but I was surprised.

That is very interesting. I should imagine that most of that is down to 'Take On Me', which is a monster. Over on YouTube, the official video for 'Take On Me' has 2 BILLION views. By contrast, 'West End Girls' makes do with a mere 193 million views.

Both songs have always been linked in my head. Because they'd been around for a while, taking several attempts to reach the definitive version, both of which were released in 1985. And because both are timeless classics.

P.S. I just checked and 'Take On Me' has over 2 billion Spotify streams, versus 'West End Girls' on over 300 million streams.

[tottenhammattspurs]

Their imperial phase was 38 years ago. To give it context Nickname, it’s like Frank Sinatra fans stuck in 1949 wanting him to have a massive hit in 1987.

[Drico One]

I'm amazed some people don't seem to recognise "success". This IS success. A sold-out world tour, top three album, A-listed singles, awards ceremonies, festival headline spots, prime time TV appearances, feature-length documentaries, week-long radio show takeovers, fine bone china tea sets...and all of this after 40 years!

The angst here is a bit like being in your early 50s, in excellent health, in a long-term relationship with a loving partner, working happily in a good job, enjoying your family, and lamenting being slightly heavier than you were in your early 20s because you've been having such a good time.

Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think.

Drico.

[Scottydog]

What I noticed the other day which I found odd was that A-ha, who, whilst of course I am aware of their many albums over the years, I would consider much more a “80s one hit wonder” in the public consciousness than PSB, have 18.2m monthly listens on Spotify as opposed to PSB with 7.2m.

Clearly I am living in some kind of PSB bubble (certainly!) or maybe just UK centric, but I was surprised.


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I was never a big a-ha fan apart from the big early hits. Their most recent album True North got me interested so I’ve been listening to their other later albums and they are superb. True North did quite well across Europe in 2022.
I suppose just like Pet Shop Boys they are in a similar position chart wise and are only slightly younger. Despite making excellent music neither are going to appeal to a large younger audience unless one pulls off something like Kate Bush.

[y3potential]

I'm amazed some people don't seem to recognise "success". This IS success. A sold-out world tour, top three album, A-listed singles, awards ceremonies, festival headline spots, prime time TV appearances, feature-length documentaries, week-long radio show takeovers, fine bone china tea sets...and all of this after 40 years!

The angst here is a bit like being in your early 50s, in excellent health, in a long-term relationship with a loving partner, working happily in a good job, enjoying your family, and lamenting being slightly heavier than you were in your early 20s because you've been having such a good time.

Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think.

Drico.

Absolutely. I like to think that the Howard and Hilda's who were watching Strictly last weekend with a custard cream and a glass of sherry, saw them open the show and then looked at each other and said. "Oh, it's them. I didn't know they were still around. They've aged a bit, but I still quite like some of their early stuff.."

[Gabby]

What I noticed the other day which I found odd was that A-ha, who, whilst of course I am aware of their many albums over the years, I would consider much more a “80s one hit wonder” in the public consciousness than PSB, have 18.2m monthly listens on Spotify as opposed to PSB with 7.2m.

Clearly I am living in some kind of PSB bubble (certainly!) or maybe just UK centric, but I was surprised.


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One word: Deadpool

But also The Living Daylights...IMHO PSB have yet to have a song used in a major mainstream movie to truly break out to a wider (and younger) audience.

Heart "could" have been that song back in the day, even though Innerspace wasn't an enormous hit movie, so perhaps it was more of a lucky escape?

I wouldn't mind seeing them have another stab at a Bond theme - the ones of late have been completely forgettable - so a huge banger like The Living Daylights could be a shot in the arm for everyone involved. Plus Aaron Taylor Johnson might be able to put in a good word if he does indeed get the Bond gig.

[jasonjohn]

Yeah I think you're right Gabby. They need to feature in a modern super hero movie rather than a limited release arthouse movie. They have plenty of catchy songs, but admittedly Take On Me is top tier brain worm.

Also - these topics focusing on them not dominating the charts are so tiresome