Pet Shop Boys Community

PSB have more than 2,200.000.000 streamed songs and 1,183.000. Having in to accound the whole streams (I don't know why some songs appeared twice with more streams, so I suppose I should add these new streams and create a new list and here it is).

Top 30 (in thousands aprox)

1 - West End Girls 392.000
2 - Always on my Mind 366.000
3 - It's a Sin 224.000
4 - Go West 161.000
5 - Domino Dancing 122.000
6 - What have I done to deserve this? 77.000
7 - Suburbia 54.000
8 - New York City Boy 51.000
9 - Rent 38.000
10 - Being Boring 34.000
11 - Heart 32.000
12 - Opportunities 30.000
13 - Se a Vida e 26.000
14 - Love Comes Quickly 20.000
15 - Left to my own Devices 19.000
16 - Love, etc 18.000
17 - Where the Strets has no Name? 11.000
18 - Can you forgive her? 10.000
19 - So Hard 9.000
20 - Dreamland 9.000
21 - The Pop Kids 8.000
22 - King's Cross 6.000
23 - Leaving 6.000
24 - Love is a Bourgeois Construct 5.700
25 - Home and Dry 5.200
26 - Hallo Spaceboy 5.100
27 - Jealousy 5.000
28 - Did you see me Coming? 4.800
29 - Thursday 4.800
30 - My October Symphony 4.600

This collaborations were not included:
Brick England 7.400
She is Madonna 4.900

----
This one is the old ranking (no adittional streams added).

1 - West End Girls
2 - Always on my Mind
3 - It's a Sin
4 - Go West
5 - Domino Dancing
6 - What have I done to deserve this?
7 - New York City Boy
8 - Suburbia
9 - Opportunities
10 - Se a Vida E

Next (more arguable);
11 - Rent
12 - Heart
13 - Love Comes Quickly
14 - Left to my own Devices
15 - Being Boring

Heart is a universally loved song in my household, and I don't think Se a Vida E would make the cut in the same way.

That being said, I sort of feel like Heart was a "backdoor" hit. It came at a time when the charts were somewhat quiet and there wasn't a lot of really great stuff happening, so it made it to the top simply because of that.

It's a bit like West End girls getting to #1 in January after the Christmas rush - it's a win that seems cheapened somehow.

All of that to say the #1 slots for both are still 100% well deserved - I think both tracks are top notch - but I feel AT THE TIME, they got to #1 more by the luck of the timing and economics of the weeks they hit the top spot.

Gabby wrote: Fri 21 Nov 2025, 4:52 pm Heart is a universally loved song in my household, and I don't think Se a Vida E would make the cut in the same way.

That being said, I sort of feel like Heart was a "backdoor" hit. It came at a time when the charts were somewhat quiet and there wasn't a lot of really great stuff happening, so it made it to the top simply because of that.

It's a bit like West End girls getting to #1 in January after the Christmas rush - it's a win that seems cheapened somehow.

All of that to say the #1 slots for both are still 100% well deserved - I think both tracks are top notch - but I feel AT THE TIME, they got to #1 more by the luck of the timing and economics of the weeks they hit the top spot.

Of course, release date had a big influence. I think Suburbia deserved the #1 slot and also Left to my own Devices but I understand is necessary to listen the full version to appreciate it. Of course, What have I done this? and Go West deserved too.

Gabby wrote: Fri 21 Nov 2025, 4:52 pmAll of that to say the #1 slots for both are still 100% well deserved - I think both tracks are top notch - but I feel AT THE TIME, they got to #1 more by the luck of the timing and economics of the weeks they hit the top spot.

It's swings and roundabouts isn't it - at another time What Have I Done to Deserve This? and Go West would have got to #1 and not stalled at #2, but they were unlucky to come up against three massive global hits in Never Gonna Give You Up, and then both Mr. Vain and Boom! Shake the Room.

Danny C wrote: Fri 21 Nov 2025, 6:16 pm

Gabby wrote: Fri 21 Nov 2025, 4:52 pmAll of that to say the #1 slots for both are still 100% well deserved - I think both tracks are top notch - but I feel AT THE TIME, they got to #1 more by the luck of the timing and economics of the weeks they hit the top spot.

It's swings and roundabouts isn't it - at another time What Have I Done to Deserve This? and Go West would have got to #1 and not stalled at #2, but they were unlucky to come up against three massive global hits in Never Gonna Give You Up, and then both Mr. Vain and Boom! Shake the Room.

Oh totally right. It evens out!

Heart, at the time, was the lowest selling number one ever.
Luckily that accolade has been superseded a few times since.

Danny C wrote: Fri 21 Nov 2025, 6:16 pm

Gabby wrote: Fri 21 Nov 2025, 4:52 pmAll of that to say the #1 slots for both are still 100% well deserved - I think both tracks are top notch - but I feel AT THE TIME, they got to #1 more by the luck of the timing and economics of the weeks they hit the top spot.

It's swings and roundabouts isn't it - at another time What Have I Done to Deserve This? and Go West would have got to #1 and not stalled at #2, but they were unlucky to come up against three massive global hits in Never Gonna Give You Up, and then both Mr. Vain and Boom! Shake the Room.

“The only difference between a number one hit and a number two hit is timing.”

Pete Waterman.

Greetings,

I don't know what your criteria is but New York City Boy sticks out like a sore thumb.

Retro.

retrofuturist wrote: Sun 23 Nov 2025, 12:29 am Greetings,

I don't know what your criteria is but New York City Boy sticks out like a sore thumb.

Retro.

The video is great, the choir is great and the chorus is great.

To me, the top 10 is objective fact. It's not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing, it's pure objective real life numbers of what the mass population decides to listen to.


This is the global Spotify top 10 for PSB as of writing.

But that's interesting how Se a vida é (That’s the Way Life Is) is ranked high in latin countries.
I would like to know what particular source that list is taken from.

Greetings,

DopeFiend wrote: Sun 23 Nov 2025, 2:29 am To me, the top 10 is objective fact. It's not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing, it's pure objective real life numbers of what the mass population decides to listen to.

But how much is algorithm fed, rather than consciously sought out and listened to? We'll never know.

Retro.

retrofuturist wrote: Sun 23 Nov 2025, 12:29 amI don't know what your criteria is but New York City Boy sticks out like a sore thumb.

Yes. New York city boy is clearly a post-Ab Fab track as it's cheesy, kitsch and would never have been on one of those early albums. It is strange how it's so popular considering it wasn't even a big hit at the time. I can see why people like the idea of it as an homage to 70s disco, but I just don't think it works as a Pet Shop Boys song. The only saving grace is that it's on Nightlife, so it's not really by them, rather this strange, phantasmagoric version of them that exists in a fever dream.

In the 90's, PSB were still relevant and Se a Vida E and New York City Boy were the most famous tracks at that time. Main singles of the Bilingual and Nightlife. In Spain, Se a Vida E was a big hit and a bit New York City Boy.

I also remember 2 remixes of Se a Vida E were played a lot on the radio and Dj's saying how good they were.

I think this new list is even more accurate.

Love My October Symphony but number 30? Really?