Lead Singles - Commercial Comparison

[Nickname]

I ask myself if it is possible to take all the sales and create a ranking of the best selling singles from PSB in UK.

[Drico One]

Week 2 Percentage Sales Increases

West End girls (1985) +189%
Love comes quickly (1986) +137%
Opportunities (1986) +50%
Suburbia (1986) +107%
It's a sin (1987) +195%
What have I done to deserve this? (1987) +75%
Rent (1987) +59%
Always on my mind (1987) +115%
Heart (1988) +76%
Domino dancing (1988) +56%
Left to my own devices (1988) +41%
It's alright (1989) +14%
So hard (1990) +5%
Being boring (1990) +53%
Where the streets have no name/Can't take my eyes off you (How can you expect to be taken seriously?) (1991) +44%
Jealousy (1991) +17%
DJ culture (1991) -21%
Was it worth it? (1991) -13%
Can you forgive her? (1993) +16%
Go West (1993) +2%

What's striking about this is - ignoring the early singles which were always going to have big second week sales percentage increases if they climbed (because they started on such small sales) - the downward trend from their commercial peak at the start of 1988 is relentless. Being boring will, ironically, stop it - but only because its first week's sales were so low. That was indeed a significant week of uncharacteristic sales, but it was a rare one. Their sales performance was increasingly predictable at this point.

[TallThinMan]

Being boring's notorious chart entry at 36 in November 1990 came on the back of panel sales of 447, a paltry figure. Basically, it was estimated to have sold 7,500 copies in its first week. The second single from the previous album, Left to my own devices, had sold three times as many copies in its first week two years earlier. For added ignominy, Bombalurina and Timmy Mallett entered five places higher...

I never thought Being boring was single material at the time. At least not in a commercial sense. While they were obviously older, greyer, balder and more established, I also think the fact that the single version of Being boring was really just an edit rather than a significantly remixed offering damaged its commercial potential. This was the first PSB single - released after its parent album - that did not get a noticeable facelift since Opportunities. It really just sounded like a shorter version of the album opener, a bit like Loneliness is today. Compared to Suburbia, Rent, Heart, Left to my own devices, and It's alright - all dramatically different to their album versions - this seemed a bit lazy and disinterested. It was probably just them being practical. Why change perfection?

Of course, I loved the CD single with its evocative, aspirational artwork - replete with Zelda quote - and the b-side. Holding it was like having an invitation to a secret world in one's hands. I still think it's their most perfect single in that sense - but it was never a hit in a million years to my 18-year-old ears.

Drico.

I don't think the 'Rent' 7" is dramatically different to the album version. Obviously it's shorter, but it's the same basic instrumentation.

They were always swimming against the tide with the 'Being Boring' single. It never stood a chance. Like you I loved the whole package, but then I was already a convert.

I remember watching the Top of the Pops performance when it scaled the giddy heights of number 20 and in spite of loving how they were dressed (was this the first time Neil wore glasses on TOTP?) it just seemed really flat with the audience limply clapping along.

Nicky Campbell's introduction to the song was prescient though.

[Drico One]

The single version of Rent is far bouncier than the album version, which is more subtle and understated. These things are subjective, of course, but the single version was much more exciting to my 15-year-old ears at the time. And that was the thing with the Pets - they were exciting. Being boring really wasn't. That's why it bombed.

Who was Nicky Campbell introducing after the PSBs? "Now some real class..." I'm not sure I like the implication.

Drico.

[Straight_Talker]

The single version of Rent is far bouncier than the album version, which is more subtle and understated. These things are subjective, of course, but the single version was much more exciting to my 15-year-old ears at the time. And that was the thing with the Pets - they were exciting. Being boring really wasn't. That's why it bombed.

Who was Nicky Campbell introducing after the PSBs? "Now some real class..." I'm not sure I like the implication.

Drico.

Yeah, I remember Nicky Campbell on the radio after he’d played “Before” to which he said “That’s another 3 and a half minutes of Life-is-a-pop-genius there, from the Pet Shop Boys”

I remember thinking “what a t***”..!

[MikeyC]

I ask myself if it is possible to take all the sales and create a ranking of the best selling singles from PSB in UK.

Ask yourself this question…

[Gabby]

The single version of Rent is far bouncier than the album version, which is more subtle and understated. These things are subjective, of course, but the single version was much more exciting to my 15-year-old ears at the time. And that was the thing with the Pets - they were exciting. Being boring really wasn't. That's why it bombed.

Who was Nicky Campbell introducing after the PSBs? "Now some real class..." I'm not sure I like the implication.

Drico.

Yeah, I remember Nicky Campbell on the radio after he’d played “Before” to which he said “That’s another 3 and a half minutes of Life-is-a-pop-genius there, from the Pet Shop Boys”

I remember thinking “what a t***”..!

Didn't realize I needed to add Nicky Campbell to the Radio 1 DJ PSB haters list. It's astonishing they got any airplay at all.

[TallThinMan]

The single version of Rent is far bouncier than the album version, which is more subtle and understated. These things are subjective, of course, but the single version was much more exciting to my 15-year-old ears at the time. And that was the thing with the Pets - they were exciting. Being boring really wasn't. That's why it bombed.

Who was Nicky Campbell introducing after the PSBs? "Now some real class..." I'm not sure I like the implication.

Drico.

Yeah, I remember Nicky Campbell on the radio after he’d played “Before” to which he said “That’s another 3 and a half minutes of Life-is-a-pop-genius there, from the Pet Shop Boys”

I remember thinking “what a t***”..!

Didn't realize I needed to add Nicky Campbell to the Radio 1 DJ PSB haters list. It's astonishing they got any airplay at all.

I’m not privy to his actual opinion, but I’m not seeing how any of the Nicky Campbell quotes presented here show him as a PSB hater. Quite the opposite, I’d say.

[Patrick Bateman]

The single version of Rent is far bouncier than the album version, which is more subtle and understated. These things are subjective, of course, but the single version was much more exciting to my 15-year-old ears at the time. And that was the thing with the Pets - they were exciting. Being boring really wasn't. That's why it bombed.

Who was Nicky Campbell introducing after the PSBs? "Now some real class..." I'm not sure I like the implication.

Drico.

The act played after them was Bombalurina featuring Timmy Mallett, so no doubt Campbell was being ironic.

[Nicholas]

Yeah, I remember Nicky Campbell on the radio after he’d played “Before” to which he said “That’s another 3 and a half minutes of Life-is-a-pop-genius there, from the Pet Shop Boys”

I remember thinking “what a t***”..!

I don’t get why this is a DJ diss. Did he do a funny voice?

[Patrick Bateman]

Didn't realize I needed to add Nicky Campbell to the Radio 1 DJ PSB haters list. It's astonishing they got any airplay at all.

Tbh it's only Steve Wright who I recall as being snarky in any way about them during their imperial period and that's because he was if not actually homophobic, then at least staggeringly gauche. Campbell may have been one of those annoying Radio 1 DJs who thought they were too good for the job, but he does appear to be genuine in his praise. The likes of Simes the Pigwanker General (Simon Bates) were obviously supportive right into the 1990s, as evidenced by their guest slots when he was on holiday.

Radio 1 was (and is) nothing if not in thrall to what's in the charts, so when they were popular they were on heavy rotation but when they were down the dumper during Nightlife, it was off to the Radio 2 playlist quicker than you can say 'Jo Whiley was in Terrahawks, wasn't she?'

[Gabby]

The single version of Rent is far bouncier than the album version, which is more subtle and understated. These things are subjective, of course, but the single version was much more exciting to my 15-year-old ears at the time. And that was the thing with the Pets - they were exciting. Being boring really wasn't. That's why it bombed.

Who was Nicky Campbell introducing after the PSBs? "Now some real class..." I'm not sure I like the implication.

Drico.

The act played after them was Bombalurina featuring Timmy Mallett, so no doubt Campbell was being ironic.

Ah that makes more sense. That's why I said "I didn't realise..." - Nicky Campbell to me was the guy who made jokes thinking he was funny, but he wasn't. Kind of like us dad's are today...

[Straight_Talker]

Yeah, I remember Nicky Campbell on the radio after he’d played “Before” to which he said “That’s another 3 and a half minutes of Life-is-a-pop-genius there, from the Pet Shop Boys”

I remember thinking “what a t***”..!

I don’t get why this is a DJ diss. Did he do a funny voice?

Yeah, very sarky, it wasn’t sincere.

[Drico One]

My recall of Nicky Campbell is he was one of the good guys. I remember him waxing lyrical over DJ Culture and calling Neil a pop intellectual. He always struck me as being a bit more substantial than some of his Smashie and Nicey comtemporaries.

Drico.

[michael888]

I am interested in how the single in the 90s performed.