Hmmm, not great. I gave a 5.5

A bit on the bland, uneventful and repetitive side but I can get a little bit of enjoyment from it.

I'm pretty much bored of it by the end though.

I only gave Together a 3, one of my lowest scores.

3 minutes ago, King Rollo said:

I only gave Together a 3, one of my lowest scores.

Together.... we will love the beach

Together one of their least memorable 21st century singles but it's not bad actually. Not being on an album proper works against it. Re: downloads, one of the biggest motiavting factors to buy PSB singles were the bonus tracks, often as good as or better than the single choice, so I presume that as CD's got harder to find (you had to order via Amazon, quite expensive, or download the whole digital bundle which wasnt quite the same) they got increasingly niche. The bonus track this time was a cover of The Dave Clark 5's Glad All Over - should have been a double A a la All The Young Dudes.

Downloading virtually killed the concept of the double a side though so not sure it would have meant anything practically

Together isn't too bad, the 3/4 time signature on it makes it interesting, I wouldn't have expected them to do a waltz style song.

It was quite an unusual song for a token singles collection add-on, which tend to often be 'rolling together what we've done before, but in a slightly worse way'.

#56

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

 

YEAR: 1994

PEAK POSITION: 6

 

"Shall we finish off the beluga or shall we have some smoked salmon and nibbly things?"

"Oh, whatever, Sweetie."

 

Released to benefit Comic Relief 94 appeal, the song is a pretty straightforward track comprising quotes and sniplets of dialogue from series 1 of the hit comedy “Absolutely Fabulous” and it served a purpose.  The boys had always maintained that they would not make a charity record but after this got released simply said “We’ve always been inconsistent anyway”.

 

AI: On the surface, it’s a chaotic collage built around Absolutely Fabulous samples — a remix masquerading as a single. But underneath the silliness is a very Pet Shop Boys idea: using pop as a mirror. The track exaggerates the show’s world of fashion, booze, and self‑delusion until it becomes a satire of 90s celebrity culture itself.

 

The Pet Shop Boys have always understood camp not as frivolity but as a form of commentary. Here, they weaponise it. By looping lines about champagne, fashion, and self‑importance, they turn the characters’ excesses into a kind of pop-art installation.

 

It’s not mocking Absolutely Fabulous; it’s celebrating its absurdity while also pointing out how close it sits to real 90s celebrity behaviour. The song becomes a cultural time capsule of pre‑Cool Britannia Britain, where fame was becoming both more accessible and more ridiculous.

Highest score: 9 @AH Gold

Lowest score: 0.5 @Pting Rollo

Together got 6 for me. It's ok but again nothing too special.

I did enjoy the Absolutely Fabulous one though. A 7.5 from me.

That was the lowest score I gave out. I've never watched the TV programme so just find the song to be annoying.

2 for Ab Fab and 3 for “Together” from me so nothing that I enjoy.

I gave Absolutely Fabulous a very average 5. Don’t really need to hear it again

This was my lowest score of 3. I remember it well from my first full year of following the charts, but it's quite annoying to listen to.

I think Ab Fab was my lowest score, or at least one of the lowest - although that was still a 7! It is a fun little bop, just doesn't hold up to the classics.

12 hours ago, gooddelta said:

Together isn't too bad, the 3/4 time signature on it makes it interesting, I wouldn't have expected them to do a waltz style song.

Yeah I remember being quite surprised at the time signature - though they do have precedence for singles written in 3/4, with 'Can You Forgive Her' and 'Numb'.

Edited Sunday at 23:325 days by MangoOoOoOo

My least-fave track on the list. It's essentially a novelty track for a fun TV sitcom, tongue in cheek but the TV show clips dont bear repeating on a regular basis. As a mickey-take on the shallow fashion/celeb obsessions that have always been a thing in modern pop culture the TV show is fine, and the backing track as a PSB bonus instrumental B side track it would be fine, but I'm glad it was a one-off and not released under their name.

#55

WAS IT WORTH IT?

 

YEAR: 1991

PEAK POSITION: 24

 

I don't know why

I never thought I'd fall in love

 

Recorded as a new song for their first compilation “Discography” this was their first single to miss the top 20 in the UK, an undeserved accolade!

 

Tennant called the song “"It's a reaffirmation of the worth of love, an 'I am what I am' sort of song.  It’s a very gay song. Very gay positive. It's basically saying: if I had to do it all again, I wouldn't change a single thing".   He confirmed later that it was about him starting his first real relationship

 

 It was recorded for the “Behaviour” album but missed the cut at the very end, it was also excluded from their 2003 compilation “Pop Art: The Hits” on the basis that it wasn’t a top 20 single.

 

AI: Where “Behaviour” ends with the devastation of “Jealousy”, “Was It Worth It?” bursts in like a rebuttal. It’s the Pet Shop Boys saying: yes, life hurts,  but the moments of joy are still worth fighting for.

 

This is not naïve optimism. It’s hard‑won. The song’s central idea is that pleasure, community, and nightlife can be meaningful, a quietly radical statement for 1991, especially from a band so often associated with emotional restraint.

 

it captures something the Pet Shop Boys rarely express so directly: joy without apology. It’s a celebration of the messy, beautiful, complicated business of living, and a reminder that even the painful chapters contribute to who we become.

Highest score: 8 @Gezza @MangoOoOoOo @gooddelta

lowest score: 2- @AH Gold

Yeah y'all did this song dirty- it's better than the much duller "DJ Culture" that preceded it.....

Oh that's far too low for the glorious 'Was It Worth It?' Hard disagree on it being better than 'DJ Culture' though, both songs are essential listening on Discography for me!

Well it's done better so I'm clearly in the minority i know😀

Better than DJ Culture but both are listenable. I don't feel that they drag down Discography very much.