| "It's a Sin" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Pet Shop Boys | ||||||||||
| from the album Actually | ||||||||||
| B-side | "You Know Where You Went Wrong" | |||||||||
| Released | 15 June 1987 | |||||||||
| Format | 7", 12", cassette, CD | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||||||||
| Genre | Synthpop | |||||||||
| Length | 4:59 | |||||||||
| Label | Parlophone / EMI | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | |||||||||
| Producer | Julian Mendelsohn, Stephen Hague | |||||||||
| Pet Shop Boys singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"It's a Sin" is a song recorded by Pet Shop Boys which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in 1987.
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Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, "It's a Sin" was the lead single from the duo's second "proper" album, Actually. Released in June 1987, it became the duo's second UK number one single. It was also a massive hit across Europe, supposedly the best-selling European single of 1987. In the United States it reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the duo's third Top 10 hit there. A demo of the track was first cut in 1984 with Bobby O, and the song's form in the demo remained intact to the final version, although the released production is far more dramatic.
The song is a description of Tennant's Catholic upbringing and education at St Cuthbert's High School in Newcastle upon Tyne. The song uses extensive samples from Latin masses (specifically, Tennant reciting a part of the Confiteor, and other sounds recorded at locations such as Westminster Cathedral) and religious imagery throughout to reinforce the feel of the song. Tennant has said that he wrote the lyrics in 15 minutes, purging his emotions in a moment of frustration and anger. The song has been compared to fellow 1980's new wave band Tears for Fears' Mad World for its themes of transgression and social rejection.
The Latin passage near the end translates as, "I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, act, and omission, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault".
The dramatic, overblown production style of the song, loaded with synthesizers, orchestra hits and bookended by a non sequitur sample of a NASA countdown, has come to exemplify the most theatrical extremes of the Pet Shop Boys' musical style.[1] To date, it remains a concert staple, being one of only two songs (alongside "West End Girls") that has been played during every Pet Shop Boys tour.[2]
At the time of the single's release, British DJ Jonathan King accused Pet Shop Boys of plagiarising the melody for "It's a Sin" from Cat Stevens' 1971 hit, "Wild World". He made the claims in The Sun newspaper, for which he wrote a regular column during the 1980s. King also released his own cover version of "Wild World" as a single, using a similar musical arrangement to "It's a Sin", in an effort to demonstrate his claims. This single flopped, while Pet Shop Boys sued King, eventually winning out-of-court damages, which they donated to charity.[3]
7": Parlophone / R 6158 (UK)
12": Parlophone / 12R 6158 (UK)
CD: Parlophone / CDR 6158 (UK)
12": Parlophone / 12RX 6158 (UK)
12" Remix (US)
In 2004, the band participated in Passport Back to the Bars, a series of benefit concerts to raise funds for Shelter and War Child, set in the various Barfly venues.[4] Their show at the Camden Town Barfly (17 March 2004) was noted as their first-ever without backing musicians;[5] it included a new arrangement of "It's a Sin", which would later be recorded in the studio, performed on Parkinson, and finally released on the 2006 compilation Popjustice: 100% Solid Pop Music.
Directed by Derek Jarman, the "It's a Sin" video marked the experimental director's first of several collaborations with the band. It extended the lyrical themes of the song by showing Tennant under arrest by an inquisition with Lowe as his jailer and Ron Moody in the role of his judge, interspersed with brief clips of personifications of the seven deadly sins (inclduing a cameo appearance by actress Geena Davis as Pride).
Peak positions
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End of year charts
Certifications
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| Preceded by "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston |
German number one single 17 July 1987 – 21 August 1987 (6 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Voyage Voyage" by Desireless |
| Swiss number one single 26 July 1987 – 30 August 1987 (6 weeks) |
Succeeded by "La Bamba" by La Bamba |
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| Swedish number one single 29 July 1987 – 16 September 1987 (8 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley |
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| Preceded by "Star Trekkin'" by The Firm |
UK number one single 4 July 1987 – 18 July 1987 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Who's That Girl" by Madonna |
| Preceded by "Hexen" by Ecco |
Austrian number one single 15 August 1987 – 15 September 1987 (6 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Voyage Voyage" by Desireless |
| Preceded by "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson |
Norwegian VG-Lista number one single 39/1987 (1 week) |