Suburbia (5:04)
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“Suburbia” is a song by UK synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was remixed and released as the fourth single from the album Please in 1986 and became the band’s second UK Top 10 hit, peaking at #8.
The song’s horrific depiction of its subject has made it an often-quoted piece of musical commentary on the nature of suburbs.
The song’s primary inspiration is the 1984 Penelope Spheeris film Suburbia, and its depiction of violence and squalor in the suburbs of Los Angeles; in addition… , the tension of the Brixton riots of 1981 and of 1985 hanging in recent memory led Neil Tennant of the duo to thinking about the boredom of suburbia and the underlying tension among disaffected youth that sparked off the riots at the least provocation.
The various versions of the song are punctuated by sounds of suburban violence: rioting noises and smashing glass, as well as snarling dogs on the re-recorded single version (extended even further on the music video), which were derived from scenes in Suburbia. The Please version of the song sounds very sparse in comparison.
The bassline of the song is based on “Into the Groove” by Madonna.
The main musical theme of the song is greatly influenced by Chuck Mangione’s 1977 jazz-pop track Feels So Good.
The video was directed by Eric Watson, and features footage of the Pet Shop Boys in a Los Angeles’ suburb, as they happened to be there for that year’s MTV Music Awards.
The song’s horrific depiction of its subject has made it an often-quoted piece of musical commentary on the nature of suburbs.
The song’s primary inspiration is the 1984 Penelope Spheeris film Suburbia, and its depiction of violence and squalor in the suburbs of Los Angeles; in addition… , the tension of the Brixton riots of 1981 and of 1985 hanging in recent memory led Neil Tennant of the duo to thinking about the boredom of suburbia and the underlying tension among disaffected youth that sparked off the riots at the least provocation.
The various versions of the song are punctuated by sounds of suburban violence: rioting noises and smashing glass, as well as snarling dogs on the re-recorded single version (extended even further on the music video), which were derived from scenes in Suburbia. The Please version of the song sounds very sparse in comparison.
The bassline of the song is based on “Into the Groove” by Madonna.
The main musical theme of the song is greatly influenced by Chuck Mangione’s 1977 jazz-pop track Feels So Good.
The video was directed by Eric Watson, and features footage of the Pet Shop Boys in a Los Angeles’ suburb, as they happened to be there for that year’s MTV Music Awards.
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Pet Shop Boys, Live in Skopje Macedonia
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Shouts
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Scarlett1991 wrote:
beauuuuuuuuuuutiful song :-) love the piano.
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nadsab wrote:
I ♥ SUBURBIA!
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scarboro wrote:
This song reminds me of the 1980s for some reason.
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bsimpson1972 wrote:
OMG! Severe case of nostalgia! What a great pop-song! And what's up with those true, yet sinister lyrics anyway?!?!? :)))
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michimix666 wrote:
when i was like 10 years old and started focusing more on pop music this was aired many times, great song. lot of memories, first lovin feelings... school sucks... mum i dont want that fresh milk from the cow, its awful, lets buy it from the store... hehe...
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RoryPancakes wrote:
Damn..now Im nostalgic,...
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GOTTarmin wrote:
BEAUTIFUL ! "165,895 mal"
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Jora490 wrote:
Increible... jamás me puedo cansar de escucharla.
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Suzymari wrote:
very good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Lady80s wrote:
Great song, many memories ...!
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furrycheeky wrote:
This track gave me a shock, driving along rather fast on the motorway, and then the sirens on the track made me think I just been caught by the police. Rather lucky it wasn't really them.
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MAX650071 wrote:
VIVAN LOS 80 Y SU MUSICA!!!
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asicore wrote:
This reminds me of my childhood ♥ (:
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CasanovaLament wrote:
I Love Pet Shop Boys :)
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agregao wrote:
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo que bonito
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coanta wrote:
VERY COOL!
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norvas2 wrote:
cool
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ric_sz wrote:
vivan los 80
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constantwinter wrote:
So much fun!
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BennyT11 wrote:
this is a remix right? the original single version is a lot better
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Recent Activity
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xSchutzstaffel and christianschou loved Pet Shop Boys – Suburbia. 59 minutes ago
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The_Poodle added Suburbia to The_Poodle’s library. yesterday morning
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drudge10 added Suburbia to the playlist RAF pop 1. Sunday evening
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BreakTheBat and Barfo51 added Pet Shop Boys – Suburbia to their libraries. Saturday evening
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BreakTheBat added Suburbia to the playlist Bear & Ty's Mix. Saturday evening
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Cowomally, Muptard, starkandy and 1 other person loved Pet Shop Boys – Suburbia. Saturday morning
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Enrico17 added Suburbia to the playlist. Thursday afternoon
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