Suburbia (song)
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| "Suburbia" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by Pet Shop Boys | ||
| from the album Please | ||
| B-side(s) | "Paninaro", "Jack the Lad" | |
| Released | September 22, 1986 | |
| Format | 7", 12", cassette | |
| Genre | Synthpop | |
| Length | 3:59 (7") 8:55 (12" ("The Full Horror")) |
|
| Label | Parlophone / EMI | |
| Writer(s) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | |
| Producer(s) | Julian Mendelsohn | |
| Chart positions | ||
|
||
| Pet Shop Boys singles chronology | ||
| "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" (second release) (1986) |
"Suburbia" (1986) |
"It's a Sin" (1987) |
- The capitalization of song titles in this article may be disputed. Please see the centralized discussion on this subject before making changes.
"Suburbia" is a song by UK synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as the fourth single from the album Please in 1986.
The song's horrific depiction of its subject has made it an often-quoted piece of musical commentary on the nature of suburbs.[1][2]
[edit] Overview
The song's primary inspiration is the 1984 Penelope Spheeris film Suburbia, and its depiction of violence and squalor in the suburbs of Los Angeles; in addition, the tension of the Brixton riots of 1981 and of 1985 hanging in recent memory led Neil Tennant of the duo to thinking about the boredom of suburbia ("I only wanted something else to do but hang around") and the underlying tension among disaffected youth that sparked off the riots at the least provocation.
The various versions of the song are punctuated by sounds of suburbian violence: rioting noises and smashing glass, as well as snarling dogs on the re-recorded single version (extended even further on the music video), which were derived from scenes in Suburbia. The Please version of the song sounds very sparse in comparison.
The bassline of the song is based on "Into the Groove" by Madonna.
The video was directed by Eric Watson, and features footage of the Pet Shop Boys in a Los Angeles' suburb, as they happened to be there for that year's MTV Music Awards.
The b-sides to the single were Jack the Lad" and "Paninaro". The Full Horror mix of "Suburbia" and the Italian Mix of "Paninaro" both appeared on the Pet Shop Boys album Disco as well as the "Suburbia" 12", and would later be collected on the 2001 2-disc rerelease of Please.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Barton, Laura (March 20, 2006). Save our boring 'burbs. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
- ^ Suburbs. Settlement Links and Resources. GeographyPages. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
| Pet Shop Boys |
| Neil Tennant | Chris Lowe |
| Discography |
| Albums: Please | Actually | Introspective | Behaviour | Very | Bilingual | Nightlife | Release | Fundamental |
| Soundtracks and scores: Closer to Heaven (Original Cast Recording) | Battleship Potemkin |
| Remix albums: Disco | Disco 2 | Disco 3 |
| Compilations: Discography: The Complete Singles Collection | Alternative | PopArt: The Hits |
| Live: Concrete |
| Related Articles |
| Other projects: It Couldn't Happen Here | Results | Spaghetti Records | Closer to Heaven | Back to Mine: Pet Shop Boys |
[edit] References
- Heath, Chris (2001). "Suburbia". In Please / Further Listening 1984-1986 [CD liner notes]. London: Pet Shop Boys Partnership.
- Interviews: Pet Shop Boys. Remember the Eighties (March 2004). Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
