Top 10 of most succesful PSB songs (Spotify, Youtube, charts)

[Nickname]

Top 10 of most succesful PSB songs

1 - West End Girls
2 - Always on my Mind
3 - It's a Sin
4 - Go West
5 - Domino Dancing
6 - What have I done to deserve This?
7 - Heart
8 - New York City Boy
9 - Suburbia
10 - Opportinities



The forum is a bit down these days so I created another ranking of most famous songs of Pet Shop Boys. Of course, it is quite arguable but I have been taking references from Spotify, Youtube and chart positions.

There is not doubt about West End Girls and Always on my Mind. The two more famous songs of the Pet Shop Boys. It's difficult to know which one of them is Number 1. Always on my Mind was their best selling single of all time but the video hasn't been on the official account of Pet Shop Boys on Youtube for years and West End Girls was the only Number 1 in USA which is a really big market.

Not too far from them It's a Sin is an obvious third position, I think. The song with more Number 1 in different countries and the most viewed video on Youtube but far from the other big ones on Spotify.

Go West is an obvious Number 4, it has the same position on Spotify and good chart positions (apart of being a football anthem).

Domino Dancing is a surprising Number 5. In UK charts was a flop but not so much in other countries. Latin countries love a lot this song (Number 1 in Spanish Official Chart) and the video is one of the most popular videos of Pet Shop Boys of all time.

Now it's more difficult to know which song is next but What have I done to deserve This? is Number 6 on Spotify and Youtube and it has really good chart positions. So it's also Number 6 on the list.

Number 7 is Heart. The song is one of the songs with more Number 1 of the career of PSB but the video is not watched too much on Youtube and it's Number 10 of the most streamed PSB songs of Spotify, that's why it's only Number 7 on this list.

New York City Boy is Number 7 on Spotify and the Number 7 also of the most watched PSB videos on Youtube but without very good chart positions like the others. So, it's a Number 8 on the list.

Suburbia is Number 9 here. On Spotify is Number 8 and also in the list of most viewed PSB videos. Anyway, it has better chart positions than New York City Boy.

Opportunities is Number 10. Number 9 of the most streamed songs from PSB on Spotify and it was a little hit in USA. But I think this is the most arguable position on the list.



Are you agree with the list?. Tell us!

[TallThinMan]

Not really a surprise that most of those are from the imperial phase. Nothing from the past 24 years.

I always thought that Love etc. deserved to be a bigger hit. It was a very strong single with a brilliant video. Just twenty years too late.

[Nickname]

Not really a surprise that most of those are from the imperial phase. Nothing from the past 24 years.

This is not strictly true.

Most of them came from the Imperial Phase but New York City Boy was on the radio in 2000. The single was released in october of 1999. So 23 year ago. For Neil, Domino Dancing wasn't part of Imperial Phase.

But there is something really insteresting. Latin people have been giving New York City Boy (in quite high rotation on MTV, the importance of a good video) and specially Domino Dancing a strong support on streaming. A bit more than other classics, making them more popular.

The popularity of Domino Dancing in South America and Spain was strong. Very famous latin artists were supporting the song. At that time, it wasn't very usual to listen an American or British artist making a latin record, PSB did that and it was a flop in UK but not in latin countries wich I think it's very understable.

Ricky Martin on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ricky_martin/status ... 5459225600

Chayanne cover version of Domino Dancing in Viña do Mar (the most famous latin festival of the world):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5e4_6ooSkM

[jasonjohn]

I guess one thing is length of time tracks have had to rack up engagement. Love Etc hasn't had nearly as much time as Imperial tracks which may of been uploaded years earlier. It might not matter in the end, but it's still a factor.

Not surprised New York city boy is on here. As PSB fans we have ideas about what we expect from them, and that track maybe got dismissed by some of us as kitschy. BUT it's a very sweet song, optimistic, and the video clip has aged in a pleasing retro way. Great vibes all round!

[Disco.]

I guess one thing is length of time tracks have had to rack up engagement. Love Etc hasn't had nearly as much time as Imperial tracks which may of been uploaded years earlier. It might not matter in the end, but it's still a factor.

Not surprised New York city boy is on here. As PSB fans we have ideas about what we expect from them, and that track maybe got dismissed by some of us as kitschy. BUT it's a very sweet song, optimistic, and the video clip has aged in a pleasing retro way. Great vibes all round!

Yeah, and New York city boy has the most expensive video they ever made.

[PopKid78]

Just out of interest, and on the subject of New York city boy, the first time I heard it was at Creamfields. Was it a live exclusive, or had it already been played on the radio?


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[domino]

[...] New York city boy, the first time I heard it was at Creamfields. Was it a live exclusive, or had it already been played on the radio?

As far as I know, it was the live debut shortly after it was finished with David Morales. So it indeed could've been a "live exclusive".

[telys]

Not really a surprise that most of those are from the imperial phase. Nothing from the past 24 years.

For Neil, Domino Dancing wasn't part of Imperial Phase.

Well Domino dancing was part of the Imperial Phase... until Neil realised it didn't chart high enough for him. So it's Schrödinger's 7''... both part of and not part of the Imperial Phase... you don't know until you measure it.

Anyway, I believe Neil is wrong, Imperial Phase ends with So Hard (sales) or Absolutely fabulous (jumps the shark).

[Gabby]

Not really a surprise that most of those are from the imperial phase. Nothing from the past 24 years.

For Neil, Domino Dancing wasn't part of Imperial Phase.

Well Domino dancing was part of the Imperial Phase... until Neil realised it didn't chart high enough for him. So it's Schrödinger's 7''... both part of and not part of the Imperial Phase... you don't know until you measure it.

Anyway, I believe Neil is wrong, Imperial Phase ends with So Hard (sales) or Absolutely fabulous (jumps the shark).

I'm sort of with you on this "extension" of the Imperial Phase. Introspective remains one of their highest selling albums, so to chop that phase off at the release of Domino dancing makes no sense.

[Nickname]

For Neil, Domino Dancing wasn't part of Imperial Phase.

Well Domino dancing was part of the Imperial Phase... until Neil realised it didn't chart high enough for him. So it's Schrödinger's 7''... both part of and not part of the Imperial Phase... you don't know until you measure it.

Anyway, I believe Neil is wrong, Imperial Phase ends with So Hard (sales) or Absolutely fabulous (jumps the shark).

I'm sort of with you on this "extension" of the Imperial Phase. Introspective remains one of their highest selling albums, so to chop that phase off at the release of Domino dancing makes no sense.

His reaction was based on chart results of Domino Dancing in UK. Latin countries love it.

[Gabby]

Well Domino dancing was part of the Imperial Phase... until Neil realised it didn't chart high enough for him. So it's Schrödinger's 7''... both part of and not part of the Imperial Phase... you don't know until you measure it.

Anyway, I believe Neil is wrong, Imperial Phase ends with So Hard (sales) or Absolutely fabulous (jumps the shark).

I'm sort of with you on this "extension" of the Imperial Phase. Introspective remains one of their highest selling albums, so to chop that phase off at the release of Domino dancing makes no sense.

His reaction was based on chart results of Domino Dancing in UK. Latin countries love it.

I know lots of people who love Domino dancing (non fans). Criminally underrated at the time I guess.

[Nickname]

I'm sort of with you on this "extension" of the Imperial Phase. Introspective remains one of their highest selling albums, so to chop that phase off at the release of Domino dancing makes no sense.

His reaction was based on chart results of Domino Dancing in UK. Latin countries love it.

I know lots of people who love Domino dancing (non fans). Criminally underrated at the time I guess.

I undertand why. The melody is quite basic, like many other latin and summer songs. But it is also very catchy.

[PSBForTheMasses]

Not really a surprise that most of those are from the imperial phase. Nothing from the past 24 years.

For Neil, Domino Dancing wasn't part of Imperial Phase.

Well Domino dancing was part of the Imperial Phase... until Neil realised it didn't chart high enough for him. So it's Schrödinger's 7''... both part of and not part of the Imperial Phase... you don't know until you measure it.

Anyway, I believe Neil is wrong, Imperial Phase ends with So Hard (sales) or Absolutely fabulous (jumps the shark).

I do not remember when Neil first self-conceived and uttered the term "imperial phase" but I do not understand why it does not extend to Very. It is their only no 1 album in the UK, spawned 5 hit singles, one of them being a huge one topping charts in at least five countries, always well-received critically, high performance sales wise and rather seems their last album with cross-over popularity. (I used to read back in time in Erasure forum that even the die-hard anti-PSB fans lOVED Very, the only PSB album that they could tolerate and umm well, reaching the heights of Erasure albums, lol). Whenever I discuss or read something about the Boys, the usual maxim is "every PSB album is good but you should definitely have the first five ones up to 1993 (Discography not considered a proper album),

And Behaviour is seen as their most artistically successful album.

Besides. in hindsight, the well-trained ears of Neil and Chris should have known that Domino Dancing would end the string of their number ones and imperial times.