Skip to navigation Skip to content

History

January 1988

‘I’m Not Scared’, a song the Pet Shop Boys have written and produced for Patsy Kensit, is released as a single by her group Eighth Wonder, and is their first hit.

February 1988

At the BPI Awards, the Pet Shop Boys win the Best Group award. They also mime to ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ on stage with Dusty Springfield. Afterwards Neil comments, “It’s kind of macho nowadays to prove you can cut it live, I quite like proving that we can’t cut it live. We’re a pop group, not a rock ’n’ roll group”.

March 1988

A different mix of ‘Heart’ is released as a single on March 21st and reaches #1 in the UK. “It’s a real disco song — the idea of ‘heartbeat’ the beat of the record and the beat of your heart. It’s actually pretty corny, to be honest, but I think the words are quite sweet and sincere”. The video, shot in Yugoslavia, is a resetting of the Dracula story with Ian McKellen in the title role.

1988 March

May 1988

For the second year running, the Pet Shop Boys win the Best International Hit award at the Ivor Novello Awards, this time for ‘It’s a sin’.

June 1988

Ian McKellen persuades the Pet Shop Boys to play live at an anti-Clause 28 benefit, Before The Act, at London’s Piccadilly Theatre, performing ‘It’s a sin’ and ‘One more chance’. “A brilliant event”, they say afterwards.

July 1988

‘It couldn’t happen here’ is released on July 8th to mixed reviews: it wins an award at the Houston film festival.

August 1988

The Pet Shop Boys win the Berolina award in Germany for ‘Group of the Year’. The award is presented to them by Miss Venezuela.

September 1988

On September 12th, ‘Domino dancing’ is released, a song they recorded that February in Miami with Expose producer, Lewis Martinee. They shoot a video in Puerto Rico and appeared with a full Latin band on Wogan and Top Of The Pops.

1988 September

October 1988

On October 10th, their new album ‘Introspective’ is released. It is so called because “all the songs, although it’s a dance album, are introspective”. The title was chosen after considering and dismissing ‘f’, ‘Dogmatic’, ‘Bounce’ and ‘Hello’. They explain that ‘Introspective’ sounds serious, like an art exhibition: “Nick Rhodes”, says Chris at the time, “will be so jealous”.

1988 October

November 1988

On November 14th, ‘Left to my own devices’ is released: “an exaggerated autobiography”. The second verse refers to a time when Neil’s mother would worry about him because he’d wait in a corner of the back garden pretending to be a Roundhead soldier.

1988 November

On this day

1988

Introspective debuts on the U.S. album chart, beginning a 22-week run during which it peaks at #34.

1990

The Pet Shop Boys make a rare U.S. television appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show.

2004

They perform in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

2006

They perform this evening in Seattle, Washington—their first concert ever in that city.

2007

Neil attends a Siouxsie concert at the Roundhouse in the Camden district of London.

2008

The U.S. embassy in London hosts a party attended by 1,500 guests by invitation only to watch the early U.S. presidential election results come in—the evening of Nov. 4 in the U.S. but the early morning of Nov. 5 in Britain. Neil and Chris are among the invited attendees.

2010

They’re guests this evening—for the fourth time—on Graham Norton’s TV show, during which they perform ‘It’s a Sin.’

2012

The Boys work on a single mix of ‘Memory of the Future’ at Stuart Price’s West London studio.

2016

They appear in concert this evening at Chicago’s Civic Opera House.