Left to My Own Devices

Last updated

"Left to My Own Devices"
Lefttomyowndevices.jpg
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Introspective
B-side "The Sound of the Atom Splitting"
Released14 November 1988 (1988-11-14)
Genre
Length
  • 8:16 (album version)
  • 4:43 (7-inch)
Label Parlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Domino Dancing"
(1988)		"Left to My Own Devices"
(1988)		"It's Alright"
(1989)
Alternative cover
Lefttomyowndevicesuk.jpg
12-inch single cover

"Left to My Own Devices" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in November 1988 by Parlophone as the second single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). It was also the first track of the album. The song fared better than the album's lead single, "Domino Dancing", charting three positions higher on the UK Singles Chart, at number four. It became the first track that Pet Shop Boys recorded with an orchestra, arranged by Richard Niles. Since its release, it has become a staple of Pet Shop Boys live performances. Eric Watson directed its music video.

Contents

Background and writing

Lyricist Neil Tennant explained the meaning of the track:

This person goes through life always doing what he wanted to do. I liked the idea of writing a really up pop song about being left alone. This song is a day in the life of someone, so it starts off with getting out of bed and being on the phone and drinking tea and all the rest of it, and it ends up with coming home. By this time I was making the words very exaggerated and camp, though writing a book and going on stage were both things I had wanted to do when I was young.[ citation needed ]

As with the other tracks on Introspective, it has a longer version on the album and was edited down to become more radio-friendly when released as a single. This is mainly due to the Pet Shop Boys wanting to be different from every other artist at the time. This is confirmed in the booklet accompanying the 2001 re-release of Introspective, where both Tennant and Lowe state:

We had been so disciplined at making four-minute pop singles, with the exception of "It's a Sin", which is five minutes. The idea was to have an album where every track was a single.[ citation needed ]

The album version includes a long outro in which fragments of the main song lyrics are cut into a different order, such as "Che Guevara's drinking tea".

Critical reception

Miranda Sawyer from Smash Hits named "Left to My Own Devices" Single of the Fortnight, writing, "Pop perfection from the winsome twosome. Complete with swank orchestra, this massive stomper galumphs away at a breakneck pace into all sorts of dramatic twists and turns, over which Neil's deadpan vocals sound brilliantly menacing. [...] A storming chorus plus! — plus! — one of those superbly pretentious talking bits Neil does, rounded off with a breathtaking violin swoosh, must ensure that this soars to the top of the charts and stays there for weeks and weeks. A truly awe-inspiring Single of the Fortnight." [1]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Left to My Own Devices", directed by longtime Pet Shop Boys director Eric Watson, primarily consists of Tennant and Lowe dancing on an invisible glass floor, with the camera angle facing upwards. Tennant and Lowe are joined by several acrobats who are also seen from the same camera angle. At one point, balloons are also visible. MTV declined to show the video due to its dimly-lit nature.[ citation needed ]

Track listings

UK 7-inch single
No.TitleLength
1."Left to My Own Devices"4:43
2."The Sound of the Atom Splitting" (extended version)5:13
Total length:9:56
UK 12-inch single
No.TitleLength
1."Left to My Own Devices" (Disco mix)11:28
2."Left to My Own Devices"4:43
3."The Sound of the Atom Splitting"3:37
Total length:19:48
UK CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Left to My Own Devices"4:43
2."Left to My Own Devices" (Disco mix)11:28
3."The Sound of the Atom Splitting"3:37
Total length:19:48

Charts

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Left to My Own Devices"
RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref(s).
United Kingdom14 November 1988
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
 Parlophone [22] [23]
21 November 1988
  • CD
  • cassette
 [24]
Japan25 January 1989Mini-CD EMI [25]

Other countries

Turkey's longest-running weekly video-music programme Pop Saati (lit. Pop Hour) begins with the intro of the song, which continues from 1987 until today on TRT. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet Shop Boys</span> British synth-pop duo

The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of The Guinness Book of Records.

<i>Actually</i> 1987 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Actually is the second studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in North America. According to Neil Tennant and music historian Wayne Studer, Actually loosely critiques Thatcherism, the political zeitgeist of the 1980s, and was recorded in anticipation of Margaret Thatcher's re-election.

<i>Introspective</i> 1988 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Introspective is the third studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 10 October 1988 by Parlophone. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

<i>Behaviour</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 1990 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Behaviour is the fourth studio album by the English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 22 October 1990 by Parlophone. A Japanese special edition included a bonus mini CD, exclusive artwork and printed lyrics in a white velvet-like box.

<i>Discography: The Complete Singles Collection</i> 1991 greatest hits album by Pet Shop Boys

Discography: The Complete Singles Collection is the first greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 4 November 1991 by Parlophone.

<i>PopArt: The Hits</i> 2003 greatest hits album by Pet Shop Boys

PopArt: The Hits is a greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 24 November 2003 by Parlophone. The album consists of Pet Shop Boys' top 20 UK singles along with two new tracks, "Miracles" and "Flamboyant", which were also released as singles.

"Always on My Mind" is a ballad written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James, first recorded by Brenda Lee and first released by Gwen McCrae in March 1972. Lee's version was released three months later in June 1972. The song has been a crossover hit, charting in both the country and western and pop categories. Elvis Presley's recording was the first commercially successful version of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West End Girls</span> 1984 single by Pet Shop Boys

"West End Girls" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song's lyrics are concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life in London which were inspired partly by T. S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo's career.

West End Girls are a Swedish tribute synth-pop band performing cover versions of songs by English electronic/pop music act the Pet Shop Boys. Hailing from Stockholm, the duo originally consisted of Isabelle Erkendal and Rosanna Jirebeck, but Jirebeck left the group in 2008 and was replaced by Erkendal's cousin Emmeli Erkendal. Isabelle Erkendal provides main vocals for the band and is the "Neil Tennant" figure, whilst Jirebeck was behind her as "Chris Lowe", a capacity now filled by Emmeli Erkendal. West End Girls has been performing since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Being Boring</span> 1990 single by Pet Shop Boys

"Being Boring" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in November 1990 by Parlophone as the second single from their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990). The song was written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, and produced by them with German producer Harold Faltermeyer. It reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart, marking the duo's first single to miss the top 10 since "Opportunities " in 1986. Its music video was directed by fashion photographer Bruce Weber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Comes Quickly</span> 1986 single by Pet Shop Boys

"Love Comes Quickly" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as the second single from their debut studio album, Please (1986). It peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's a Sin</span> 1987 single by Pet Shop Boys

"It's a Sin" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, Actually (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became the duo's second number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks atop the chart. Additionally, the single topped the charts in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, while reaching number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart (Pet Shop Boys song)</span> 1988 single by Pet Shop Boys

"Heart" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, Actually (1987). It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 21 March 1988 by Parlophone. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in April 1988, becoming the duo's fourth and final chart-topper to date in the United Kingdom. Its music video was directed by Jack Bond and filmed in Yugoslavia. The group had initially written the song for Madonna, though they never asked her to record it, instead keeping it for themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jealousy (Pet Shop Boys song)</span> 1991 single by Pet Shop Boys

"Jealousy" is a song originally written in 1982 by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, recorded for their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990). It was released on 27 May 1991 as the album's fourth and final single in a slightly remixed form, which appears on both Pet Shop Boys' greatest hits albums. It has also been covered by British band Dubstar, and was performed by Robbie Williams at the Pet Shop Boys' 2006 BBC Radio 2 concert at the Mermaid Theatre, a recording of which was released on the Pet Shop Boys' live album Concrete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domino Dancing</span> 1988 single by Pet Shop Boys

"Domino Dancing" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in September 1988 by Parlophone as the lead single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). The song reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and topped the charts in Finland and Spain. Its music video was directed by Eric Watson and filmed in Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What Have I Done to Deserve This? (song)</span> 1987 single by Dusty Springfield and Pet Shop Boys

"What Have I Done to Deserve This?" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys and soul singer Dusty Springfield, taken from the duo's second studio album, Actually (1987). The song was released as the second single from the album on 10 August 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's Alright (Pet Shop Boys song)</span> 1989 single by Pet Shop Boys

"It's Alright" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 26 June 1989 as the third and final single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. Originally performed by Sterling Void and Paris Brightledge, the song came to the attention of Pet Shop Boys on a house compilation issued by DJ International Records in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yesterday, When I Was Mad</span> 1994 single by Pet Shop Boys

"Yesterday, When I Was Mad" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as the fifth and final single from their fifth studio album, Very (1993), on 29 August 1994 by Parlophone. The single, both written and produced by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number four on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song was remixed by Jam & Spoon for its single release, among other things removing a compression effect applied to Tennant's voice during the verses. Its music video was directed by Howard Greenhalgh. One of the B-sides is a cover of the Noël Coward song "If Love Were All".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Not Scared (song)</span> 1988 single by Eighth Wonder, written by the Pet Shop Boys

"I'm Not Scared" is a song by British pop band Eighth Wonder, released in February 1988 by CBS as the first single from their debut album, Fearless (1988). The song achieved success in France, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and West Germany, where it was a top-10 hit. Written by the Pet Shop Boys, the original version contains several words in French. "J'ai pas peur" is the French adaptation of "I'm Not Scared" and is included as the B-side to the 7-inch and 12-inch singles. The 12-inch "disco mix" combines the two versions into one long mix. Pet Shop Boys also released their own version of the song, with Neil Tennant vocals, on the album Introspective.

<i>Ultimate</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 2010 greatest hits album by Pet Shop Boys

Ultimate is a greatest hits compilation album by UK electronic music band Pet Shop Boys. It is their third greatest hits album, released on 1 November 2010 by their long-time label Parlophone. The album contains 18 previously released singles, in chronological order, and one new song ("Together"). Ultimate was released to celebrate 25 years since the band's first single release "West End Girls" in standard single-CD and expanded CD/DVD configurations. It charted at number 27 on the UK Albums Chart on 7 November 2010, with first-week sales of 8,886 copies. On the European Top 100 Albums it reached number 50 on 20 November 2010.

References

  1. ↑ Sawyer, Miranda (16 November 1988). "Singles: Single of the Fortnight". Smash Hits . p. 77. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  3. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "RPM 100 Singles" (PDF). RPM . Vol. 49, no. 18. 27 February – 4 March 1989. p. 6. ISSN   0033-7064 – via World Radio History.
  5. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 5, no. 50. 10 December 1988. p. 22. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
  6. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 233. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  7. ↑ "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 4. 28 January 1989. p. 32. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
  8. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Left to My Own Devices". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2022.Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Pet Shop Boys" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  10. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Pet Shop Boys" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  12. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  14. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  16. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  17. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending February 4, 1989". Cash Box . Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  21. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1989" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  22. ↑ Smith, Robin (12 November 1988). "News: Nuclear Device". Record Mirror . p. 4. ISSN   0144-5804.
  23. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week . 12 November 1988. p. 31.
  24. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week. 19 November 1988. p. 36.
  25. ↑ "レフト・トゥ・マイ・オウン・ディバイセズ | ペット・ショップ・ボーイズ" [Left to My Own Devices | Pet Shop Boys] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  26. ↑ "'Pop Saati' rekora koşuyor". www.milliyet.com.tr. 2 March 2006. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.