London (Pet Shop Boys song)

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"London"
LondonPetShopBoys.jpg
CD2 single cover
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Release
B-side "Positive Role Model"
Released14 October 2002 [1]
RecordedMarch 2000
Studio Studio Chillout (Berlin) [2]
Genre Synth-pop
Length3:52
Label Parlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Chris Zippel
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"I Get Along"
(2002)		"London"
(2002)		"Miracles"
(2003)
Music video
"London" on YouTube

"London" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 14 October 2002 as the third and final single from their eighth studio album, Release (2002). It was released exclusively in Germany and Europe and as a promotional-only release in the United Kingdom.

Contents

Background and composition

"London" was written in 2000. [3] Neil Tennant wrote the chorus first on piano. [2] He and Chris Lowe went to Berlin in March 2000 to record "Positive Role Model" and "Somebody Else's Business" with producer Chris Zippel. [4] Zippel had written a piece of music that became the verse of "London". The lyrics are about two young Russian men coming to London looking for work. [3] The narrator's father was killed in the Soviet–Afghan War. Tennant described "London" as a pro-immigration song. [2]

"Positive Role Model" became the B-side to the single and was later included on the duo's remix album Disco 3 (2003).

Artwork

The single cover features a pigeon, as a reference to the city of London itself. The CD1 single has Pet Shop Boys in pink text and the CD2 single has green text, using the same typography as "Home and Dry" (2002). It was designed by Scott King, with photography by Jonathan de Villiers. [5]

Music video

The music video for "London" was directed by Martin Parr, in the style of his observational photography. It features two young Russian men, as described in the song, wandering in the city of London. Tennant and Lowe are also seen busking on the streets and in the Underground. [5] [2] One of the men is played by Alexei Akinfiev. [6]

Live performances

"London" was performed during the Release Tour in 2002. [7]

Track listings

All tracks written by Tennant, Lowe, and Zippel, except where noted.

  1. "London" (Berlin radio mix) – 3:52 (mixed by Chris Zippel and Kai Diener)
  2. "Positive Role Model" [a] – 4:05 (Tennant, Lowe, Barry White, Peter Radcliffe, Tony Sepe)
  3. "London" (Genuine Piano mix) – 4:16 (mixed by Chris Zippel)
  1. "London" (Westbam In Berlin mix) – 5:43 (remixed by Klaus Jankuhn and Westbam)
  2. "London" (Thee Radikal Blaklite mix) – 8:31 (remixed by Felix da Housecat)
  3. "London" (Thee Radikal dub) – 8:17 (remixed by Felix da Housecat)
  1. "London" (Berlin radio mix) – 3:52 (mixed by Chris Zippel and Kai Diener)
  2. "London" (Genuine Piano mix) – 4:16 (mixed by Chris Zippel)
  1. "London" (Westbam In Berlin mix) – 5:43 (remixed by Klaus Jankuhn and Westbam)
  2. "London" (Thee Radikal Blaklite mix) – 8:31 (remixed by Felix da Housecat)

Notes

  1. ↑ Contains a sample from "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" by Barry White

Personnel

Pet Shop Boys

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

Artwork

Charts

Chart performance for "London"
Chart (2002)Peak
position
Denmark (Tracklisten) [8] 14
Germany (GfK) [9] 39
Hungary (Single Top 40) [10] 19
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [11] 8
UK Singles (OCC) [12] 118

References

  1. ↑ "London". petshopboys.co.uk. London. 14 October 2002. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Heath, Chris (2017a). Release: Further Listening 2001–2004 (booklet). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone Records. pp. 9–11, 45. 0190295921149.
  3. 1 2 Tennant, Neil (2018). One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem: 1979–2016. London: Faber & Faber. pp. 114–15. ISBN   9780571348916.
  4. ↑ Heath, Chris (2017b). Nightlife: Further Listening 1996–2000 (booklet). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone Records. p. 28. 0190295921132.
  5. 1 2 Hoare, Philip; Heath, Chris (2006). Pet Shop Boys, Catalogue. New York: Thames & Hudson. pp. 286–89. ISBN   9780500513071.
  6. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys: London". IMDB. 2002. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  7. ↑ Lechner, Ernesto (10 June 2002). "Music Reviews: Pet Shop Boys". Variety. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  8. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – London". Tracklisten. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – London" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – London" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Chart Log UK (1994–2010): Rodney P. – The Pussycat Dolls". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
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