Underground: Pet Shop Boys and the new “West End Girls”

Yo Ho, WeRCatz here!

About a week ago, the classic duo Pet Shop Boys re-released a new version of their classic song “West End Girls” made back in 1984. The difference here is that this re-re-release is called “West End Girls (New Lockdown Version)”

There are different versions of this mega-hit and each version is just as great as the original. The song itself is about pressures of inner-city living and class. Let’s see some of the versions:

The original version was released in 1984 and produced by Bobby Orlando. This became a hit in the club scene but didn’t really go beyond the club.

The re-release in 1985 was made for their first album Please. This is the well-known version and a worldwide hit. The difference is the line “All your stopping, stalling and starting/Who do you think you are, Joe Stalin?” was removed here.

The Dance Mix version was released in 1985 for the UK.

The Shep Pettibone Mastermix was also released in 1985. From here one can tell the subtle differences between this and the above versions.

Another version, “West End Dub” is just a dub version that sounds like the Shep Pettibone Mastermix version but deviates into something different.

No matter the mix, version, or dub, “West End Girls” is a timeless piece of synthpop that won’t go away. Pick a version and enjoy!