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PET SHOP BOYS

Pet Shop Boys are an electronic pop duo from England who formed in 1981, comprising of ex-Smash Hits writer Neil Francis Tennant (born July 10, 1954 in North Shields, Northumberland) and one-time architecture student Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959 in Blackpool).

The duo launched their career with the rerecorded West End Girls in 1985 which became the first of four Number 1s for the Pet Shop Boys, and also topped the Billboard charts.  In May 2024 Official Charts also revealed West End Girls to be Pet Shop Boys' most-streamed song of all time too. Pet Shop Boys are the most successful duo in UK music history, racking up sales of in excess of 100 million, and the recipients of three BRIT Awards for Best Single (West End Girls in 1987), Best Group (1988) and an Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2009.

They have also won Outstanding Contribution to British Music at the Ivor Novello Awards in 2000. They’ve worked with, collaborated and remixed the likes of Dusty Springfield, Liza Minelli, Elton John, Robbie Williams, David Bowie and Madonna.

On 3 May 2024 Nonetheless landed as the week's highest new entry on the Official Albums Chart at Number 2, Pet Shop Boys' highest-charting LP in 31 years, since Very topped the chart in 1993.

PET SHOP BOYS Songs stats

UK No1s
4
UK Top 10s
22
UK Top 40s
44
UK Top 75s
47
Weeks at No1
12
Weeks in the Top 10
67
Weeks in the Top 40
177
Weeks in the Top 75
263

PET SHOP BOYS Albums stats

UK No1s
1
UK Top 10s
19
UK Top 40s
27
UK Top 75s
30
Weeks at No1
1
Weeks in the Top 10
45
Weeks in the Top 40
194
Weeks in the Top 75
351

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Matell

0

I'm so excited to hear that The Pet Shop Boys are back on top of the charts releasing new music for the fans. I have to say that I grew up listening to them religiously. I'm also, happy that my new song "Tell Me." is on the same sales charts as "Monkey Business" at # 3 and "Tell Me" is #4 on junodownload.com [Funky/Club/House] charts.

Matell
"Tell Me"

https://www.junodownload.com/products/matell-tell-me/4365756-02/

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Andr Krawutk

-1

CHARTS in the late 90s and early 00s were so stupid

PSB CHATED a lot. Their fan base bought their singles in the first week and they reached high positions. But then those singles fell off the charts

actually those ''Hits'' were huge flops.-

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Alfred Lock

0

It entered at a respectable No.3 behind Lukas Graham and The Last Shadow Puppets. It's their 16th top 10 album and 12th top 5 one overall. Impressive!

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Andr Krawutk

0

thats stupid. It flopped. Just their fan base bought that album in the first week then it fell to #68

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Tom Hocknell

0

How reassuring to see the figures - and still going - and another top 10 album with Super - This is how Pet Shop Boys changed Pop -

https://tomhocknell.wordpress.com/2016/01/21/a-letter-to-west-end-girls/

And Super sounds great on vinyl.

RL

Ryan Lewis

3

There's no point blaming anyone. Every product has its own life cycle. Blame economics! I for one would love to be a teenager again with disposable income. Now if I have money spare I use it to treat the whole family not myself. I cnt remember the last time I bought a physical copy of anything. If it wasn't for Spotify and You tube I would be back to being pre teen recording songs on tape from the radio!!!

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Kasper Elbjørn

0

If only the charts were based on economics! The charts does not reflect what songs earn the most, but it's really a good way to list the singles going forward

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Andr Krawutk

1

PSB had a good fan base which bought their singles in the first week but then the singles fell out off the charts
that was not good

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Lars Dirch Sørensen

1

Good point there. Actually so good it is worth reviving after some 5 years. Times move on and lets just face it that we old folks are no longer in the ruling position. We may have more money than when we were 20 years old but our priorities are different. Sure it would be fine to buy 100s of records (or stream or whatever) but what really "tempts" the purse is yet another trip to Ikea, ridiculous expensive shoes for the kids and that stubborn loan.
Bah ... I probably purchased 2 records the last 12 months (Paul McCartney and some obscure Dead Can Dance from the 90s) - nothing like this is gonna rock the charts i guess :)

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Alfred Lock

2

According to recent stories Sainsburys' are re-introducing vinyl back into 172 branches for starters. You cannot keep an old format down so there is hope yet for the veteran artists as physical sales show with The Pet Shop Boys being no.1 this week . Take away downloads and streams and it would be a of a lot different.

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Andr Krawutk

1

thats a stupid idea

pet shop boys have a fan base which buys their stuff in the first week and nobody else

do you think it is fair to have ''HITS'' which reach high positions in the first week but then disappear from the Top 100?

whats the aim for that stupid chart system ?

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Alfred Lock

2

I blame those ageist pigs Radio 1 and Spotify for almost all artists over 35 no longer charting(Coldplay and Noel Gallagher being the rare exceptions) and they wonder why they have declining audiences and lack of awards. Long live the far more fairer Radio 2!

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Sparky Nolan

0

And Radio 6 - the fastest growing station in the UK.

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Kasper Elbjørn

0

I blame the chart rules.

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Andr Krawutk

-2

thats the life cycle

PSB were my heroes in the 90s but it is not fair to let them play their newer stuff to younger audiences. That s a new generation

DK

Dave Knight

13

I've noticed since downloading took over physical sales of singles, lots of the older artists don't even have hit singles anymore. For example cd singles are almost as extinct as the dinosaurs. But this isn't fair to me, and the top 100 singles charts are so bland its ridiculous. I just hope downloading doesn't have the same affect on the album charts, or we wouldn't see any artists over the age of 25 anymore. It wouldn't be worth them being musicians. Something needs to spark a comeback of the physical single, just like vinyl is making a comeback now. Bring back the 7inch vinyl single I say.

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Kasper Elbjørn

4

Downloading is fine as long as people pay. It doesnt make sense to have a chart based on streaming. It would mean my old mix-tapes should count in the 80's. Stupid!

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Andr Krawutk

0

i love the pet shop boys and have all of their studio albums from 86 to 2009
but you have to be honest

charts in the 90s in the UK TOP 75 were stupid and not really reliable
The sales were so low, that a band like PSB could reach easily the top 10 for one week with their new singles
but it was not good because after that week the singles fell from the top 10 to # 40 or something

In the 90s and early 00s pet shop boys could reach with their singles the top 10 or top 20 but just for 1 week. You cannot measure this as success

for example in 2002 HOME AND DRY reached # 14 on the UK CHARTS but sold just 2,000 copies

in 2007 when downloads were high with 2,000 copies they could not even reach the uk top 200

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Andr Krawutk

1

charts should measure success and popularity

streaming measures that

it was not fair that in the late 90s and early 00s pet shop boys could reach high positions but fell out of the charts after 3 weeks

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Andr Krawutk

0

you are right

but iTunes and paid downloads were a good measurement of success and popularity

Mind that in 2006 or so the download numbers exploded and that was good

Nowadays iTUNES is meaningless for charts

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MrTop11111

4

PSB's don't have chart hits in the same way because A.The world has moved on to younger, blander acts producing cookie cutter R&B American styled pop and B. The way the download charts are configured is so dumb now that single artists as PSB's were have to fight tooth and nail to get heard. I propose that a new ruling be introduced where the "artist" choose one or two singles from their releases at a time and regardless of how many album tracks are sold, these cannot feature in the top 100 chart. Only the singles that have been pre-chosen. No more album tracks gumming up download chart. It would be much fairer and we wouldn't have the same boring records sticking around the charts for a year at a time.

DK

Dave Knight

1

Shame how things have gone from bad to worse since I typed this 6 years ago, now that streaming dominates the official charts which is really quite a travesty, especially as artists dont get paid properly. But music has gone further downhill which is cutting off a certain age group of music fans all together, as streaming is a youngsters choice.

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Zimowski

0

i wonder how you feel now, when streaming has taken over downloads, and those older artists can't even have a top100 entry for one week anymore.

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MrTop11111

0

I find it quite interesting that PSB have become a group that they both hinted they would never be.Which means that a staunch singles machine has become an album and tour band with the modern introduction of online charting,downloads etc.The singles seem to flounder totally unfairly and the albums/tours seem quite strong and enduring.I miss the PSB and waiting to see the newest video for the latest chart friendly mix on TV and not some seedy website.As things must pass and pass away(George Harrison) I suppose your favourite songsters must change and evolve into something different too.btw does Madonna realise she isn't 21 anymore?

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Sparky Nolan

3

Yes, I am sure Madonna is perfectly aware that she is isn't 21 any more. Do you want to walk around looking like the walking epitome of a mid life crisis or like Michael Foot just because you're older? Well, neither does Madonna, so let her do what she wants (she will anyway, without your petty prejudices.)

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Andr Krawutk

2

,,staunch singles machine''

excuse me ? Did you realize that their singles in the 90s and early 00s reached the top 10 and top 20 just in the first week and then disappeared from the charts?

Thats ridiculous. Their fan base bought the singles in the first week and then bye bye

There was virtually no interest from other people in their stuff

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Andr Krawutk

-1

i love madonna but she cheated and probably paid payola

in the UK that does not work

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Alfred Lock

2

Yep the stupid streaming generation which I want no part of. Still these veteran acts have still got it live and will have many a legacy that a lot of todays stars will struggle to match...Oh yes and Sainsburys is stupid for the vinyl idea I presume and not me thank you?

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Andr Krawutk

-1

hi thank you for your answer ! im happy that somebody answered
But to be about PET SHOP BOYS

the boys had virtually no success in the singles charts since the early 90s

They reached high positions in the UK Charts but only for one week

do you call that success??

Do you know why they reached high positions those days?
Because sales were so low at that time

JH

John Hunt

1

Depends how you define success. Kate Bush has had two top ten hits in the last 33 years. Does that make her any less a legend? No.
I would put the Pet Shop Boys in the same category.