West End Girls

"West End Girls" is a song by pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and included in their debut album Please. The single became their first hit, reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Official Charts in 1986. The lyrics were written in the early 1980s. The title and refrain refer to London's divide between the traditional and working class East End and the cosmopolitan, consumer-driven West End. The lyric "From Lake Geneva to the Finland Station" refers to the train route taken by Vladimir Lenin when he was smuggled by the Germans to Russia during World War I, and to Edmund Wilson's book on the subject, To the Finland Station. There is further Russian Revolution imagery in the Bobby Orlando produced version of the single, which includes the line, "All your stopping, stalling and starting, / Who do you think you are, Joe Stalin?"; this line was removed for the 1985 version. Neil Tennant has a degree in history and his interest in Russian history is evident in many other Pet Shop Boys projects, such as their soundtrack to the silent film The Battleship Potemkin. The single was first released in April 1984 through writer/producer Bobby Orlando's label, and although not a hit in the United Kingdom, it was a minor dance hit in The Netherlands, Belgium, France and the USA. This initial release, on Epic in the UK, featured a mainly instrumental B-side called "Pet Shop Boys". There have been numerous reissues and remixes of Orlando's version as he still owns the original recordings. The video featured Tennant and Lowe walking through the eponymous "West End" as locals. Having signed to the EMI label Parlophone and watching their first major label single—"Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)"—sink without a trace, the Pet Shop Boys decided to give "West End Girls" another release. After serious reworking by producer Stephen Hague, the track was re-released in August 1985 to greater acclaim. Stephen Hague suggested slowing the song down from its faster 1984 version. It was number one on the UK singles chart for two weeks and number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week (six months after its British chart success). It also was a Top 5 hit in Australia and throughout Europe. The success of the song helped the album Please climb into the Top 5 of the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The video for the second release was directed by Andy Morahan and Eric Watson; it consists of shots of Tennant in various down-at-heel parts of London while Lowe glowers behind him. FIRST VERSION Written by Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe Produced by Bobby Orlando Recorded New York, USA, Winter 1983 Released 9 April 1984 SECOND VERSION Written by Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe Produced by Stephen Hague Engineered by David Jacob Recorded at Advision Studios, 1985 Additional vocals by Helena Springs Released 28 October 1985

[Verse 1: Neil Tennant] Sometimes you're better off dead There's gun in your hand and it's pointing at your head You think you're mad, too unstable Kicking in chairs and knocking down tables In a restaurant in a West End town Call the police, there's a madman around Running down underground to a dive bar In a West End town [Chorus: Neil Tennant] In a West End town, a dead end world The East End boys and West End girls In a West End town, a dead end world The East End boys and West End girls West End girls [Verse 2: Neil Tennant & Helena Springs] Too many shadows, whispering voices Faces on posters, too many choices If, when, why, what? How much have you got? Have you got it, do you get it, if so, how often? And which do you choose, a hard or soft option? (How much do you need?) [Chorus: Neil Tennant] In a West End town, a dead end world The East End boys and West End girls In a West End town, a dead end world The East End boys and West End girls West End girls West End girls [Interlude: Helena Springs] (How much do you need?) [Chorus: Neil Tennant] In a West End town, a dead end world The East End boys and West End girls Ooh, West End town, a dead end world East End boys, West End Girls West End girls [Verse 3: Neil Tennant & Helena Springs] You've got a heart of glass or a heart of stone Just you wait 'til I get you home We've got no future, we've got no past Here today, built to last In every city, in every nation From Lake Geneva to the Finland station (How far have you been?) [Chorus: Neil Tennant & Helena Springs] In a West End town, a dead end world The East End boys and West End girls A West End town, a dead end world East End Boys, West End girls West End girls West End girls [Outro: Neil Tennant & Helena Springs] West End girls (How far have you been?) Girls East End boys And West End girls And West End girls (...forever) And West End girls (How far have you been?) East End boys The West End girls The West End boys And West End girls The West End girls The West End boys The West End girls