jasonjohn wrote: Tue 10 Feb 2026, 3:38 am
Bad Bunny is a young sexy zany masculine man, who flirts with sexuality, and appeals greatly to a young latin tribe.
In the Se A Vida E video, Neil and Chris briefly visit the wave pool for a swim - fully clothed.
They found success with Domino Dancing. Enjoyed Brazil after. Infused some reggaeton on 20 Something. Did some latin beats on Bilingual, for which Neil wore a silvery suit.
They had some success with their efforts. If there was any hint the latin crowd wanted them at Bad Bunny levels, I'm sure money would have talked.
They were already rich, spoiled millionaires by then. The near-bankruptcy a few years later at gave us Release. What they needed was competent management — and they got none from Parlophone.
Now they’re back at EMI, posing in suits like relics of the yuppie era. Same label as the Beatles, you know. It doesn’t really get any higher up the food chain than that, does it?
Their sound aligned with what was popular and consequently they enjoyed great commercial success during the first 10% or so of their career. That they even got to have another 90% is down to the quality of their work.
I honestly believe that if Pets had published Blue's, they wouldn't have even reached number 14. And surely if it had been our dear friends from Eiffel 65 who published New York city boy, they would have reached a much higher position than 14. The die was cast.
NOBODY75 wrote: Tue 10 Feb 2026, 10:01 am
I honestly believe that if Pets had published Blue's, they wouldn't have even reached number 14. And surely if it had been our dear friends from Eiffel 65 who published New York city boy, they would have reached a much higher position than 14. The die was cast.
Yeah, it's just how the charts largely work - fresh meat.
I'm sure NYCBoy would work very well on Eiffel's future 35 track Pop Art collection of terrific and varied song writing! Da ba dee da ba di
I was watching the Take That documentary on Netflix, and they’re a useful comparison to PSB. Like Madonna or Kylie, they effectively had two careers: first from 1991–1996, then a second phase from around 2007 onwards.
They returned in 2006 with a nostalgia tour, playing the old hits, but then released new music that went to number one. That music connected with existing fans and attracted new ones, so their second chapter became bigger than the first. They’re now a trio, look old just as Neil and Chris, yet their singles still work and their albums still sell. The reason is simple: they understand their audience and work with it.
New York City Boy is still in PSB’s top 10 most-streamed songs on Spotify after 27 years. It clearly belongs to their so-called “imperial phase,” even though that phase is often said to have ended much earlier. Its success isn’t mysterious: it’s a strong, danceable track.
Since the late 80s, PSB have tried to show variety and complexity, partly to answer the claim that all their songs sound the same. But audience reaction tells another story. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk, the follow-up to New York city boy, isn’t a fan favourite. This trend really began around 1996, when their singles started to struggle. After A Red Letter Day failed, they released Somewhere instead of taking the hint.
Today PSB fill arenas with a greatest-hits set, just like Take That. To please the crowd, much of their later catalogue is ignored, and singles from the last two albums failed to attract new listeners. There has been a gap between PSB and their audience for a long time.
Neil and Chris seem happy making music mainly for themselves, including musicals. The audience, however, mostly wants synth-pop and dance music. There’s no need to talk about unavoidable decline or laws of nature — the situation is easy to explain in practical terms.
markus wrote: Tue 10 Feb 2026, 1:26 pm
I was watching the Take That documentary on Netflix, and they’re a useful comparison to PSB. Like Madonna or Kylie, they effectively had two careers: first from 1991–1996, then a second phase from around 2007 onwards.
They returned in 2006 with a nostalgia tour, playing the old hits, but then released new music that went to number one. That music connected with existing fans and attracted new ones, so their second chapter became bigger than the first. They’re now a trio, look old just as Neil and Chris, yet their singles still work and their albums still sell. The reason is simple: they understand their audience and work with it.
New York City Boy is still in PSB’s top 10 most-streamed songs on Spotify after 27 years. It clearly belongs to their so-called “imperial phase,” even though that phase is often said to have ended much earlier. Its success isn’t mysterious: it’s a strong, danceable track.
Since the late 80s, PSB have tried to show variety and complexity, partly to answer the claim that all their songs sound the same. But audience reaction tells another story. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk, the follow-up to New York city boy, isn’t a fan favourite. This trend really began around 1996, when their singles started to struggle. After A Red Letter Day failed, they released Somewhere instead of taking the hint.
Today PSB fill arenas with a greatest-hits set, just like Take That. To please the crowd, much of their later catalogue is ignored, and singles from the last two albums failed to attract new listeners. There has been a gap between PSB and their audience for a long time.
Neil and Chris seem happy making music mainly for themselves, including musicals. The audience, however, mostly wants synth-pop and dance music. There’s no need to talk about unavoidable decline or laws of nature — the situation is easy to explain in practical terms.
You yourself are proving us right that it was an inevitable decline. New York city boy wasn't a success at all. It didn't even reach number 14. If that song didn't get them higher... I think they weren't even playing on Radio 1 after their next album. What does it matter if they release a killer track that would have been number 1 in their heyday, like Love Etc., if the young people who dominate the singles charts aren't listening to it? And the example of Take That... Perhaps internationally Pets were even bigger, but in the UK they were definitely weaker. And you can take a look at Take That's singles... They've only had a sniff of a Top 10 hit since 2010, a number 1, admittedly. And they haven't been in the top 100 since 2017.
markus wrote: Tue 10 Feb 2026, 1:26 pm
I was watching the Take That documentary on Netflix, and they’re a useful comparison to PSB. Like Madonna or Kylie, they effectively had two careers: first from 1991–1996, then a second phase from around 2007 onwards.
They returned in 2006 with a nostalgia tour, playing the old hits, but then released new music that went to number one. That music connected with existing fans and attracted new ones, so their second chapter became bigger than the first. They’re now a trio, look old just as Neil and Chris, yet their singles still work and their albums still sell. The reason is simple: they understand their audience and work with it.
New York City Boy is still in PSB’s top 10 most-streamed songs on Spotify after 27 years. It clearly belongs to their so-called “imperial phase,” even though that phase is often said to have ended much earlier. Its success isn’t mysterious: it’s a strong, danceable track.
Since the late 80s, PSB have tried to show variety and complexity, partly to answer the claim that all their songs sound the same. But audience reaction tells another story. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk, the follow-up to New York city boy, isn’t a fan favourite. This trend really began around 1996, when their singles started to struggle. After A Red Letter Day failed, they released Somewhere instead of taking the hint.
Today PSB fill arenas with a greatest-hits set, just like Take That. To please the crowd, much of their later catalogue is ignored, and singles from the last two albums failed to attract new listeners. There has been a gap between PSB and their audience for a long time.
Neil and Chris seem happy making music mainly for themselves, including musicals. The audience, however, mostly wants synth-pop and dance music. There’s no need to talk about unavoidable decline or laws of nature — the situation is easy to explain in practical terms.
You yourself are proving us right that it was an inevitable decline. New York city boy wasn't a success at all. It didn't even reach number 14. If that song didn't get them higher... I think they weren't even playing on Radio 1 after their next album. What does it matter if they release a killer track that would have been number 1 in their heyday, like Love Etc., if the young people who dominate the singles charts aren't listening to it? And the example of Take That... Perhaps internationally Pets were even bigger, but in the UK they were definitely weaker. And you can take a look at Take That's singles... They've only had a sniff of a Top 10 hit since 2010, a number 1, admittedly. And they haven't been in the top 100 since 2017.
markus wrote: Tue 10 Feb 2026, 12:58 amThis shows there was no unavoidable decline or bad luck — their career was largely their own responsibility.
what are we even arguing about?
Top ten when NYC Boy was released:
1. Eiffel 65 - "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" Ear worm that they'd be hated for today
2. Lou Bega - "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)" Cooler ear worm, but not their type of latin, largely annoying today except for you Uncles at your 3rd wedding
3. DJ Jean - "The Launch" Coolish 90s dance. Probably unhelpful for them to have success with, but any number of B-side remixes could have gone in this direction.
4. Vengaboys - "We're Going To Ibiza!" Trash but hey they could have done a followup single for Ab Fab in this vein, except that was a one-time comic relief concept and who even wants it?
5. Shaft - "(Mucho Mambo) Sway" Fun yet annoying mix of an old song, not something you really want on your Best Of
6. Enrique Iglesias - "Bailamos" First and only actual proper strong pop song that isn't trash/gimmickry. They could do a slower latin, like Surprise, but maybe Se a Vida was their strongest contender.
7. Lolly - "Mickey" scraping past the barrel bottom, are we digging to china?
8. Martine McCutcheon - "I've Got You" Fair enough, maybe they could have written a song to give away to an East Enders actor at some point for chart success?
9. Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe - "Sun Is Shining" Fun remix of an old track. Again, something like this might of surfaced from a B-Side remix when working with a dance producer, but doesn't fit on a Best Of necessarily.
10. DJ Jurgen presents Alice Deejay - "Better Off Alone" Cut above most 90s DJ tracks, simple lyrics and strong original hook. It's hardly Discography level, but well done to them
I'm just not sure what they were meant to be targeting?
Much happier that they did their own thing, and their whole catalogue holds up well as a body of work, imo.
Christ, that top 10 is mostly awful.
EDIT: don't get me wrong here - most of these songs I'd be happy to listen to if they came on randomly, but when you tell me that's the best selling 10 singles at that particular moment in time, it's really quite depressing.
Last edited by Gabby on Tue 10 Feb 2026, 4:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
markus wrote: Tue 10 Feb 2026, 1:26 pm
I was watching the Take That documentary on Netflix, and they’re a useful comparison to PSB. Like Madonna or Kylie, they effectively had two careers: first from 1991–1996, then a second phase from around 2007 onwards.
They returned in 2006 with a nostalgia tour, playing the old hits, but then released new music that went to number one. That music connected with existing fans and attracted new ones, so their second chapter became bigger than the first. They’re now a trio, look old just as Neil and Chris, yet their singles still work and their albums still sell. The reason is simple: they understand their audience and work with it.
New York City Boy is still in PSB’s top 10 most-streamed songs on Spotify after 27 years. It clearly belongs to their so-called “imperial phase,” even though that phase is often said to have ended much earlier. Its success isn’t mysterious: it’s a strong, danceable track.
Since the late 80s, PSB have tried to show variety and complexity, partly to answer the claim that all their songs sound the same. But audience reaction tells another story. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk, the follow-up to New York city boy, isn’t a fan favourite. This trend really began around 1996, when their singles started to struggle. After A Red Letter Day failed, they released Somewhere instead of taking the hint.
Today PSB fill arenas with a greatest-hits set, just like Take That. To please the crowd, much of their later catalogue is ignored, and singles from the last two albums failed to attract new listeners. There has been a gap between PSB and their audience for a long time.
Neil and Chris seem happy making music mainly for themselves, including musicals. The audience, however, mostly wants synth-pop and dance music. There’s no need to talk about unavoidable decline or laws of nature — the situation is easy to explain in practical terms.
You yourself are proving us right that it was an inevitable decline. New York city boy wasn't a success at all. It didn't even reach number 14. If that song didn't get them higher... I think they weren't even playing on Radio 1 after their next album. What does it matter if they release a killer track that would have been number 1 in their heyday, like Love Etc., if the young people who dominate the singles charts aren't listening to it? And the example of Take That... Perhaps internationally Pets were even bigger, but in the UK they were definitely weaker. And you can take a look at Take That's singles... They've only had a sniff of a Top 10 hit since 2010, a number 1, admittedly. And they haven't been in the top 100 since 2017.
Sorry, not a valid reply from you this time.
I don't know why my answer isn't valid. What I don't find valid is your comparison to Take That. It's true they had a spectacular comeback. By the way, when they returned they were around 35 years old; Neil was older in *Behaviour*. Do you think age doesn't matter? And although they are an example of a breakthrough, these cases are not common. Even so, they only delayed the inevitable.
Their 2010 album seems to have sold 2,400,000 in the UK. The 2017 album sold 275,000. 90% less. As I was saying, all their singles were outside the top 10 except one from 2010 to 2017... after that, I think they were directly out of the top 40. That's life.
What could Pets have done differently to stay in the top...?
markus wrote: Tue 10 Feb 2026, 12:58 amThis shows there was no unavoidable decline or bad luck — their career was largely their own responsibility.
what are we even arguing about?
Top ten when NYC Boy was released:
1. Eiffel 65 - "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" Ear worm that they'd be hated for today
2. Lou Bega - "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)" Cooler ear worm, but not their type of latin, largely annoying today except for you Uncles at your 3rd wedding
3. DJ Jean - "The Launch" Coolish 90s dance. Probably unhelpful for them to have success with, but any number of B-side remixes could have gone in this direction.
4. Vengaboys - "We're Going To Ibiza!" Trash but hey they could have done a followup single for Ab Fab in this vein, except that was a one-time comic relief concept and who even wants it?
5. Shaft - "(Mucho Mambo) Sway" Fun yet annoying mix of an old song, not something you really want on your Best Of
6. Enrique Iglesias - "Bailamos" First and only actual proper strong pop song that isn't trash/gimmickry. They could do a slower latin, like Surprise, but maybe Se a Vida was their strongest contender.
7. Lolly - "Mickey" scraping past the barrel bottom, are we digging to china?
8. Martine McCutcheon - "I've Got You" Fair enough, maybe they could have written a song to give away to an East Enders actor at some point for chart success?
9. Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe - "Sun Is Shining" Fun remix of an old track. Again, something like this might of surfaced from a B-Side remix when working with a dance producer, but doesn't fit on a Best Of necessarily.
10. DJ Jurgen presents Alice Deejay - "Better Off Alone" Cut above most 90s DJ tracks, simple lyrics and strong original hook. It's hardly Discography level, but well done to them
I'm just not sure what they were meant to be targeting?
Much happier that they did their own thing, and their whole catalogue holds up well as a body of work, imo.
Christ, that top 10 is mostly awful.
True. Not Invisible could have submitted this Top 10 to support their argument that quality in pop music matters 0% for chart position without adding a single word more
NOBODY75 wrote: Tue 10 Feb 2026, 1:48 pm
You yourself are proving us right that it was an inevitable decline. New York city boy wasn't a success at all. It didn't even reach number 14. If that song didn't get them higher... I think they weren't even playing on Radio 1 after their next album. What does it matter if they release a killer track that would have been number 1 in their heyday, like Love Etc., if the young people who dominate the singles charts aren't listening to it? And the example of Take That... Perhaps internationally Pets were even bigger, but in the UK they were definitely weaker. And you can take a look at Take That's singles... They've only had a sniff of a Top 10 hit since 2010, a number 1, admittedly. And they haven't been in the top 100 since 2017.
Sorry, not a valid reply from you this time.
I don't know why my answer isn't valid. What I don't find valid is your comparison to Take That. It's true they had a spectacular comeback. By the way, when they returned they were around 35 years old; Neil was older in *Behaviour*. Do you think age doesn't matter? And although they are an example of a breakthrough, these cases are not common. Even so, they only delayed the inevitable.
Their 2010 album seems to have sold 2,400,000 in the UK. The 2017 album sold 275,000. 90% less. As I was saying, all their singles were outside the top 10 except one from 2010 to 2017... after that, I think they were directly out of the top 40. That's life.
What could Pets have done differently to stay in the top...?
The answer was obvious. Keep making synth-pop, stompers, electronic dance, 80s-style pop, techno — the music those 10 million listeners actually want. Put the other musical experiments on B-sides and side projects. Don’t mix business with pleasure.
This isn’t a complaint. I like most of what they’ve done. But they effectively ended their mainstream career in the mid-90s. That didn’t happen by accident — it was a choice. As a result, their imperial phase ended much earlier than it did for many other artists.
I understand your point. Anyway, I don't think it was a conscious decision. I imagine they were trying not to repeat the same thing over and over. Just like after Introspective they released Behaviour. And I think that without the Latin rhythms of Bilingual, Release, El Acorazado, etc., their status in the industry today wouldn't be the same, because I think that with these kinds of projects they've greatly enriched their catalog. Besides, they've also been releasing tons of those kinds of songs that their listeners demand, myself included, since '96.
Better Off Alone came out the same week that I don't know what you want but I can't give it any more was released, fact fans! I remember buying them both in the Virgin Megastore at Tottenham Court Road.
I do think they were trying to reflect the commercial dance zeitgeist with Nightlife but failed pretty spectacularly.
