SUPER book
paroles TRADUCTIONs analyses
GIAC THE LAD
PET SHOP BOYS Photographies: Joseph Sinclair
Après une semaine de campagne virale via une pub sur Youtube, des affiches avec un logo spécifique collées dans différents endroits à travers le monde et un site dédié au nom de « What is Super ? », les Pet Shop Boys ont annoncé le 21 janvier 2016 l’arrivée de leur 13ème album au nom de SUPER, programmé pour le 1er avril et ce ne fut pas un poisson d’avril ! Il était présenté en amont par Neil comme le digne successeur d’ELECTRIC, résolument dance, happy, up tempo et toujours produit sous la houlette de Stuart Price. C’est bel et bien leur album le plus house depuis VERY. Mais malgré une musique énergique, comme à leur habitude, les Boys y ont injecté de paroles à la tonalité plus teintée. Au niveau des thèmes, SUPER deale avec la superficialité : la recherche du bonheur (Happiness)
des Pop Kids de vingt ans (Twenty-something) et branchés (Groovy), qui dans leur carré V.I.P. (Inner Sanctum) où ils s’éclatent toutes les nuits (Burn) comme des dingues (Pazzo), pour fuir l’emprise amoureuse (Undertow, Say It To Me), dans une époque «superficielle» (Sad Robot World) où des dictateurs divaguent (The Dictator Decides), rêvent pour finir de se volatiliser (Into thin air). À l’exception de The Pop Kids (qui a été initiée en 2011), et Burn (1996), toutes les chansons furent écrites de novembre 2014 à juillet 2015, entre Londres et Berlin. 25 chansons virent le jour et ils choisirent parmi les plus dansantes (UP fut le mot d’ordre - adjectif qu’on retrouve subtilement dans sUPer), puis s’envolèrent pour les États-Unis les enregistrer dans le studio californien de Stuart Price.
Happiness
Tennant/Lowe
Bonheur
H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S.
B.O.N.H.E.U.R. B.O.N.H.E.U.R. B.O.N.H.E.U.R. B.O.N.H.E.U.R.
It’s a long way to happiness a long way to go but I’m gonna get there, boy the only way I know ’Cause it’s a long way to happiness a long way to go but I’m gonna get there, boy the only way I know
C’est un long chemin pour arriver au bonheur Un long chemin à parcourir Mais je vais y arriver mec, De la seule façon que je connaisse! C’est un long chemin pour arriver au bonheur Un long chemin à parcourir Mais je vais y arriver mec, De la seule façon que je connaisse!
H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S.
B.O.N.H.E.U.R. B.O.N.H.E.U.R.
It’s a long way to happiness a long way to go but I’m gonna get there, boy the only way I know ’Cause it’s a long way to happiness a long way to go but I’m gonna get there, boy the only way I know
C’est un long chemin pour arriver au bonheur Un long chemin à parcourir Mais je vais y arriver mec, De la seule façon que je connaisse! C’est un long chemin pour arriver au bonheur Un long chemin à parcourir Mais je vais y arriver mec, De la seule façon que je connaisse!
It’s a long way to happiness and when we get there is anybody’s guess
C’est un long chemin vers le bonheur Mais quand est-ce qu’on y arrivera ? C’est ce que tout le monde se demande !»
B.O.N.H.E.U.R. B.O.N.H.E.U.R. Vers le bonheur ! Vers le bonheur !
H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. To happiness! To happiness!
Le morceau qui a la mission d’ouvrir l’album a été décrit par Neil comme « une affirmation philosophique pleine de vérité ! » ou l’éternelle quête du bonheur par l’homme et les chemins pour y arriver. La seule variation arrive à la fin quand il se demande quand il y arrivera, ce qui assombrit un peu l’affirmation positive de base. Mais Neil affirma que ce n’était pas ironique. Le style cowboy qu’adopte Neil sur la chanson vient d’une session où pour rire il imaginait le groupe chantant une chanson de Leo Sayer, un artiste anglais qui s’était essayé à la country. Musicalement, le morceau part dans tous les sens et fait le lien avec le précédent album, ELECTRIC, le premier de la trilogie Stuart Price, parut 3 ans plus tôt.
The Pop Kids Remember those days - the early 90s? We both applied for places at the same university Ended up in London where we needed to be to follow our obsession with the music scene Wherever we went whatever we did we knew the songs They called us the Pop Kids ’cause we loved the pop hits and quoted the best bits so we were the Pop Kids I loved you I loved you They called us the Pop Kids I studied history while you did biology To you the human body didn’t hold any mystery We were young but imagined we were so sophisticated Telling everyone we knew that rock was overrated We stayed out ’til late five nights a week and felt so chic They called us the Pop Kids ’cause we loved the pop hits and quoted the best bits so we were the Pop Kids I loved you I loved you They called us the Pop Kids
Tennant/Lowe
(Remember those days? Remember those days?) (Remember those days? Remember those days?) It was a wet Wednesday night We worried that ano one would be going It was wet Wednesday night out How wrong were! that no one would be going out Wewe worried When we How turned the corner wrong we were! there wasWhen already queuethe stretching weaturned corner down the street We sweptthere straight and you said: stretching down wasinalready a queue «Ooh, I like here! theit street Ooh, I love Weit!swept straight in and you said: Ooh, I like«Ooh, it here! I like it here! Ooh, I love it! Ooh, I love it! Ooh, I likeOoh, it here! I like it here! Ooh, I love it! Ooh, I love it! Ooh, I likeOoh, it here! I like it here! Ooh, I amOoh, never going I love it! home» Ooh, I like it here! I loved you Ooh, I am never going home» They called us the Pop Kids I loved you ’cause we loved the pop hits and quoted thecalled best bits They us the Pop Kids so we were the Pop Kids ’cause we loved the pop hits I loved you and quoted the best bits so we were the Pop Kids I loved you
Les enfants de la pop Te souviens-tu de ces jours anciens - le début des années 90 ? On s’était tous les deux inscrits à la même université On a atterrit à Londres Le lieu où il fallait être Pour poursuivre notre obsession de la scène musicale Où qu’on allait Quoi qu’on faisait On connaissait les chansons par cœur On nous appelait les Enfants de la Pop Parce qu’on adorait les hits pop On citait les meilleurs passages On était vraiment les Enfants de la Pop Et je t’aimais Je t’aimais On nous appelait les Enfants de la Pop J’étudiais l’histoire alors que toi c’était la biologie Pour toi le corps humain n’avait aucun mystère On était jeune mais on pensait qu’on était sophistiqué On disait à tous ceux qu’on connaissait que le rock était surévalué On restait dehors jusque tard Cinq nuits par semaine Et on se sentait si chic On nous appelait les Enfants de la Pop
Parce qu’on adorait les hits pop On citait les meilleurs passages On était vraiment les Enfants de la Pop Et je t’aimais Je t’aimais On nous appelait les Enfants de la Pop (Te souviens-tu de ces jours anciens ? Te souviens-tu de ces jours anciens ?) C’était un mercredi soir pluvieux On avait peur que personne ne sorte On avait tout faux ! Une fois arrivé, Il y avait déjà une queue qui s’étendait tout le long de la rue On s’est faufilé jusque devant et tu as dit: « Oh j’aime cet endroit Oh je l’adore Oh j’aime cet endroit Oh je l’adore Oh j’aime cet endroit Oh je l’adore Oh j’aime cet endroit Oh je ne rentrerai plus jamais à la maison» Je t’aimais On nous appelait les Enfants de la Pop Parce qu’on adorait les hits pop On citait les meilleurs passages On était vraiment les Enfants de la Pop Je t’aimais
L’histoire de « The Pop Kids » a été inspirée à Neil par un ami d’enfance qui dans les années 90 aimait tellement sortir en boîte avec sa fiancée de l’époque qu’ils se faisaient appeler « Les Enfants de la Pop » car ils connaissaient les tubes par cœur. La musique « house » rappelle celle de ces années-là mais, malgré un ton euphorique, il se dégage de ce titre un côté nostalgique mais aussi quelque chose de non-exprimé, souligné par la répétition des « Je t’aimais » au temps passé. Grâce à la version maxi « The full story », on retrouve les protagonistes de nos jours et on comprend qu’ils ne sont plus ensemble. Ce titre a ses origines lors de la tournée que les Boys ont effectuée avec Take That ; effectivement Chris en avait composé la musique à Munich et l’avait appelé simplement « Munich ». Bien qu’ « Inner Sanctum » soit sorti en avant-première, c’est bien « The Pop Kids » qui a été choisi comme premier single de l’album SUPER.
Twenty-something Twenty-something good as new Expectations got a few Find an issue get ahead Got it sorted like you said You’re twenty-something Join the queue Twenty-something in the mix Always that ironic twist Got a start-up good to go when the money starts to flow Oh, Twenty-something up to tricks That’s how you are or have to be in a decadent city at a time of greed You can make believe that it’s all you need Sometimes it’s hard day to day to pay your way Twenty-something Quite a catch Think you’ll ever meet your match? You’ve always been somewhat choosy but you’ll love her for the length of a good movie Oh, Twenty-something Call her back
Tennant/Lowe
That’s how you are or have to be in a decadent city at a time of greed You can make believe that it’s all you need Take your smart phone and make your way home on your own Twenty-something Hard to beat Check your reflection walking down the street Thirty’s calling round the bend Will your ideas ever trend? Oh, Twenty-something feel the heat Find an issue get ahead Got it sorted like you said You’re twenty-something and so to bed That’s how you are or have to be in a decadent city at a time of greed You can make believe that it’s all you need Sometimes it’s hard day to day to pay your way
Vingt ans et quelques Vingt ans et quelques Comme neuf Des attentes Tu en as quelques unes Trouver un plan Aller de l’avant Ca va le faire Comme tu l’as dit Tu as vingt ans et quelques Rejoins la queue Vingt ans et quelques Dans la masse Et il y a toujours Ce tournant ironique : Tu fondes une start-up Car il faut foncer Et quand l’argent coule à flot Tu as vingt ans et quelques Et plus d’un tour dans ton sac Tu es ainsi Ou c’est comme ça qu’il faut être Dans une ville décadente Où l’on a besoin de fric Tu peux faire croire Que c’est tout ce dont tu as besoin Mais des fois il est dur Au jour le jour De subvenir à tes besoins Vingt ans et quelques Tu es un bon parti Tu penses que tu vas Rencontrer l’âme sœur ? Tu as toujours été quelque peu difficile Mais tu l’aimeras le temps D’un bon film Oh tu as vingt ans et quelques Et tu la rappelleras
Tu es ainsi Ou c’est comme ça qu’il faut être Dans une ville décadente Où l’on a besoin de fric Tu peux faire croire Que c’est tout ce dont tu as besoin Prends ton smartphone Et rentre à la maison Seul Vingt ans et quelques Difficile de faire mieux Tu réfléchis à ton parcours En marchant dans la rue La trentaine N’est pas loin Tes idées verront-elles Un jour le jour ? Oh tu as vingt ans et quelques Et tu ressens la pression Trouver un plan Aller de l’avant Ca va le faire Comme tu l’as dit Tu as vingt ans et quelques Il est temps d’aller au lit Tu es ainsi Ou c’est comme ça qu’il faut être Dans une ville décadente Où l’on a besoin de fric Tu peux faire croire Que c’est tout ce dont tu as besoin Mais des fois il est dur Au jour le jour De subvenir à tes besoins
« Twenty-something » parle de la difficulté qu’éprouvent les jeunes d’aujourd’hui de vingt ans à trouver un emploi, se loger, et vivre décemment dans la ville de Londres, jugée « décadente » par Neil. Le style musical est fortement inspiré du reggaeton, musique populaire en Amérique du Sud et que les boys affectionnent durant leurs voyages. La mélodie est aussi empruntée au répertoire classique, « The Cold Song » tiré du Roi Arthur (qui a aussi inspiré « Love is a bourgeois construct ») d’Henry Purcell. « Twenty-something » a été choisi comme deuxième single de l’album et contrairement à « The Pop Kids » a eu droit à son propre clip où par contre l’action se situe en Califonie, dans une famille latino-américaine qui peine à joindre les deux bouts.
Groovy Look at me I’m just so… Look at me I’m just so… Look at me I’m just so groovy
Tennant/Lowe
I’m just so… Look at me I’m just so groovy
Sensass Regardez-moi Je suis si… Regardez-moi Je suis si… Regardez-moi Je suis si sensass !
Feeling good In the mood That’s the state I’m in Always will dress to kill Let the show begin I’ve earned the moment I’ve got to be seen I’m gonna go out and live beyond the dream
Je me sens bien Dans le mood C’est l’état dans lequel je suis Mes tenues seront toujours mortelles Que le show commence ! Je l’ai gagné ce moment Je dois être vu Je vais sortir Et vivre la vie de mes rêves !
Look at me I’m just so… Look at me I’m just so… Look at me I’m just so groovy
Regardez-moi Je suis si… Regardez-moi Je suis si… Regardez-moi Je suis si sensass !
Oh yeah!
Oh oui !
When they see the latest me people stop and stare I don’t mind I’m on cloud nine I can walk on air I’ve earned the moment I’ve got to be seen I’m gonna go out and live beyond the dream Look at me I’m just so… Look at me
Quand ils voient Mon dernier look Les gens s’arrêtent pour regarder Ça m’est égal Je suis sur mon petit nuage Je pourrais marcher dans les airs Je l’ai gagné ce moment Je dois être vu Je vais sortir Et vivre la vie de mes rêves ! Regardez-moi Je suis si… Regardez-moi Je suis si… Regardez-moi Je suis si sensass !
Au niveau des paroles, « Groovy » se rapproche de la face B « Shameless » de l’époque VERY ou encore de « Ego Music » sur ELYSIUM. Il pourrait être le générique d’une émission de téléréalité où tous les candidats sont avides de célébrité. On ne sait pas pourquoi ils sont célèbres, ils accèdent juste à la notoriété du fait d’être vus. Neil utilise ironiquement le terme « Groovy » qui n’est pas si neuf, il date en fait des années 20 dans le milieu du jazz mais a été populairement réintroduit dans la culture américaine par Simon et Garfunkel (« Feeling groovy ») dans les années 60. L’adjectif sonne cliché et ringard depuis les années 80 et comme en français, « être sensass » pour une starlette d’aujourd’hui, c’est paraître déjà « has-been ».
The Dictator Decides Will someone please say the unsayable? Will someone please tell me I’m wrong? I live every day like a sad beast of prey for I have to appear to be strong and that’s wrong I’m too weak to be strong Today I met with the generals and the head of my secret police discussing conspiracies and prison facilities for opponents I can never release and there’ll be no peace until they’re released
Tennant/Lowe
The generals’ll go barmy at the thought of a takeover bid Oh please will somebody put me Out of my misery? This sad old dictator must sooner or later flee so that you can be free If you get rid of me we can all be free
Le dictateur décide Quelqu’un dira-t-il l’imprononçable? Quelqu’un me dira-t-il combien j’ai tort ? Je vis tous les jours comme une triste bête de proie alors que je dois me montrer fort et c’est faux Je suis trop faible pour être fort Aujourd’hui j’ai rencontré les généraux Et le chef de ma police secrête On a discuté de conspirations et d’établissements pénitentiaires des opposants que je ne peux libérer et il n’y aura jamais de paix tant qu’ils ne seront pas libérés
Of course I’m in league with the army It’s not like I’ve got any choice They officially adore me and my father before me but gunpoint has a firm voice
Bien sûr, je suis lié à l’armée Ce n’est pas comme si j’avais le choix Officiellement, ils m’adorent et avant moi, pareil pour mon père mais l’arme qu’on pointe sur moi a une voix ferme
The joke is I’m not even a demagogue Have you heard me giving a speech? My facts are invented I sound quite demented So deluded it beggars belief It would be such a relief not to give another speech
La farce c’est que je ne suis même pas un démagogue Est-ce que vous m’avez entendu donner un discours ? Mes faits sont inventés J’ai l’air assez dément
Can someone please say the impossible? Crowds should be out on the street I’ve lost any will to threaten and kill I’ll be easy for you to defeat And at any resistance I meet I’ll beat a retreat I’d rather that you didn’t shoot me But I’d quite understand if you did Watch out for the army
Si illusionné qu’on demande à me croire Ce serait un soulagement de ne pas donner un autre discours Quelqu’un dira-t-il l’impossible ? La foule devrait manifester au-dehors J’ai perdu toute volonté de menacer ou tuer Ma défaite vous sera facile Et je battrai en retraite Toute résistance que je rencontrerai Je préfèrerai que vous ne tiriez pas sur moi Mais je comprendrai que vous le fassiez Prenez garde à mon armée Les généraux vont devenir fous A l’idée d’un coup d’état. Quelqu’un pourra-t-il me sortir de ma misère ? Ce vieux dictateur triste devra bien fuir un jour ou l’autre pour que vous deveniez libres Si vous vous débarrassez de moi Vous serez tous libres !
Les paroles sont chantées à la première personne, du point de vue d’un dictateur, qui sous forme de confessions, avoue ne plus vouloir garder le pouvoir car il se sent lui-même prisonnier de son « régime » et rêve de fuir ses fonctions pour rester vivant. Kim Jong-un, l’actuel leader de la Corée du Nord et Bashar el-Assad, président de la Syrie, ont servi d’influence au personnage. Le morceau contient un segment de musique classique d’Antonio Vivaldi (« Introduzione al miserere – Filae Maestae Jerusalem)
Pazzo!
Tennant/Lowe
Dingo !
Pazzo! You’re crazy
You’re crazy That’s insane!
Dingo ! Tu es fou
Tu es fou C’est dément !
Do you want to? Do you want to? Do you want to? Do you want to? Do you want to? Do you want to? Do you want to go pazzo?
Do you want to? Do you want to? Do you want to go pazzo?
Est-ce que tu veux ? Est-ce que tu veux ? Est-ce que tu veux ? Est-ce que tu veux ? Est-ce que tu veux ? Est-ce que tu veux ? Est-ce que tu veux devenir dingo ?
Est-ce que tu veux ? Est-ce que tu veux ? Est-ce que tu veux devenir dingo ?
That’s insane! Pazzo!
C’est dément Dingo !
« Pazzo » est l’un des trois pseudo-instrumentaux de l’album après « Happiness » et avant « Inner Sanctum ». Le titre se réfère au surnom que des amis italiens donnent à Chris (« Pazzo » signifiant « dingue » en italien). Musicalement, il est l’assemblage de plusieurs morceaux sur lesquels ils travaillaient (dont l’inédit « Monkey Business ») et le résultat est un titre assez répétitif mais fun. Pour info, c’est la voix de Neil qu’on entend tout le long de la chanson, méconnaissable car passée à la moulinette électronique.
Inner Sanctum In the inner sanctum you’re a star The girls, the guys they all know who you are
Tennant/Lowe
Inner Sanctum Dans le sanctuaire privé Tu es une star Les filles et les garçons Savent tous qui tu es L « Inner Sanctum » est cet endroit privé dans un club de nuit, communément appelé « carré V.I.P. » où se côtoient stars et jeunesse dorée de la jet set. Musicalement, le morceau rappelle ces tubes house et trans qu’on entendait dans les clubs des années 90 (le remix d’« Age of Love » de Jam & Spoon de 1992, par exemple). « Inner Sanctum » fut disponible en digital en avant-première comme teaser de l’album, comme pour annoncer la tendance « club » qui s’en dégagerait.
Undertow There’s an undertow pulling me to you There’s an undertow dragging me down There’s an undertow I’ve got to pursue you There’s an undertow whenever you’re around, around, around Nothing has been spoken of this Neither of us has said anything to anyone But nonetheless I’ve felt danger when you cross my path or walk into the room I cannot escape this fate It’s my approaching doom There’s an undertow pulling me to you There’s an undertow dragging me down There’s an undertow I’ve got to pursue you There’s an undertow whenever you’re around, around, around
Tennant/Lowe
There’s an undertow I’ve got to pursue you There’s an undertow whenever you’re around, around, around I know that there’s trouble coming I know that there’s trouble coming I know that there’s trouble coming and it’s coming soon There’s an undertow pulling me to you There’s an undertow dragging me down There’s an undertow I’ve got to pursue you There’s an undertow whenever you’re around, around, around There’s an undertow There’s an undertow
Reflux Il y a un reflux qui me ramène à toi Il y a un reflux qui me tire vers le bas Il y a du reflux Je dois te poursuivre Il y a du reflux quand tu es là, quand tu es là, quand tu es là Rien n’a été dit à ce sujet Aucun de nous N’en a rien dit à personne Néanmoins j’ai senti du danger Quand ton chemin a croisé le mien ou quand tu es entré dans la pièce Je ne peux pas empêcher le destin C’est la fatalité qui gagne du terrain Il y a un reflux qui me ramène à toi Il y a un reflux qui me tire vers le bas Il y a du reflux Je dois te poursuivre Il y a du reflux quand tu es là, quand tu es là, quand tu es là
Oh, où est mon ange gardien quand j’en ai tant besoin ? Qui sera mon ange gardien quand le danger n’est si loin? Il y a un reflux qui me ramène à toi Il y a un reflux qui me tire vers le bas Il y a du reflux Je dois te poursuivre Il y a du reflux quand tu es là, quand tu es là, quand tu es là Je sais que les ennuis arrivent Je sais que les ennuis arrivent Je sais que les ennuis arrivent et qu’ils arrivent vite Il y a un reflux qui me ramène à toi Il y a un reflux qui me tire vers le bas Il y a du reflux Je dois te poursuivre Il y a du reflux quand tu es là, quand tu es là, quand tu es là
Save me I can’t help it I’m sinking Help me get away But even as I speak these words I know I’m gonna stay Oh where is my guardian angel when I need him most? Who’ll be my guardian angel with danger so close?
Sauve-moi Je ne peux m’empêcher de me noyer Aide-moi à m’enfuir Mais au moment-même où je dis ces mots Je sais bien que je vais rester
There’s an undertow pulling me to you There’s an undertow dragging me down
Ce thème a déjà été abordé sur ELYSIUM avec « A face like that » où là il utilisait cette fois la terminologie de l’orage et du tonnerre pour exprimer son attirance irrésistible.
Il y a du reflux Il y a du reflux
Ici la métaphore qu’utilise Neil pour dépeindre la relation qu’il a avec l’objet de son affection est celle du courant sous-marin qui irait à l’encontre du nageur et qui lui serait dangereuse.
Musicalement, ce morceau est du pur PSB intemporel, si bien qu’on ne saurait dire de quel album il provient. « Undertow » est prévu comme troisième single de l’album.
Sad Robot World
Tennant/Lowe
Triste monde de robot
Sad robot world They can manufacture what you want to capture in a robot world Management decisions Technical provisions
Triste monde de robot Ils peuvent fabriquer ce que vous voulez capturer Dans un monde de robot Il y a des décisions de gestion Des approvisionnements techniques
It can take your breath away the silent dedication A mechanical ballet of slow deliberation
Ca peut vous couper le souffle ce dévouement silencieux Ce ballet mécanique de lente délibération
Sad robot world taking a position of their own volition in a robot world Greeted with indifference but they’re always with us
Triste monde de robot ils prennent une position par leur propre volonté dans un monde de robot On les traite avec indifférence Mais ils sont toujours avec nous
There’s no sleep, no food, no pay doing as commanded 24 hours every day whatever is demanded
Il n’y a ni sommeil, ni nourriture, ni paye ils font ce qu’on leur ordonne 24 heures par jour tout ce qui est demandé
Sad robot world where you ponder leisure created for your pleasure Sad robot world Machinery is sighing I thought I heard one crying
Triste monde de robot où on réfléchit au loisir qu’ils créent pour notre plaisir Triste monde de robot Les machines soupirent J’ai cru en entendre une pleurer
La seule balade de SUPER fut inspirée à Neil lors d’une visite à l’usine Volkswagen à Francfort en Allemagne. Des robots lavaient des voitures et il y vit comme une sorte de ballet mélancolique. Dans la chanson, il pousse l’anthropomorphisme au point d’entendre l’un des robots pleurer à la fin. Les robots étant des machines, elles ne peuvent avoir de sentiments, ce sont donc les siens que Neil ou le narrateur projette sur ces machines. Ce qui peut être triste finalement c’est que justement ces robots qui accomplissent toutes ces tâches quotidiennement soient tels des esclaves dénués du pouvoir de ressentir.
Say It To Me My predicament is simply this: you’re an enigma even when you kiss You won’t tell me what or when or how What do you want from me? Just tell me now Say it to me Say it to me (Tell me something) Tell me want you from me I could give you all you need (Tell me something) I’ll tell you what you mean to me Tell you how it feels for me (Tell me something) A deeper feeling not a distant smile You’re like a drug, a dream that lasts all night an unknown territory to explore Is there something that you’re longing for? Say it to me Say it to me (Tell me something) Tell me want you from me I could give you all you need (Tell me something) I’ll tell you what you mean to me Tell you how it feels for me (Tell me something) What do you want? What do you need? Your distant smile won’t tell me when or how What do you want from me? Just tell me now Say it, say it, say it Say it to me Say it, say it, say it
Tennant/Lowe/Price
Say it to me (Tell me something) Tell me want you from me I could give you all you need (Tell me something) I’ll tell you what you mean to me Tell you how it feels for me (Tell me something) (Tell me something) You’re an enigma even when you kiss
Dis-le moi Mon malheur c’est simplement que tu es une énigme même quand on t’embrasse Tu ne me diras jamais ni quand ni comment Tu voudras de moi, dis-le moi à présent
Je te dirai ce que tu représentes à mes yeux Je te dirais ce que je ressens
Dis-le moi Dis-le moi
Ton sourire distant ne me dira pas quand ni comment ? Que veux-tu de moi ? Dis-le moi à présent
(Dis-moi quelque chose) Dis-moi ce que tu désires de moi Je pourrais te donner tout ce que tu veux (Dis-moi quelque chose) Je te dirai ce que tu représentes à mes yeux Je te dirais ce que je ressens
Que veux-tu ? De quoi as-tu besoin ?
Dis-le, dis-le, dis-le Dis-le moi Dis-le, dis-le, dis-le Dis-le moi
Un sentiment profond pas un sourire distant Tu es comme une drogue, un rêve qui aurait duré toute la nuit un territoire inconnu à explorer Y a-t-il quelque chose dont tu as très envie ?
(Dis-moi quelque chose) Dis-moi ce que tu désires de moi Je pourrais te donner tout ce que tu veux (Dis-moi quelque chose) Je te dirai ce que tu représentes à mes yeux Je te dirais ce que je ressens
Dis-le moi Dis-le moi
(Dis-moi quelque chose) Tu es une énigme même quand on t’embrasse
(Dis-moi quelque chose) Dis-moi ce que tu désires de moi Je pourrais te donner tout ce que tu veux (Dis-moi quelque chose)
« Say it to me », dans la même veine que “Undertow”, voit le protagoniste de la chanson sous l’emprise du sentiment amoureux mais qui demande cette fois-ci à l’intéressé de lui signifier si c’est réciproque. La musique répétitive et house donne un sentiment puissant à sa demande jusqu’au refrain où il se lâche au niveau de ses sentiments. L’intro très réussie, qu’on retrouve au milieu de la chanson, fut l’un des trois teasers sur le site « whatissuper ». A noter que c’est la seule chanson où Stuart Price est mentionné dans les crédits de composition.
Burn
Tennant/Lowe
Mettre le feu
All the stars are flashing high above the sea and the party is on fire around you and me We’re gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes We’re gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes We’re gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes We’re gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes
Toutes les étoiles scintillent fort au-dessus de la mer et la fête bat son plein autour de toi et moi On va mettre le feu dans cette boîte jusqu’au petit matin On va mettre le feu dans cette boîte jusqu’au petit matin On va mettre le feu dans cette boîte jusqu’au petit matin On va mettre le feu dans cette boîte jusqu’au petit matin
It feels so good It feels so good It feels so good It feels so good
On se sent si bien On se sent si bien On se sent si bien On se sent si bien
Before the morning comes Before the morning comes
Jusqu’au petit matin Jusqu’au petit matin
There’s a full moon glowing red above the sea and I feel the sudden heat between you and me
La pleine lune est rouge écarlate au-dessus de la mer et je ressens cette tension soudaine entre toi et moi
We’re gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes We’re gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes We’re gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes
On va mettre le feu dans cette boîte jusqu’au petit matin On va mettre le feu dans cette boîte jusqu’au petit matin On va mettre le feu dans cette boîte jusqu’au petit matin
(Before the morning comes)
(Jusqu’au petit matin)
We’re gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes We’re gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes
On va mettre le feu dans cette boîte jusqu’au petit matin On va mettre le feu dans cette boîte jusqu’au petit matin
« Burn » est le morceau hédoniste par excellence et le plus caractéristique de cet album où la house et la fête priment, il ne traite que de la joie de danser et invite quiconque à s’éclater en discothèque, comme « Vocal » sur ELECTRIC, ou « Saturday Night Forever » sur BILINGUAL. La demo de « Burn » date de 1996, elle a ensuite été retravaillée à l’époque NIGHTLIFE sous le titre « Nu Sleaze » avant d’être abandonnée, pour réapparaître 20 ans plus tard sous la forme qu’on lui connait.
Into Thin Air Too much ugly talking Too many bad politicians We need some practical dreamers and maybe a few magicians Shall we get away from here where no one can find us? The north wind will blow us away We’ll leave this all behind us We’ll vanish No one will know where
Tennant/Lowe
(Only us two) Into thin air (Lighter and new) No one will ever know No one will ever know No one will ever know No one will ever know No one will ever know No one will ever know No one will ever know where
Se volatiliser Trop de vilains discours Trop de mauvais politiciens Nous avons besoin de rêveurs tangibles et peut-être quelques magiciens ? Et si on fuyait d’ici où personne ne nous trouvera ? Le vent du nord nous chassera Nous laisserons tout cela derrière nous On se volatilisera Personne ne saura où cela
Into thin air Into thin air Into thin air Into thin air
Dans l’air fin Dans l’air fin Dans l’air fin Dans l’air fin
No one will ever know No one will ever know No one will ever know where
Personne ne saura Personne ne saura Personne ne saura où cela
We’re different from the others No one understands us here Imagine how free we will be if we disappear? We won’t even pack a case just cash in all that we own Create two new identities and fly into the unknown We’ll vanish No one will know where
Nous sommes différents des autres Personne ne nous comprend ici Imagine-toi comment nous serons bien quand on disparaîtra On n’aura même pas à faire nos valises juste tirer profit de tout ce qu’on possède Créer deux nouvelles identités et voler vers l’inconnu On se volatilisera Personne ne saura où cela
Into thin air Into thin air Into thin air Into thin air Into thin air (Clouds floating by) Into thin air (A painterly sky) Into thin air
Dans l’air fin Dans l’air fin Dans l’air fin Dans l’air fin Dans l’air fin (les nuages flottant autour) Dans l’air fin (un ciel pictural) Dans l’air fin (rien que nous deux) Dans l’air fin (plus légers et neufs) Personne ne saura Personne ne saura Personne ne saura Personne ne saura Personne ne saura Personne ne saura Personne ne saura où cela
Pour clore l’album SUPER, Neil et Chris nous proposent de nous faire à l’idée de leur départ. Ils rêvent de ne plus faire partie de ce monde et d’un coup de baguette magique avoir la possibilité de se dématérialiser, se volatiliser. Ce dernier morceau se singularise par son rythme midtempo et dénote avec l’ambiance générale, positive et uptempo de l’album, comme pour annoncer peut-être l’album suivant et le dernier de la trilogie Stuart Price, qui se voudrait plus sombre et downtempo.
Super Credits Mastered At Metropolis Mastering Published By Cage Music Published By Kobalt Music Publishing Published By Elodine Songs Ltd Published By Warner Chappell Music Ltd. Phonographic Copyright (p) x2 Recordings Ltd. Copyright (c) x2 Recordings Ltd. Licensed To Kobalt Label Services Design, Art Direction: Farrow, PSB Engineer [Engineering]: Pete Gleadall, Stuart Price Management: Angela Becker, Becker Brown Management [Press]: Murray Chalmers PR Mastered By Tim Young Performer, Programmed By Pet Shop Boys Producer, Mixed By Stuart Price Programmed By [Additional Programming]: Stuart Price All songs published by Cage Music/Kobalt Music Publishing, except ‘Say it to me’ published by Cage Music/Kobalt Music Publishing/Elodine Songs Ltd/Warner Chappell Music Ltd. © 2016 x2 Recordings Ltd under exclusive licence to Kobalt Label Services. www.petshopboys.co.uk www.petshopboysinparis.forumactif.org Super Book Designed By Philippe Carini www.pcdd.fr
Photography: Joseph Sinclair
Super Items
Design and art direction: Farrow/PSB
Super CD Single 01 April 2016
Super White Vinyl 01 April 2016
The Pop Kids CD Single 18 March 2016
The Pop Kids White Vinyl 27 May 2016
Pet Shop Boys Interview At the end of 2015 Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant answered some questions about the new album, Super, which comes three years after the brilliant success of Electric, their highest-charting album in the UK and USA for 20 years. You toured your last album Electric for a long time – when did you start to write Super? Neil We started to write this album in London in 2014. The first song we wrote was (the single) “The Pop Kids”… Chris That was actually started on tour with Take That. Neil I didn’t know that…! Chris It was started in Munich. Hence it was originally called “Munich”. Neil On the tour with Take That, Chris had a little keyboard set-up. Chris After the shows I quite often don’t want a drink or even to go to the hotel bar – so rather than go to the hotel bar for one last drink I would switch the gear on and have a little go at writing some songs, without any thought of what they would be used for. But as I was doing this one (“The Pop Kids”) I did think it was rather good – so when we started writing for the album in Berlin I dug it up. What inspired the lyrics for “The Pop Kids”? N It is sort of a true story. You may have noticed that the lyrics say: “Remember those days, the early 90s? We both applied for places at the same university.” Mark Farrow (PSB designer) thought it was autobiographical. [Both laugh.] He said, “You’ve knocked a few years off there!” Actually, it’s about a friend of mine who moved from Birmingham to go to Kings College in London to study History and he made friends with a girl there. They both loved pop music and they used to go clubbing all the time and because of that they were known as the pop kids. I remember him telling me this and at one point I just wrote down the title “The Pop Kids” because I thought it sounded like a good song title. And when Chris dug out “Munich”, it made me think of “The Pop Kids” for some reason. C And also, it’s very early 90’s sounding. What’s the club on a Wednesday? Was that based on somewhere specific? N No, I just made that up. But I do know that this
person who inspired the song is the kind of person who would sweep to the front of the queue to get into a club and just get in. C Yes I’ve always really admired people like that. We’ve always just joined the back of the queue. [Laughs.] So going back to the start of the album, can you talk about when you wrote everything else? N Everything else started in November 2014. We have a little studio in Berlin that we use and we go there to write. We also have a studio in London but a lot of the time we worked in Berlin. We started going over there for two or three weeks at a time, and just writing, and over this period, which would be from November 2014 to July 2015, we wrote about 25 songs. So 11 of them are on the album.medication packaging, with each of the 12 songs contained in their own three-inch CD. These had to be popped through foil in a vacuum formed tray in order to play it, so it was literally like taking a headache pill. Ideas can come from anywhere. Would it be fair to say you were re-energised by Electric? N I don’t think we ever really feel not energised when we’re writing music. C But we did know that we were going to work with Stuart Price again, so we knew the sort of record that we would all enjoy making together. So we were sort of aiming towards that goal. And then Neil at one point said “we want to make it Electric but more so”. So it was going to be even more electric than Electric. That was the idea.
Published on 22nd March 2016 in Interviews by F.O.T.F
So do you think that’s what it is? Or then what happened?
set up in LA but it could be anywhere really. Musically it doesn’t make any difference at all. Because you didn’t write it there?
N Stuart came over to our studio in London in July and we listened through to everything we’d written and made a decision to go with the more electronic/dancey ones, including darker songs, like “Sad robot world”. We had ones which were more conventionally “pop” that we decided not to put on, but maybe might be on the next album. We wanted to make an album that had a very strong electronic mood all the way through it. It felt like Electric had been a sort of “rebooting” of the Pet Shop Boys, reminding ourselves that we came into this whole thing because we liked electronic music. Until this album and the previous album we’ve never been electronic purists – there have always been other instruments and orchestras and things like that. Whereas this album and Electric are purely electronic albums. When do you decide who’s going to be the producer, or had you already decided that? C Well I don’t know if Stuart knew this but Neil had already announced that it was going to be a trilogy of albums produced by Stuart Price! But Stuart said a really nice thing – before we even worked with him – that he would work with us, but that we just didn’t know it yet. Is there any weird juxtaposition between writing the music in Europe and then going to Los Angeles to record it, because I think you’ve got quite strong feelings about Los Angeles as a place? C Not at all – really in this case it’s because Stuart is
N No and also writing in Berlin; your classic writing in Berlin means you’re looking at the Berlin Wall or something and of course it’s not like that anymore. So writing in Berlin now, if there’s an influence, it’s the fact that you’re in a very clubby kind of place. C Yeah when we were making the track “Inner sanctum”, and producing it with Stuart, we definitely kept thinking this should work well in Berghain, in that big cavernous power station. I mean you can imagine that even though you’re not in Berlin – even though you’re in Beverly Hills at the time! Where did the album title “Super” come from? C I was walking to the studio one day and I kept imagining Germans saying “super”, because they say ‘super’ in a certain way – “SUPER, JA! ” – and they say ‘super’ a lot… and I just thought “Oh, super!” Because we’d been through a few titles, hadn’t we? N And “Super” is an international word. It’s a Latin word in fact. C Also I could always imagine doing a “Super Hits Tour”. Can you talk a little about “Twenty-something” and “Groovy”, where everyone’s doing a start-up and everyone’s groovy? N Well “Twenty-something” is in the Pet Shop Boys tradition of observing. It’s just looking around in Shoreditch or Soho and seeing what everyone’s like, and also it’s about people you might meet. And also there’s this anthropologist side of me, looking at people and just seeing how we behave, and how interesting it is and how different people are from the way they were 20 or 30 years ago. It’s meant to be a sympathetic song because the basic message is that if you’re twenty-something it’s quite hard to get a decent job, and it’s quite hard if you do get a job to get paid enough money, and then it’s quite hard to get a flat in London. So it’s about being twenty-something in London specifically.
Pet Shop Boys Interview Musically it’s quite interesting because it was inspired by Chris going to a club in Columbia. C We were on tour all around Latin America, and we were hearing reggaeton everywhere. But there was this one night where we went to this great club in Bogota. On the top floor they weren’t playing house music and everyone in there was smiling and dancing to this reggaeton music. And on the way to our gig we were listening to a reggaeton radio channel and we were a bit obsessed with it really. What is “reggaeton” ? C [Reads] “Reggaeton is a music genre with roots in Latin and Caribbean music. It blends musical influences of Jamaican dancehall and Trinidadian soca with those of Puerto Rico such as salsa” – oh, imagine all of this on our record! – “salsa, bomba, Latin American hip hop and electronica. Vocals include rapping and singing – lyrics tend to be in a hip hop style. N But not in this song! [Laughter.] • “The dictator decides” Do you want to say whom it’s about? N Obviously we have several dictators in the world at the moment. What I hope is interesting about it is that in the song the dictator wants to be free as well. He’s sick of oppressing people and really he wants to give up and flee and live on the beach in the Mediterranean. I don’t even know why I thought of this, but it came to my head – the idea of a dictator wanting to give up, the dictator feeling trapped. “Pazzo! ” means crazy doesn’t it? N Yes, in Italian. C We’d done a track, and we were just about to finish working in the studio and I kept all the sounds from this previous song and wrote this. It was just such a throwaway thing. Quite often that’s the case when you’re not actually trying to do anything and that’s all that was; it was done very quickly. N On this album there are three almost instrumental tracks – “Happiness”, “Inner sanctum” and “Pazzo! ”– and I think they make the album breathe a
bit. Also I like the instrumental electronic quality of them in the same way I liked David Bowie’s instrumental electronic tracks in the 70s. “Inner sanctum” made me think of an updated “Sound of the atom splitting” or something crazy in that way… N Yes it’s very expansive, the sound of it and of course it’s an EDM idea, “Inner sanctum”. We’ve been to clubs in Las Vegas and you think, oh, this is the inner sanctum – this is where you’re drinking champagne with the DJ. Do PSB want to be in the inner sanctum or would you rather be outside? C No, more like the outer sanctum. N None the less, its trying to capture, in an un-cynical way, the excitement of getting into the inner sanctum and how you’re enjoying it and thinking you’re where it’s at and for many people there is an excitement and thrill about that – and quite rightly so. So it’s sort of celebrating life. It does seem very celebratory this record, even though a lot of it is lyrically reflective. N I think so too. I mean, opening with “Happiness” which is a sort of truthful, philosophical statement – “ It’s a long way to happiness but I’m going to get there…” When you are making a record, at what point do you start to think how we are going to perform it or does that come afterwards? N I don’t think there’s an influence as you’re writing it but we might say to each other “Oh, this might sound good in concert” or “This could be the opening track of the new show”.
Published on 22nd March 2016 in Interviews by F.O.T.F
And obviously there is a long string of amazing collaborators on live productions in your past. Do you want to talk about the process of collaboration on a live show? N Well on the new shows, and on the last tour, and the tour before, we worked with Es Devlin and on the last two with Lynne Page. And they know from working with us that the conventions of the pop/rock concert don’t have to be observed – apart from the practicality that we can get the show in a venue and get it out again. Also with our shows there’s not a story line but there is a sort of through line that links the whole and Lynne is particularly good at achieving that with the choreography. And we like working with dancers. With this show, we will play the Royal Opera House and then a tour in probably 2017, with maybe some dates later in 2016. Why the Royal Opera House? N The Royal Opera House came about ages ago because, like all opera houses in the world, in the summer months, their regular opera and ballet companies aren’t doing performances and so the opera houses are rented out to touring opera or ballet companies. The Royal Opera House has been quite keen to broaden the audience that comes into it. For instance, a few years ago Rufus Wainwright did a series of shows there in the summer that worked very well and the ROH approached us to see if we wanted to do something similar. We thought it would be exciting, when you have a new album coming out, to have a big event and to play four nights at the ROH, a venue a lot of people won’t have been to, the grandest theatre in London with amazing facilities and all the rest of it. There is actually a creative tension between an institution like the ROH and electronic dance music and I think that we’re hoping that will prove to be a rather fruitful tension because it’s exciting
to take electronic music into a venue that doesn’t normally have it. So in terms of the production, will that be informed by the venues, because this is a show that you are going to have to take on tour? Or it is going to be especially for the ROH? N I think there will be elements of it that will go into the next tour but with the ROH it’s an extraordinary space you’ve got. I think there will be a site-specific element to it. And you’re working with Es Devlin again. N Es has worked there quite a lot designing opera and she knows the ins and outs of the ROH and how the space works so she’ll have some great ideas. Will people be able to stand up and dance? It’s not restricted? N Yes, people will be able to stand and dance, albeit in a seated venue. I think it’s going to be exciting because it’s both a very glamorous place and an enormous cultural space which will be filled with electronic music. But at the same time we do feel a bit at home there – we have written a ballet, we did perform at the Proms last year at the Royal Albert Hall. It brings together different strands of what we’re doing. And of course you played many nights at The Savoy Theatre. N Yes, that’s probably the most similar thing to it, actually. N I think its old Pet Shop Boys mixed with new Pet Shop Boys. C It’s super, isn’t it?
Interview by Murray Chalmers/MCPR Photographies by Pelle Crépin Management: Angela Becker/Becker Brown ©2016 Pet Shop Boys Partnership Ltd.
Mark Farrow Interview You’ve worked with bands, brands and all types of companies and people. But how did you start out as a designer? I was always drawn to the way things look. This began to manifest itself as a teenager when I really started to enjoy music. I was never going to be a musician but that couldn’t stop me from designing record covers for them. I grew up in Manchester which is hundreds of miles from London, where the music business was. My chances of getting to work with musicians were pretty slim in theory, but I was lucky because Punk happened. It was short-lived but Punk’s spirit of independence meant that bands and small labels appeared up and down the country, and I had what I believed was the best one of all to aim for: Factory Records. I was about eighteen years old then and working for small ad agencies and design companies doing dull work. But at the weekend I worked in a small record store, the unremarkably named Discount Records. It was a tiny shop with walls covered in home-spun indie record sleeves. Small as it was the shop was kind of the centre of the universe for anyone into music then. Tony Wilson, who founded Factory Records, along with Rob Gretton who managed Joy Division (later new Order), as well as designers Peter Saville and Malcolm Garrett all used to frequent the place, so it was a real hotbed for me as a kid. I had formed friendships with lots of the ‘customers’ (we were all just hanging out really) and a bunch of them formed a band, The Stockholm Monsters. They were offered a deal with Factory so they asked me to design the cover for their first single, Fairy Tales, and that was it, I was up and running! You’ve worked with Pet Shop Boys on their new album, and have worked on many of their previous albums and tours. How did you end up working with them? The work I was doing for Factory was an amazing experience and gave me a real sense of freedom and a belief that I could achieve anything I wished, given the opportunity. But at the same time there wasn’t enough work to sustain a career. I hated what I was doing at my day job and realised I had to move to London to be able to get the work I wanted. So I applied for a job with a London-based design company called XL. They were hot at the time de-
signing for the ZTT label and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. My folder of flyers, posters and Factory single sleeves did enough to get me the job and I moved to London. XL was an interesting set up inasmuch as it had three divisions: design, film and music management. The latter was run by Tom Watkins and he had recently signed a band called Pet Shop Boys. He felt they would like the minimal aesthetic of my work, and he was right. The first thing I worked on for them was a 10 inch remix sleeve for “West End Girls”, which went on to reach number one in the charts (not because of my sleeve I hasten to add). Obviously music is a very important part of your personal life. How important is listening to music in your creative process? Music’s constantly playing in the studio, so it’s very important in that respect – I’m not sure we’d manage without it! In terms of it relating to a project we are working on, it’s always good to hear what it is that you’re designing for. A concept for an album’s design can come from the music but it’s just as likely to come from the album’s title or a conversation with the artist. When we did the pac kaging for the Spiritualized album, Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space, the idea came from something Jason Pierce from the band said in our first meeting: that music was medication for the soul. We designed the album to resemble oversized prescription medication packaging, with each of the 12 songs contained in their own three-inch CD. These had to be popped through foil in a vacuum formed tray in order to play it, so it was literally like taking a headache pill. Ideas can come from anywhere.
London, March 2016, photo: Elliot Kennedy
How does working with musicians and performers differ from other projects you’ve worked on?
it’s great to work with them. We also work with one of the best contemporary art galleries in London, Sadie Coles HQ.
Different types of project will always present different sets of problems and we deal with those appropriately. Music projects are the same as they have a unique set of problems, just like all other projects. I suppose the biggest difference is the egos! Working with musicians can, on occasion, be problematic. If they have direction and you are being pushed as a designer then that’s good, but if it’s somebody just disappearing up their own backside then that’s a problem. For the most part I’m pleased to say that isn’t the case. Pet Shop Boys are a good case in point, they often arrive with an idea, but if we have a better idea then that is the one that we go with (or vice versa). It’s all about the strongest idea, not whose idea it was.
Could you tell us some specific top memories behind the Super project.
There’s three of you working together here. How important is collaboration in your work? It’s important on every level. It starts in the studio. There’s three of us – Gary Stillwell, Fred Ross and myself. We’re a small setup but prolific considering our size. Again, the best idea wins, not who thought of it. We’ve had long-standing collaborations in music with Pet Shop Boys, Manic Street Preachers and Spiritualized, which has led to some great work. Right now a lot of our work is outside music but we still get to collaborate with some great people from the industrial design field with Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson, Ross Lovegrove and Terence Woodgate. These are people at the top of their game so
It’s particularly exciting when a new Pet Shop Boys project starts. Not least because Neil and Chris are probably the most fun its possible to have in a meeting. It’s never just an album cover we work on – it’s singles and the advertising, all of which is often followed by a world tour, which means apparel, tour book, posters and so on. So its quite an undertaking. That it has to be strong, simple and memorable is a given, not least now that a lot of music lives on a tiny mobile screen. When we first met with Neil and Chris about this album I think they had three possible titles. Of those we liked Super straight away and that seemed to persuade them that it was the title to go with. Neil described this album as feeling a little “unhinged”. Chris said he wanted the cover to be brash. For the last album, Electric, we created what was almost a piece of op-art, a geometric pattern that messes with your eyes when you stare at it. This time we went pop art, a fluorescent circle containing the word “SUPER” in a contrasting fluorescent colour. Then each format, CD, LP and digital, was given its own fluorescent colour scheme. The different music streaming services even have their own colour schemes. These colour schemes then come together in an animation of clashing colours used for online advertising and digital poster sites. Unhinged and brash, yes, but it also feels considered and complete as a campaign. I heard the other day that Pet Shop Boys have sold 50 million records worldwide. That means an awful lot of people have come in to contact with our work because of the Pet Shop Boys, which is super in itself.
http://journal.beoplay.com/journal/2016/4/1/meet-markfarrow-designer-for-the-pet-shops-boys
Pet Shop Boys: Symposium
Why the Pet Shop Bots are worthy of academic consideration
24/25 March 2016, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh petshopboyssymposium.tumblr.com @psbsymposium
and experimental videos with the hard business of flogging records (more than 50m worldwide since 1986) with the ease that the Pet Shop Boys have. It’s why they deserve an academic conference in a way that Oasis, say, never will.
We invite proposals for 20-minute papers, as well as pre-constituted panels of 3 or 4 papers, on any aspect of the career of the Pet Shop Boys.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the release of their debut album Please, the University of Edinburgh is pleased to announce that it will host a two-day symposium on the history and work of the Pet Shop Boys. Despite their prolific contributions to popular culture over the last thirty years – including music, theatre, cinema, books, and film soundtracks – very little scholarly work has been produced on the band. This symposium aims to begin to rectify this omission: the organisers hope to produce an edited collection of essays based on the talks at the symposium.
This could include: - Analyses of particular songs, albums, videos or tours - Pet Shop Boys and fashion - Packaging and aesthetics: Pet Shop Boys and Farrow Design - Pet Shop Boys and producers, from Stephen Hague to Stuart Price - Pet Shop Boys and divas, from Dusty Springfield to Madonna - Pet Shop Boys and Englishness - Gender and sexuality in the songs and videos of the Pet Shop Boys - Pet Shop Boys and the art of the interview - Pet Shop Boys and disco, including the Disco albums Keynote speakers at the symposium will include Professor Stan Hawkins (University of Oslo) and Lucy O’Brien (Senior Lecturer, UCA). The event will also include: additional guests (tbc); screenings; domino dancing.
The Pet Shop Boys Symposium branding + identity was designed in collaboration with Bond Studio. Working alongside Lecturer Glyn Davis to create materials for advertising the event to the public. The concept was continuing the same minimalistic Mark Farrow aesthetic. The idea revolved around celebrating the 30 year of Pet Shop Boys through the evolution of the costuming, in particular their hats. This was a collaboration with Bond Studio, with myself as the leading Creative Director overseeing the project for the duration of the academic year.
For the past three decades, Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have – uniquely – written chart-topping music that’s as comfortable between the whistling lips of a milkman as booming from the speaker in a leather bar. Now, the electronic pop duo can add academia’s rarefied halls to that list. A two-day symposium in Edinburgh next week aims to celebrate and dissect their catalogue and influence, including talks on Disco Pastiche And The Haunting Of Aids and Musical Desire And Frustration In Two Early Songs. Happily enough, it all concludes with a disco. Academic conferences around music are not exactly new (at one devoted to the Fall, notorious control freak Mark E Smith sent his mum along to keep an eye on proceedings) but often feature geeky fans earnestly discussing their vinyl collections over pints of mild. However, PSB symposium organiser Glyn Davis has a different take. “We wanted to focus attention on a band that was more ‘pop’,” he says, “but which had been equally pivotal to British culture of the last few decades.” Indeed, there are few bands who’ve managed to combine the high art of elaborate stage shows
A former music critic, Tennant has always been an acute observer of pop’s DNA, well placed to subvert it using other art forms. Take the rousing song It’s A Sin, with its video by director Derek Jarman. Controversially, it used Catholic imagery in a radical and defiant rejection of religious moralising in a more homophobic age than now. Every PSB tour, meanwhile, has been a theatrical extravaganza – with choreography, complicated sets and costumes – rather than a mere gig. The Pet Shop Boys are still taking this hugely fun, collage approach, raiding both art and pop in the name of hits. Recent track Love Is A Bourgeois Construct, offers much to chew over, featuring EDM-inspired brash beats, Auto-Tune, a melody taken from 17th-century composer Henry Purcell and lyrics about “taking tea like Tony Benn”. And their new album Super will be followed by a residency at the grandiose Royal Opera House. Ever ahead of the curve, the Pet Shop Boys point to a future in which more pop acts will have their work discussed by academics. Arguably, the signs are already there in the endless think pieces that spring up every time Beyoncé releases a video or Kanye boils an egg. In the future, perhaps we’ll finally be able to get our heads around the Bataillean implications of Lady Gaga’s meat dress. Luke Turner, Friday 18 March 2016 Photography: Joseph Sinclair theguardian.com/music/2016/mar/18/pet-shopboys-academic-symposium
“The legendary British electro-pop duo are still kicking—and celebrating their third decade together with this ebullient new album.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“Pet Shop Boys are still peerless in the electropop realm” THE ONION A.V. CLUB
“Thirty years after ‘West End Girls’ catapulted them to superstardom, the Pet Shop Boys are still super” ADVOCATE
“The pair blend the romantic and the satirical.”
USA TODAY
“On their latest, Super, they recall their own past with trademark arch wit.” PITCHFORK
“What drivesSuper is the duo’s overarching vision, which helps the album flow together like a night at a club: one that Pet Shop Boys exist inside and above, simultaneously.”
THE BOSTON GLOBE
“[‘The Pop Kids’ is] eminently danceable and has just the right amount of pop.” USA TODAY
“[‘Happiness’ is] a pounding dance jam.” STEREOGUM
“[‘The Pop Kids’ Remix is] designed to send club-goers into a dance trance.” VICE/NOISEY
“firmly planted well within the heart of the dance floor” CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND “The iconic British duo have made an indelible mark on popular music” IDOLATOR
“One of the most prolific acts in electronic pop” POPCRUSH
Photography: Pelle Crépin
