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About This Track
“West End Girls” is a song by pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and was their first hit, reaching number one in the US and UK 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 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.
Send ‘West End Girls’ Ringtone to Cell Similar Music
Play Pet Shop Boys RadioWith: Erasure, Electronic, West End Girls, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and more…
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Albums featuring this track
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Discography
Pet Shop Boys
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PopArt - The Hits
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Shouts
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porsche944-84 wrote:
Used to play this song nearly every day when I worked the board at a radio station. The long intro made it great for VO's & transitions.
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pjgries wrote:
Never tire of this one.
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Psychedalex77 wrote:
this definitely inspired the lonely island with 'jizz in my pants'.
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robrues wrote:
best fucking intro eveeeeeer [2]
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brendareev wrote:
luuuuuuuuvvvvvvv'e it!
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ralvarado wrote:
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?)
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davidbowiegirl wrote:
Great song <3
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lilithsjp wrote:
classic
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puppyhand wrote:
Classic.
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maggiegus wrote:
still remember the first time hearing this song. Has a smooth, rythmic quality.
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mrpaul01 wrote:
I wonder how many jukeboxes have this song on them for profiling purposes?
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DanielDickey wrote:
Where the hell is the play button?
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Saranella wrote:
really perfect
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jakushkov wrote:
One of the best dance songs ever.
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goinghometime wrote:
Ahhhhh I just LOVE this song!
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led_sabbath wrote:
such a soft voice, deep yet high
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pizzake wrote:
Damn, i surely miss those times of being a good kid and not smoking nd suff.. :/
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retroguy wrote:
You know what really sucks about this song ? Not a damn thing.
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velvetblaq wrote:
Whispery. Sophisticated. Smooth.
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Silexxx wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wqfcwgT0Ds
Track Stats
880,618 Scrobbles
209,711 Listeners
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Recent Activity
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HyperU71, SnakeArtworX and providna_duga loved Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls. yesterday evening
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egilbech added West End Girls to egilbech’s library. yesterday afternoon
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nodak515, arabidjunebug, louisrobert9 and 4 other people loved Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls. yesterday morning
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Hildy75 added West End Girls to Hildy75’s library. Wednesday afternoon
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Taylephure, naynay1129, BigBabySweets8 and 3 other people loved Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls. Wednesday morning
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markj64 added West End Girls to markj64’s library. Tuesday evening
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fallenstarpoet, houawayang, kinghinton82 and 2 other people loved Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls. Tuesday evening
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novira added West End Girls to novira’s library. Monday evening
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novira added West End Girls to the playlist Only Hits5. Monday evening
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skinny-psycho added West End Girls to her Loved Tracks. Monday afternoon
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