Pet Shop Boys Community

Straight_Talker wrote: Sun 03 May 2026, 6:17 pm Ha ha..! Loving this late 90’s topic of conversation. I actually quite like this track, a lot, and “Nightlife” is probably in my Top 4 PSB albums..!

Just when I thought that this was the one thing that the fan community could agree on

This thread made me listen to the full album for the first time in ages. Most of it is actually better than I remembered, the Rollo tracks that I found sounding old in 1999 sound better now when I don’t compare them to the trends that were current then, and the Armstrong tracks are really well-produced!

But yeah, listening to the album now also reminds me that my main issue with it back then was that it for me was the first PSB album to have some real duds on it. And yes, The only one is one of them. It’s really a filler track to me, it’s too weak and needs something more. Also, I really dislike that strange piano melody line that’s being played when Neil sings the title lyrics. The track would be much better without it

yeah not good. at all. a mess

its not the worst on the album though, thats to come

leesmapman wrote: Sun 03 May 2026, 6:53 am The worst thing they ever made, imho. I really don't like it.

Agreed

OK I reset my opinion and spun up The Only One again with fresh ears.

Was expecting something shockingly bad, but all I heard was a sweet atmospheric love song (albeit average) that fitted in quite well with the album? The wanna-be-wanna-be ending is slightly regrettable, though

Bland is the best way of describing The only one

Also repetitive because its lyrics reiterate what has been sung about in previous tracks of this album but in a less interesting way.

My only skip of the album.

The Only One is mostly a skipper for me. It'd fit right into the Gary Davies "sloppy bit" on the radio.

Gabby wrote: Mon 04 May 2026, 4:32 pm The Only One is mostly a skipper for me. It'd fit right into the Gary Davies "sloppy bit" on the radio.

Well, I've always liked it - more for the mood it creates than anything else.

Think we'd better leave you to ponder over Gary Davies' "sloppy bit" as you so put it!

[
Track 118 : Boy Strange
Chronology: Nightlife, Track 9

. One of the strangest songs they have made. A considerable drop in the disk. It doesn't fit in Nightlife.A Bowie style song.

Very Bowie. It's a misfit in the otherwise electronic Nightlife but I like it anyway, it's very cinematic and intriguing. I like how both melodic and noisy it can be.

They like putting this kind of weird out-of-the-blue songs in the second half of their albums: King of Rome, Dictator decides, Love is a catastrophe, I made my excuses and left, Birthday boy... Boy Strange is not inferior to any of those imho.

With this song, they demonstrate once again their ability to delve into different sounds and styles—in this case, Bowie territory—and succeed. Their songwriting talent is extraordinary. The problem is that it comes after "The Only One," which already felt out of place and weak, and this one doesn't quite fit the album for me either. While better, it's not a masterpiece.

They like putting this kind of weird out-of-the-blue songs in the second half of their albums: King of Rome, Dictator decides, Love is a catastrophe, I made my excuses and left, Birthday boy... Boy Strange is not inferior to any of those imho.
[/quote]

It's always interesting to compare different points of view. In this case, talking about unusual songs, none of those seem unusual to me. In my opinion, they would be:
The Night I Fell In Love
Legacy
Ego Music
Shoting In....
Pazzoo
Wedding...
Although I wouldn't call them unexpected either...it's kind of a pattern... Until they broke it on Nonetheless

I'm a quiet supporter of Boy Strange. It's not something I listen to on purpose but when it comes on I'm happy to hear it.

The Bowie influence is strong in this one.

Boy Strange is a guilty pleasure. I like the shuffley intro and the experimental-ness of it. They're not afraid to take risks, but to me it would be a great b-side. I love Legacy, so there's that

I remember really not liking this at the time. On listening again, I don't mind it. Certainly not a particularly strong track though, and yeah a b-side would have been a better place for it.