Pet Shop Boys Community

Apart from covers like Always on my Mind, Go West, Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you), Somewhere, Se a vida e and many others with It's a Sin being almost a cover of Wild World. Which other songs of PSB could you consider almost a cover or at least, similar structures because of the similarity with tunes from other artists?

Neil recognaized sometimes artists make some copies from other artists. I suppose the thing is how to do it weel.

Let's Dance
Released 14 April 1983

Westend Girls (original version)
Released: 9 April 1984. Recorded in December 1983
---
Into the Groove
Released: 15 July 1985

Suburbia
Released: 22 September 1986. Written in 1985
---
Whenever You Need Somebody
Released: 27 July 1987

Being Boring
Released: 12 November 1990

Yes Rick Astley should take N&C to court, Being Boring is pretty much a cover of Whenever You Need Somebody

And to take this further, this dance is actually a complete ripoff of Rick.

Greetings,

Nickname wrote: Thu 05 Mar 2026, 8:08 pm Which other songs of PSB could you consider almost a cover because of the similarity with tunes from other artists?

Are you including songs modelled off classical arrangements?

Retro.

jasonjohn wrote: Fri 06 Mar 2026, 12:01 am Yes Rick Astley should take N&C to court, Being Boring is pretty much a cover of Whenever You Need Somebody

And to take this further, this dance is actually a complete ripoff of Rick.

PSB said Being Boring had the same melodic structure, S/A/W songs used to have. If you listen the chorus of Being Boring, you'll appreciate that is really similar to Whenever You Need Somebody. Song I adore from Rick Astley, even more than Never Gonna Give You Up.

Nickname wrote: Thu 05 Mar 2026, 8:08 pm Apart from covers like Always on my Mind, Go West, Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you), Somewhere, Se a vida e and many others with It's a Sin being almost a cover of Wild World. Which other songs of PSB could you consider almost a cover because of the similarity with tunes from other artists?

Neil recognaized sometimes artists make some copies from other artists. I suppose the thing is how to do it weel.

Let's Dance
Released 14 April 1983

Westend Girls (original version)
Released: 9 April 1984. Recorded in December 1983
---
Into the Groove
Released: 15 July 1985

Suburbia
Released: 22 September 1986. Written in 1985
---
Whenever You Need Somebody
Released: 27 July 1987

Being Boring
Released: 12 November 1990

All of these comparisons are insane.

Greetings,

NotInvisible wrote: Fri 06 Mar 2026, 12:43 am All of these comparisons are insane.

Especially West-End GIrls & Let's Dance. I know Neil has said it was inspired by Grandmaster Flash's "The Message", but this is the first I've ever heard of any connection to what is one of Bowie's most over-rated and boring songs.

Retro.

Nickname wrote: Fri 06 Mar 2026, 12:16 am PSB said Being Boring had the same melodic structure, S/A/W songs used to have.

It's a fair point. Lots of songs share structures. Most probably do to some extent.

But your title says "almost a cover".

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,

NotInvisible wrote: Fri 06 Mar 2026, 12:43 am All of these comparisons are insane.

Especially West-End GIrls & Let's Dance. I know Neil has said it was inspired by Grandmaster Flash's "The Message", but this is the first I've ever heard of any connection to what is one of Bowie's most over-rated and boring songs.

Retro.

The connection between West End girls and Let’s Dance is covered in the Further Listening booklet: “The following day Bobby 'O' did these overdubs where he got the drum sounds from David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' and played them live on the Emulator, and he played the choir thing on the Emulator.”

But of course drum samples in no way mean a cover version, or anything like it, and they don’t mean that the tracks sound similar.

In the same way, the album version of Suburbia practically steals the bassline from Madonna’s Into The Groove, but this doesn’t constitute anything like a cover version, and again the songs do not sound the same.

Inspiration is at one end of the line that has cover version at the other.

Dog wrote: Fri 06 Mar 2026, 6:03 am

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,

NotInvisible wrote: Fri 06 Mar 2026, 12:43 am All of these comparisons are insane.

Especially West-End GIrls & Let's Dance. I know Neil has said it was inspired by Grandmaster Flash's "The Message", but this is the first I've ever heard of any connection to what is one of Bowie's most over-rated and boring songs.

Retro.

The connection between West End girls and Let’s Dance is covered in the Further Listening booklet: “The following day Bobby 'O' did these overdubs where he got the drum sounds from David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' and played them live on the Emulator, and he played the choir thing on the Emulator.”

But of course drum samples in no way mean a cover version, or anything like it, and they don’t mean that the tracks sound similar.

In the same way, the album version of Suburbia practically steals the bassline from Madonna’s Into The Groove, but this doesn’t constitute anything like a cover version, and again the songs do not sound the same.

Inspiration is at one end of the line that has cover version at the other.

If you go to the chorus of "Let's Dance", there is a tiny space of time between "Let's" and "Dance" like there was an effort to say the two words. Something similar happens with "West End Girls", this time with three words. The little piece of music after them sounds very similar but with different music instruments.

Bear in mind, there is not too much time between the releses of the songs.

By the way, the basis of the original basis of "West End Girls" was practically the same from "Billie Jean".

jasonjohn wrote: Fri 06 Mar 2026, 4:48 am
But your title says "almost a cover".

Yes, I went too far with it.

Nickname wrote:

Dog wrote: Fri 06 Mar 2026, 6:03 am

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,
Especially West-End GIrls & Let's Dance. I know Neil has said it was inspired by Grandmaster Flash's "The Message", but this is the first I've ever heard of any connection to what is one of Bowie's most over-rated and boring songs.

Retro.

The connection between West End girls and Let’s Dance is covered in the Further Listening booklet: “The following day Bobby 'O' did these overdubs where he got the drum sounds from David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' and played them live on the Emulator, and he played the choir thing on the Emulator.”

But of course drum samples in no way mean a cover version, or anything like it, and they don’t mean that the tracks sound similar.

In the same way, the album version of Suburbia practically steals the bassline from Madonna’s Into The Groove, but this doesn’t constitute anything like a cover version, and again the songs do not sound the same.

Inspiration is at one end of the line that has cover version at the other.

If you go to the chorus of "Let's Dance", there is a tiny space of time between "Let's" and "Dance" like there was an effort to say the two words. Something similar happens with "West End Girls", this time with three words. The little piece of music after them sounds very similar but with different music instruments.

Bear in mind, there is not too much time between the releses of the songs.

By the way, the basis of the original basis of "West End Girls" was practically the same from "Billie Jean".

Well, Bobby O programmed the drums to sound like Billie Jean, but any similarity ends there.

You Know Where You Went Wrong is a cover of West End GIrls set to new lyrics.... or the continuation of the West End girls-story after "someone stands in every door.... and no-one knows your name"... leads perfectly into "to men on the street.... you know where you went wrong".

Paninaro '95 is a cover of the song Paninaro originally released by the british duo Pet Shop Boys in 1986

“It's a Sin being almost a cover of Wild World“

Is that you Jonathan King?

In The Night ‘95 is. almost a like for like cover of the 1985 song “In The Night”.