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One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem
Everything I've ever done
Everything I ever do
Every place I've ever been
Everywhere I'm going to
Over a career that spans four decades and thirteen studio albums with Pet Shop Boys, Neil Tennant has consistently proved himself to be one of the most elegant and stylish of contemporary lyricists. Arranged alphabetically, One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem presents an overview of his considerable achievement as a chronicler of modern the romance, the break-ups, the aspirations, the changing attitudes, the history, the politics, the pain.
The landscape of Tennant's lyrics is recognisably British in character - restrained and preoccupied with the mundane, occasionally satirical, yet also yearning for escape and theatrical release. Often surprisingly revealing, this volume is contextualised by a personal commentary on each lyric and an introduction by the author which gives a fascinating insight into the process and genesis of writing.
Flamboyant, understated, celebratory and elegiac, Neil Tennant's lyrics are a document of our times.
Everything I ever do
Every place I've ever been
Everywhere I'm going to
Over a career that spans four decades and thirteen studio albums with Pet Shop Boys, Neil Tennant has consistently proved himself to be one of the most elegant and stylish of contemporary lyricists. Arranged alphabetically, One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem presents an overview of his considerable achievement as a chronicler of modern the romance, the break-ups, the aspirations, the changing attitudes, the history, the politics, the pain.
The landscape of Tennant's lyrics is recognisably British in character - restrained and preoccupied with the mundane, occasionally satirical, yet also yearning for escape and theatrical release. Often surprisingly revealing, this volume is contextualised by a personal commentary on each lyric and an introduction by the author which gives a fascinating insight into the process and genesis of writing.
Flamboyant, understated, celebratory and elegiac, Neil Tennant's lyrics are a document of our times.
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2018
33 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Neil Tennant
11 books13 followersThere is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
For the Philosophy author, see: Neil Tennant
Neil Francis Tennant is an English musician, singer, songwriter, music journalist and co-founder of the synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He also was a journalist for Smash Hits, and was assistant editor for the magazine for a period in the mid-1980s.
In 1975, having completed a degree in history at North London Polytechnic (now London Metropolitan University), Tennant worked for two years as London editor for Marvel UK, the UK branch of Marvel Comics. He also wrote occasional features for the comics, including interviews with pop stars Marc Bolan and Alex Harvey. In 1977, he moved to Macdonald Educational Publishing where he edited The Dairy Book Of Home Management and various illustrated books about cookery, playing the guitar, and other home interests. Then he moved to ITV Books where he edited TV tie-in books. [wikipedia]
For the Philosophy author, see: Neil Tennant
Neil Francis Tennant is an English musician, singer, songwriter, music journalist and co-founder of the synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He also was a journalist for Smash Hits, and was assistant editor for the magazine for a period in the mid-1980s.
In 1975, having completed a degree in history at North London Polytechnic (now London Metropolitan University), Tennant worked for two years as London editor for Marvel UK, the UK branch of Marvel Comics. He also wrote occasional features for the comics, including interviews with pop stars Marc Bolan and Alex Harvey. In 1977, he moved to Macdonald Educational Publishing where he edited The Dairy Book Of Home Management and various illustrated books about cookery, playing the guitar, and other home interests. Then he moved to ITV Books where he edited TV tie-in books. [wikipedia]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 11, 2018
‘One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem’ (2018) by Neil Tennant – comprises exactly what its’ title suggests. This a collection of Tennant’s song lyrics, selected by him spanning the whole of his career as lyricist with the Pet Shop Boys.
As a lifelong fan of the Pet Shop Boys and the wonderfully witty and insightful lyrics of Tennant, I was always going to be reading and very much looking forward to this collection. Tennant has said that he views ‘One Hundred Lyrics’ as the autobiography he has never otherwise written and reading this selection it’s easy to see why.
The lyrics included here are acknowledged by Tennant as being selected primarily by virtue of the ones that “read best on the page” – going on to say that the written page or printed book is “not the natural habitat of a song lyric”. That aside and such reservations notwithstanding, what does run throughout this selection, is the poetic nature of Tennant’s lyrics and ultimately just how well written, strong, witty, insightful, humorous and informed they are – and all this contained within the limited confines of the genre that is electropop. Tennant’s lyrics here, for the most part, overwhelmingly work on a standalone basis in their own right as written pieces. Although the caveat here – is that anyone familiar with the songs of the Pet Shop Boys, will perhaps have some difficulty reading these lyrics, without at least occasionally internally ‘hearing’ the familiar accompanying music (perhaps no bad thing).
The Pet Shop Boys and by extension Tennant’s lyrics, have often throughout their long and distinguished career, been dismissed by the industry naysayers, ‘serious’ music press and fan alike, as frivolous, disposable, two-dimensional pop music without meaning or substance. ‘One Hundred Lyrics’ clearly demonstrates the contrary. For anyone seeking ‘meaning’ – it his most definitely here.
Included here is an enlightening introduction written by Tennant along with footnotes accompanying each song lyric – all of which sheds significant light on his influences, inspirations and motivations as a song/lyric writer. Perhaps to the surprise of some, as well as providing us with everyday stories of life, death, love, loss and betrayal – Tennant’s lyrics clearly have an intellectual verging occasionally on esoteric basis and a lot more depth than his critics would otherwise have us believe.
Neil Tennant in his Pet Shop Boys songs and throughout this collection has demonstrated with seeing ease, the ability to frame serious, considered and important subject matter – accompanied by the all-important music of fellow Pet Shop Boy Chris Lowe, within the confines of the electropop song.
Often dismissed as either frivolous electropop for the masses, or at best – ironic and witty, what this collection of lyrics by Tennant shows is that yes, the Pet Shop Boys may indeed produce some of the best pop music ever created – in addition what Tennant’s lyrics do, is provide not only something meaningful but clearly poetic besides. It is perhaps this paradox or juxtaposition that is at the heart of why the songs of the Pet Shop Boys are so successful and mean so much to so many.
A fine collection of lyrics, an autobiography, a deconstruction of song meanings, a life in pop songs, call it what you will on whatever level you so choose – it’s a great read.
As a lifelong fan of the Pet Shop Boys and the wonderfully witty and insightful lyrics of Tennant, I was always going to be reading and very much looking forward to this collection. Tennant has said that he views ‘One Hundred Lyrics’ as the autobiography he has never otherwise written and reading this selection it’s easy to see why.
The lyrics included here are acknowledged by Tennant as being selected primarily by virtue of the ones that “read best on the page” – going on to say that the written page or printed book is “not the natural habitat of a song lyric”. That aside and such reservations notwithstanding, what does run throughout this selection, is the poetic nature of Tennant’s lyrics and ultimately just how well written, strong, witty, insightful, humorous and informed they are – and all this contained within the limited confines of the genre that is electropop. Tennant’s lyrics here, for the most part, overwhelmingly work on a standalone basis in their own right as written pieces. Although the caveat here – is that anyone familiar with the songs of the Pet Shop Boys, will perhaps have some difficulty reading these lyrics, without at least occasionally internally ‘hearing’ the familiar accompanying music (perhaps no bad thing).
The Pet Shop Boys and by extension Tennant’s lyrics, have often throughout their long and distinguished career, been dismissed by the industry naysayers, ‘serious’ music press and fan alike, as frivolous, disposable, two-dimensional pop music without meaning or substance. ‘One Hundred Lyrics’ clearly demonstrates the contrary. For anyone seeking ‘meaning’ – it his most definitely here.
Included here is an enlightening introduction written by Tennant along with footnotes accompanying each song lyric – all of which sheds significant light on his influences, inspirations and motivations as a song/lyric writer. Perhaps to the surprise of some, as well as providing us with everyday stories of life, death, love, loss and betrayal – Tennant’s lyrics clearly have an intellectual verging occasionally on esoteric basis and a lot more depth than his critics would otherwise have us believe.
Neil Tennant in his Pet Shop Boys songs and throughout this collection has demonstrated with seeing ease, the ability to frame serious, considered and important subject matter – accompanied by the all-important music of fellow Pet Shop Boy Chris Lowe, within the confines of the electropop song.
Often dismissed as either frivolous electropop for the masses, or at best – ironic and witty, what this collection of lyrics by Tennant shows is that yes, the Pet Shop Boys may indeed produce some of the best pop music ever created – in addition what Tennant’s lyrics do, is provide not only something meaningful but clearly poetic besides. It is perhaps this paradox or juxtaposition that is at the heart of why the songs of the Pet Shop Boys are so successful and mean so much to so many.
A fine collection of lyrics, an autobiography, a deconstruction of song meanings, a life in pop songs, call it what you will on whatever level you so choose – it’s a great read.
December 23, 2018
This book arrived in yesterday's mail. I read it in one sitting today. I pre-ordered it the moment it was available. I am a fan. An obsessive, screaming, sit in the pouring rain waiting for tickets fan. The Pet Shop Boys are the punctuation for my adult life. They have helped so many of us dance through the tears and mock the horror of daily life.
Neil Tennant. Lyrics. Faber. This is a match made in disco heaven. While the introduction could have been stronger on revealing Tennant's methodology, the lyrics themselves are extraordinary. We always knew they were extraordinary, from "West End Girls." Stripped of the propulsive rhythm from Chris Lowe, the starkness, chilling ruthlessness and melancholic sense that the situation will not end well are fully revealed.
This is a beautiful book. Neil Tennant was always meant to author a Faber book. This is a keeper. It is moving, potent, crushingly sad and bold in its disappointments.
Most of us cannot imagine our adult lives without the Pet Shop Boys. Reading these lyrics, we can see the narratives they have summoned for us, and the pathways they have created. High popular culture for troubling times.
Neil Tennant. Lyrics. Faber. This is a match made in disco heaven. While the introduction could have been stronger on revealing Tennant's methodology, the lyrics themselves are extraordinary. We always knew they were extraordinary, from "West End Girls." Stripped of the propulsive rhythm from Chris Lowe, the starkness, chilling ruthlessness and melancholic sense that the situation will not end well are fully revealed.
This is a beautiful book. Neil Tennant was always meant to author a Faber book. This is a keeper. It is moving, potent, crushingly sad and bold in its disappointments.
Most of us cannot imagine our adult lives without the Pet Shop Boys. Reading these lyrics, we can see the narratives they have summoned for us, and the pathways they have created. High popular culture for troubling times.
April 20, 2019
Selected lyrics from one half of Pet Shop Boys in a book with a lovely shiny cover. One of the things I like about many of the songs is that Neil Tennant can dispose of easy rhymes and poetic rhythm and still create a song that sounds just right. And then again he can write in a more typical poetic form. Each song is given a footnote by the author, adding details about particular references, whether personal, literary, political or historical, helping to flesh out these lyrics, covering subjects usually outside the remit of a pop song. Clever, often witty and, when needed, very moving stories from the past 30 plus years.
January 28, 2019
While listening to the Pet Shop Boys I've always assumed they were speaking for themselves, telling their stories and expressing their worldview, so one of the surprises in this tome for me was the variety of sources of inspiration and roles in the lyrics - many are like short stories in verse, effortlessly creating a micro fictional world with wildly different characters and emotions - "Only the Wind" for example, or "Hey, Headmaster", "The Dictator Decides", "So Hard". Many of the lyrics I'd interpreted wrong, others I'd gotten exactly right.
There are a lot of political allegories, especially at the turn of the Millennium, when Tennant was apparently bitterly disappointed with New Labour and the UK's participation in the so-called War on Terror. Donald Trump gets a few (unflattering) mentions in the commentary to some of the lyrics. Another big theme is the entertainment industry and its stars, mostly treated with biting satire, but with compassion, too, here and there.
I think my favourite are the ones inspired by real emotions and memories - the ones about heartbreak, the songs written for funerals of friends, the ones musing over the passage of time, nostalgia, the ways we change, love and friendship.
The commentary and the introduction are priceless, the insight it offers into Tennant/Lowe's writing and inspiration process is fascinating. I got the impression Neil is somewhat prideful, protective of his creativity and legacy, and maybe a touch defensive, because PSB have been dismissed as brainless pop, a one-hit wonder, once too often (you can see this especially clearly in "Your Early Stuff", composed entirely of things said to Tennant by a taxi driver who assumed the duo was long retired). But the impression is not unpleasant, on the contrary, it makes Tennant look like someone who believes in his life's work and won't let it be misrepresented.
The poem at the back, at only 4 lines long, is like a punch to the stomach.
There are a lot of political allegories, especially at the turn of the Millennium, when Tennant was apparently bitterly disappointed with New Labour and the UK's participation in the so-called War on Terror. Donald Trump gets a few (unflattering) mentions in the commentary to some of the lyrics. Another big theme is the entertainment industry and its stars, mostly treated with biting satire, but with compassion, too, here and there.
I think my favourite are the ones inspired by real emotions and memories - the ones about heartbreak, the songs written for funerals of friends, the ones musing over the passage of time, nostalgia, the ways we change, love and friendship.
The commentary and the introduction are priceless, the insight it offers into Tennant/Lowe's writing and inspiration process is fascinating. I got the impression Neil is somewhat prideful, protective of his creativity and legacy, and maybe a touch defensive, because PSB have been dismissed as brainless pop, a one-hit wonder, once too often (you can see this especially clearly in "Your Early Stuff", composed entirely of things said to Tennant by a taxi driver who assumed the duo was long retired). But the impression is not unpleasant, on the contrary, it makes Tennant look like someone who believes in his life's work and won't let it be misrepresented.
The poem at the back, at only 4 lines long, is like a punch to the stomach.
March 7, 2020
Neil Tennant is a poet -- and a genius -- and this book proves it without a doubt. The Cole Porter of my generation.
August 8, 2021
One of the joys of reading for pleasure is that I can buy and read whatever I want, whenever I want. I wanted to read some of Neil Tennant's lyrics and so I did. I read Neil Tennant back when he was writing in Smash Hits and now I've read this. I expected plenty of throwaway pop of the finest kind. I wasn't expecting so much satire, storytelling and melancholy. In tiny essays accompanying each song, we trace Tennant's role as an observer through the AIDS crisis of the 80s and a survivor into the 90s and 00s. There are stories of love and the end of love, just like with every other songwriter, but there are also stories of remembering and eulogizing.
The lysrics are presented in alphabetical rather than chronological order which was curious and I'm not sure what the selection process for inclusion was. There were a couple of key (for me) tracks that were missing - Liberation, Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is) - but this was a joy nonetheless.
The lysrics are presented in alphabetical rather than chronological order which was curious and I'm not sure what the selection process for inclusion was. There were a couple of key (for me) tracks that were missing - Liberation, Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is) - but this was a joy nonetheless.
August 23, 2020
‘One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem’ serves to once again show the world that the Pet Shop Boys are so much more than just a pop duo. They are true artists, with lyrics that draw inspiration ranging from great historical figures to the most mundane aspects of daily life, particularly in Britain. It is an eye-opening volume that establishes them as masters of their craft.
October 4, 2020
I read this whilst playing each of the 100 songs. As a lifelong fan of PSB I didn’t expect this to be so moving and insightful. Neil’s notes on each lyric was a revelation and I would often reflect on my own experiences at the time it was written. Highly recommended and has added so much more to my love and appreciation of Pet Shop Boys.
December 31, 2024
Neil Tennant je verovatno meni najdraži pisac tekstova i jedan od pevača koje najviše cenim, prevashodno
zbog toga što ono što peva zvuči kao da to zaista i misli i kaže nam.
Kao autor stihova za Pet Shop Boyse, Tennant je naravno imao priliku da napiše ono što misli ali to ne umanjuje umeće postizanja onog opisanog efekta.
U ovoj knjizi dobijamo izvanredan Neilov uvod o svom procesu rada, sa elementima autobiografije, a zatim i sto pesama sa pratećim opisima njihovog nastanka.
Jedna od veština Pet Shop Boysa jeste upravo sposobnost da prepakuju nešto što mislimo da nam je poznato u efektnu novu celinu. Takva je i ova knjiga, očekujemo zbirku starih pesama a onda dobijemo nešto mnogo više.
zbog toga što ono što peva zvuči kao da to zaista i misli i kaže nam.
Kao autor stihova za Pet Shop Boyse, Tennant je naravno imao priliku da napiše ono što misli ali to ne umanjuje umeće postizanja onog opisanog efekta.
U ovoj knjizi dobijamo izvanredan Neilov uvod o svom procesu rada, sa elementima autobiografije, a zatim i sto pesama sa pratećim opisima njihovog nastanka.
Jedna od veština Pet Shop Boysa jeste upravo sposobnost da prepakuju nešto što mislimo da nam je poznato u efektnu novu celinu. Takva je i ova knjiga, očekujemo zbirku starih pesama a onda dobijemo nešto mnogo više.
wish-list
November 20, 2018
One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem review – Neil Tennant’s superb songbook. A collection of Pet Shop Boys lyrics shows off their singer’s erudition and wit
January 25, 2019
Si la tecnología de hoy fuese la de treinta años atrás, este “libro” tendría un alto valor informativo. Las letras de cien canciones (en ese entonces no era tan fácil acceder a las mismas) y comentarios sobre el sobre el proceso creativo que las originó.
Pero la tecnología de hoy es la tecnología de hoy. No creo que ningún fan (que debemos ser el 99.9% de los lectores) no haya accedido a ellas, ya sea en línea o en la carátula de algunos discos, dentro de los cuales aparecen algunos de estos comentarios, si es que a unos cuantos se les pueda llamar así. Por ejemplo, una página completa es dedicada para la siguiente nota:
Y el gran complemento: un poema de veinticinco palabras, seguido de cuatro paginas en blanco.
PSB es mi banda favorita, en algunas hojas leía entonando las canciones y el fin de semana me lo pasé reviviendo su discografía. Pero vender esto es casi una ofensa.
Las dos estrellas son... ni sé porque son.
Pero la tecnología de hoy es la tecnología de hoy. No creo que ningún fan (que debemos ser el 99.9% de los lectores) no haya accedido a ellas, ya sea en línea o en la carátula de algunos discos, dentro de los cuales aparecen algunos de estos comentarios, si es que a unos cuantos se les pueda llamar así. Por ejemplo, una página completa es dedicada para la siguiente nota:
1994. A relationship falling apart...¿En serio?
Y el gran complemento: un poema de veinticinco palabras, seguido de cuatro paginas en blanco.
PSB es mi banda favorita, en algunas hojas leía entonando las canciones y el fin de semana me lo pasé reviviendo su discografía. Pero vender esto es casi una ofensa.
Las dos estrellas son... ni sé porque son.
September 4, 2019
I really enjoy the Pet Shop Boys and their often cheeky lyrics. The title is literally what this book is - one hundred lyrics and a poem. This book is only going to appeal to the biggest fans who already know most of these lyrics. Some read well on the page and others really come alive with the music backing them up. It was interesting to learn about the inspiration behind the lyrics, although sometimes I'd like to have learned even more about them.
November 30, 2018
I have always enjoyed Neil’s lyrics and many of them work surprisingly well as poems without the music. The footnotes are also fascinating. I’d happily buy another volume, I’m sure he has written more than enough songs to fill one.
January 20, 2019
I've never liked that much Pet Shop Boys and after this book I spent a week listening to their music.
March 3, 2019
The Pet Shop Boys.
What's not to love?
It's a Sin?
Well.....
I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing.
What's not to love?
It's a Sin?
Well.....
I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing.
May 18, 2021
Reflections and lessons learned:
“Inevitably one’s own personal and emotional life is a big subject”
Oh wow - alphabetical listing for these rather than chronological!! Very organised and a wonderfully different way of looking at the songs and lyrics from a huge back catalogue - it doesn’t cover all of the songs - some are missing (lyrical nod) but I already know those of course...
I remember being so excited when West End girls made it to #1 - my mom brought the radio into the bathroom so I could hear it announced from the bath on a November 1985 Sunday night radio 1 charts and it felt like a bit of a musical landmark for me - a song that I had heard on the radio and loved was now being loved by other people - so that’s how record sales work?! The perfect marriage of new sounding keyboards from Chris, and societal appropriate lyrics from Neil - songs about love, fame, success, excess, boredom, loneliness, miserablism - it summed up the boom and bust years so well, as well as being educated voices with wider European and historical knowledge. The songs weren’t traditional pop for the time but could make you think and dance all in one album.
Several of the songs were key in happy memories and matching in lyrics - zazou and clothes show comedy mock cat walks at school, discovering Kings Cross in the 90s and it being the same, Suburbia coming on randomly as we drive through Southend, so many times singing ‘Left to my own devices’ as a carefree single girl. For the future I now also have more cloud and weather songs inspiration for a daft photo project - between these and Kate Bush I could soundtrack an entire season!
“All the people I was kissing
Some are here some are missing
In the nineteen nineties”
Being boring
Side note - I was in so much awe of Tenant that when I got to talk to Mark Sutherland in a random life moment, who was at the time Heat magazine editor, all I could ask was had he met Tenant when he worked at Smash Hits?! Bit insulting on poor old Mark who was very influential in journalism at the time, but it was the bands lack of ego that made them an enigma!
“Inevitably one’s own personal and emotional life is a big subject”
Oh wow - alphabetical listing for these rather than chronological!! Very organised and a wonderfully different way of looking at the songs and lyrics from a huge back catalogue - it doesn’t cover all of the songs - some are missing (lyrical nod) but I already know those of course...
I remember being so excited when West End girls made it to #1 - my mom brought the radio into the bathroom so I could hear it announced from the bath on a November 1985 Sunday night radio 1 charts and it felt like a bit of a musical landmark for me - a song that I had heard on the radio and loved was now being loved by other people - so that’s how record sales work?! The perfect marriage of new sounding keyboards from Chris, and societal appropriate lyrics from Neil - songs about love, fame, success, excess, boredom, loneliness, miserablism - it summed up the boom and bust years so well, as well as being educated voices with wider European and historical knowledge. The songs weren’t traditional pop for the time but could make you think and dance all in one album.
Several of the songs were key in happy memories and matching in lyrics - zazou and clothes show comedy mock cat walks at school, discovering Kings Cross in the 90s and it being the same, Suburbia coming on randomly as we drive through Southend, so many times singing ‘Left to my own devices’ as a carefree single girl. For the future I now also have more cloud and weather songs inspiration for a daft photo project - between these and Kate Bush I could soundtrack an entire season!
“All the people I was kissing
Some are here some are missing
In the nineteen nineties”
Being boring
Side note - I was in so much awe of Tenant that when I got to talk to Mark Sutherland in a random life moment, who was at the time Heat magazine editor, all I could ask was had he met Tenant when he worked at Smash Hits?! Bit insulting on poor old Mark who was very influential in journalism at the time, but it was the bands lack of ego that made them an enigma!
September 6, 2023
The Pet Shop Boys arrived with satire so broad that it sounded like Thatcherite triumphalism in 1985/86 (Opportunities) but cemented their place in the pantheon with the sui generis West End Girls, in which a plaintive chorus broke out from a plum-rapped verse. Then there was Suburbia and Love Comes Quickly, both with memorable and unusual choruses. This meant that Please was the synth-pop album that rock listeners could gorge on as a guilty pleasure.
The lyrics collected here take conversational lines and muse around them, being wordy and melodically austere at once, measured and voluptuous. The hits kept on coming, particularly over the next three albums. Most of those hits are included in this collection of lyrics, which read as alternately wry and questing, an attempt to establish an observational facet on the fringes of the dancefloor ("Che Guevara and Debussy to a disco beat" as they put it themselves). Over a 35 year career there are several rehashes and misfires, but there's a definite verve here. In the introduction, Neil Tennant explains the way he changed his musical styles to blow with the prevailing winds - folky bands, rock bands - until he finally found the row he could plough properly in synth-based dance pop. The best of their singles remain majestic and inimitable, and I never thought I'd ever be saying that back when I first heard Opportunities.
The lyrics collected here take conversational lines and muse around them, being wordy and melodically austere at once, measured and voluptuous. The hits kept on coming, particularly over the next three albums. Most of those hits are included in this collection of lyrics, which read as alternately wry and questing, an attempt to establish an observational facet on the fringes of the dancefloor ("Che Guevara and Debussy to a disco beat" as they put it themselves). Over a 35 year career there are several rehashes and misfires, but there's a definite verve here. In the introduction, Neil Tennant explains the way he changed his musical styles to blow with the prevailing winds - folky bands, rock bands - until he finally found the row he could plough properly in synth-based dance pop. The best of their singles remain majestic and inimitable, and I never thought I'd ever be saying that back when I first heard Opportunities.
January 9, 2021
Lyrics as poetry. Lyrics and poetry. What is not to love with this work by Neil Tennant?
Some of the lyrics are so imbedded in your brain it's impossible not to read them without hearing the music that accompanied the songs. Intelligent and emotional, the lyrics of even the less-recognized or new-to-me pieces struck a cord.
While the subject of many lyrics are relationships, a lot are political commentary, satire, or British cultural commentary. Those in the last group pull me right back to my memories of living in England in the 80's, when we felt so adult watching Top of the Pops and listening to the songs on the radio. By far the aspect of this book that makes it so worthwhile to read are Tennant's explanations and memories for each work. This insight into the creative process and his personal life, and how that influenced his art, was a peak into a mind that is fascinating and inspirational.
Some of my favorites to read (versus listen to) were Between two islands, Legacy, The dictator decides, The dead can dance, and Poem. However, I did replay the songs or videos for many of these after digesting the story behind the words.
Some of the lyrics are so imbedded in your brain it's impossible not to read them without hearing the music that accompanied the songs. Intelligent and emotional, the lyrics of even the less-recognized or new-to-me pieces struck a cord.
While the subject of many lyrics are relationships, a lot are political commentary, satire, or British cultural commentary. Those in the last group pull me right back to my memories of living in England in the 80's, when we felt so adult watching Top of the Pops and listening to the songs on the radio. By far the aspect of this book that makes it so worthwhile to read are Tennant's explanations and memories for each work. This insight into the creative process and his personal life, and how that influenced his art, was a peak into a mind that is fascinating and inspirational.
Some of my favorites to read (versus listen to) were Between two islands, Legacy, The dictator decides, The dead can dance, and Poem. However, I did replay the songs or videos for many of these after digesting the story behind the words.
March 8, 2026
Finally inspired to check this out, even with a new paperback edition coming for 2026 with a new foreword, I of course found just what was advertised. After a very nice introduction we do indeed get the lyrics to a hundred PSB songs, or those they wrote and ended up producing for other people ("Nothing Has Been Proved") or for musicals. But we also get footnotes, much more academic than anything in the "Further Listening" booklets, telling us when everything was written, what it's about and detailing any obscure references, possibly with an eye to non-British audiences with gaps in their knowledge regarding London pubs, British politics and relevant brands of sliced white.
Everyone will have the annoying beat when their favourite is not here and some more modern B-side track is; many will know these are the definitive, but not the complete lyrics to "West End Girls"; not everyone will be wise to the fact one song had a verse dropped before the album was cut that is restored here. Oh, and not everyone will be grateful if they just came here for the Poem, however deep it tries to get. But for fans and the curious, and they would be many, this is a success.
Everyone will have the annoying beat when their favourite is not here and some more modern B-side track is; many will know these are the definitive, but not the complete lyrics to "West End Girls"; not everyone will be wise to the fact one song had a verse dropped before the album was cut that is restored here. Oh, and not everyone will be grateful if they just came here for the Poem, however deep it tries to get. But for fans and the curious, and they would be many, this is a success.
January 9, 2019
Though I mainly only listen to their output that was released prior to the millennium (and I wish this volume included more stories behind those lyrics), OHL&aP gave me a better appreciation for the later Pet Shop Boys catalog. Many songs I didn't care for prior contain excellent writing. There is an essentialist's approach to the interior design positioning the lyrics against Neil's insights—minimal, austere, distinctly British... much like PSB. This is an enjoyable read and a beautiful object, but I still crave something a little more. Perhaps a Neil Tennant autobio would suit me better. Either way, happy to own this book.
March 16, 2020
This is a gem for any Pet Shop Boys fan and a treat for any new one who only discovered the greatness of this duo recently.
The book gathers the best lyrics that can be read as poems. I haven't finished the book myself yet but whenever I sit down, I enjoy it.
Neil wrote an introduction that lets you know how and when he got into the music world in the first place and after each songs he left an annotation - when he wrote, what inspired him, what the song is about and who's perspective it was written from.
You get to experience his mind and his process of songwriting. He's a lyrical genius.
Would recommend :)
The book gathers the best lyrics that can be read as poems. I haven't finished the book myself yet but whenever I sit down, I enjoy it.
Neil wrote an introduction that lets you know how and when he got into the music world in the first place and after each songs he left an annotation - when he wrote, what inspired him, what the song is about and who's perspective it was written from.
You get to experience his mind and his process of songwriting. He's a lyrical genius.
Would recommend :)
May 6, 2020
I read the lyrics for each song as listening to the song, so it took a long time to get through. I found that my liking for many songs improved when knowing the story behind it. But there are so many songs that could have been in there and perhaps even more detail added to certain songs. There's also a lot of white space on pages - perhaps not unusual for something related to the Pet Shop Boys - but sometimes it looked more like the publisher hadn't paid attention to the layout design. I wonder whether the poem will ever become a song.
August 31, 2025
This made a change from reading up on Stalin and his henchmen, an important lesson in history. Mr.Tennant explains a lot of the lyrics to the music of the Pet Shop Boys. Then finishes with the rather terminating poem on death, followed by the empty white pages of the unknown. What is on the white pages. Is the writing invisible to us? Is it ominous? Or back to normalcy.
November 24, 2019
I love the Pet Shop Boys and was delighted to find this book. I had no idea Neil was so inspired by history in this lyrics and it was fantastic to hear the stories behind some of my favourite PSB songs which are not as well-known.
December 10, 2018
I was reading and singing along.
June 18, 2019
Terrific volume, not only are the lyrics sharp, baited, biting, funny, sad, profound but the same could be said for Tennant's annotations on every page.
September 18, 2019
An excellent collection of 100 Pet Shop Boys lyrics with sometimes brief and sometimes fuller details of the inspiration of them makes a good easy read especially for a fan of the band.
January 4, 2020
It's so lovely to be reminded that amidst the nightmare of society in the 21st Century there are still intelligent, erudite and lovely people with good politics around. Neil Tennant is one.
March 8, 2020
Excellent book
I have a signed copy.
I have a signed copy.
May 21, 2020
A must have for any fan.
Neil Tennant was a fab writer on Smash hits all those years ago. He's not list that unique way of writing.
Neil Tennant was a fab writer on Smash hits all those years ago. He's not list that unique way of writing.
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