Run up that hill back to the beginning.
30. The Del Rubio Triplets — What Have I Done to Deserve This?
Neil Tennant first came to (minor) attention with arch, sometimes waspish, music journalism, bursting the balloons of some self-important pop stars. Dusty Springfield also had an acid tongue, and did not go out of her way to win friends in the industry, which may have contributed to the barren period that preceded their collaboration on “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” The response to the title might be that the collaborators had it coming.
The remarkable Hall of Fame Songwriter Allee Willis contributed to a different narrative. Having been a co-writer of the original, she promoted The Del Rubio Triplets and encouraged them to use the piece. What if the song is presented without arch irony? That the singers are not jaded by life and London. It is not clear what the wholesome trio have done to deserve angst, if anything. By playing it straight, they created a camp classic. – Mike Tobyn
29. Zvilnik — Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)
Maybe you are an original Pet Shop Boys fan, or maybe “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” came to you via the Beauty and the Geek reality TV show or an Allstate commercial. This is a punky take on the song that channels the scrappy, entrepreneurial spirit of the story. UK rock band Zvilnik takes initiative and changes up the rhythm of the lyrical delivery in the chorus, but they maintain other important timing elements, like pausing before the final “money” reveal at the end of each chorus. Towards the end, the drums and the vocals duet without the other rock elements, before the guitar takes its own moment to solo. Which one is the looks, and which one is the brains? We may never know. But they come together in this opportunity of a cover. – Sara Stoudt
28. Jonathan Davis — It’s a Sin
Jonathan Davis of Korn covered this for the soundtrack of 2021 Amazon Prime series Paradise City. Sans his bandmates, the music doesn’t go quite as hard as Korn, but it’s still plenty heavy in a more muted way. His voice, though, is the clear star: a smooth baritone on the verses, a gravely growl on the choruses, sounding like it’s holding in a lifetime of rage and resentment. – Ray Padgett
27. Liebe — I’m Not Scared
Liebe’s “I’m Not Scared” captures the original’s mix of upbeat soundtrack and dramatic vocal delivery. The opening sounds are cinematic, urging us to picture the scene we hear, and the aura of mystery is maintained throughout with plenty of whispers. Although compressed, shaving roughly three minutes from the original, Liebe still take on an instrumental intro and mid-song break to give the cover the characteristic structure of the original. – Seuras Og
26. Electric Soft Parade — Jealousy
Psychedelic-to-synth is a common enough transformation, with the opposite less seen or heard. But Brighton duo Electric Soft Parade show synth-to-psychedelic is possible, stripping and slowing the song back to piano and echoed vocals that harken back to the beginning of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” As strings sweep in, elements of The Divine Comedy creep in also, if a step or two behind. It threatens to go too far into a froth of overload or to even just fizzle out, doing actually neither. Sure, there is a build, but it is one of a brilliantly fading grandeur. A bit like Brighton itself, really. – Seuras Og
25. La Femme Verte — Being Boring
The original opening instrumental is full of synth and its associated pop; now it’s replaced by an almost sitar-sounding accompaniment. But where the original opening serves to bring us up to the chipper mood that sometimes contradicts the song’s reflective nature, La Femme Verte’s version keeps us move leveled. The vocals are more ominous than peppy, the verses full of dissonant sounds and somber choral echoes. However, the choruses allow a little more light in. A simple piano yields to a slightly syncopated beat while the choral echoes lighten in tone. – Sara Stoudt
24. The Triffids — Rent
The Triffids were an Australian band that spent the ’80s sharing a similar vibe to their countrymates the Go-Betweens: ingrained, unaffected, brisk but romantic. They brought this vibe to “Rent,” where the singer is all about the heart, while the singer’s partner is all about the purse. Where a synthesizer can’t help but underline the chill of the lyrics, the Triffids’ guitars convey both warmth and loneliness in their sparse jangle. In their hands, “Rent” moves from the locked laboratory to the deserted barn, with no loss in pain. – Patrick Robbins
23. West End Girls — Shopping
“West End Girls” is, of course, a Pet Shop Boys song. It is also the name of a Pet Shops Boys tribute band. All-female, naturally, a Swedish duo of Isabelle Erkendal and Rosanna Jirebeck (replaced on their announced-but-never-released second album by Emmeli Erkendal). As short-lived tribute acts go, they were enormously successful. Their sole release, 2006’s Goes Petshopping, is a gem that earned them fans in in the actual Pet Shop Boys themselves. In fact, this terrific cover of “Shopping” inspired Chris and Neil to bring the song back into their own setlists. – Ray Padgett
22. Pola X — Later Tonight
With its tale of staring out a window, lusting for a hot mod boy walking down Carnaby Street and the let’s-just-call-it late-night manifestation of these thoughts, Neil Tennant has described “Later Tonight” as “the most gay song we’ve ever written.” This cover by Pola X comes from a 2021 tribute album with the no-frills title of Pet Shop Boys Covers that was curated by music supervisor Martin Hossbach (an LP we’ll be referencing again shortly!). A bit of dark, sexy ‘n’ sinister electro that sounds like the theme song of some futuristic cabaret performance, this thing is hot. – Hope Silverman
21. Sleaford Mods — West End Girls
This is clever. On the surface it seems maybe little more than a straightforward cover, if a little odd in the inflection. But you need to know a little of the back story, the Sleaford Mods MO being based on life near the gutter, in the decaying underbelly of austerity UK. A raw wedge of squalid lives, gainlessly spent, but with the resilient streak of recognition that can only come from experience. Which explains the dank aftertaste of disappointment that permeates their version, the shock horror that the streets aren’t necessarily paved with gold. – Seuras Og
Good list but disappointed that Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine’s version of Rent didn’t make the cut. As much as I love original, Carter bring the griminess in relationship and with them using both members’ vocals to great effect I genuinely think it’s a better version. https://youtu.be/deEXgD15ABc?si=xHhyg667qa_O_PyH
Technically I’m Not Scared was a cover when PSB recorded it, given that they wrote it for Patsy Kensit who released it under her band’s name, Eighth Wonder. I’m being picky though; it was a PSB single in all but name and vocal.
Nice list, however I do miss some tracks. For instance the Robbie Wiliams cover “I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing”, one of the b-sides to Let Me Entertain You. Liza Minnelli covered two Pet Shop Boys tracks for her 1989 Results album: “Tonight Is Forever” and “Rent”. Also very nice, but hard to find, is the Thirteen Senses cover of “Rent”. British boy band East 17 did a very decent cover of “West End Girls”. A very funky take on this song was done by Da Lukas, especially in the Mark Picchiotti remix version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taioUWorvGs
Absolutely. Robbie’s governor that is excellent but the best one is Do I Have To by Swedish singer Inga and it hasn’t even made the list. Tracey Thorn’s Kings Cross should be higher up the list as well as it’s excellent
Oh, and I forgot this great take on “You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk” by German band Element of Crime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So343ZObqlY
Olly Alexander from Years and Years appeared in the AIDS TV drama It’s a Sin and then covered PSB song of the same name before duetting with Elton John on it. Worth a look – https://youtu.be/Hk4eMIswunQ?si=1HLO1CN_l13KLgsf
This is a good list, was surprised to find that Rent by Carter USM was left out.
https://youtu.be/sdvpk48RRI8?feature=shared
Thanks for including us (Zvilnik) in the list! That cover was part of a bunch of general messing around during lockdown, when we were all just trying to stay sane and couldn’t rehearse together.
Also apologies for not being the mighty Carter USM.