Pet Shop Boys
Being Boring

THE REVIEW

My review is a sort of personal tribute I wanted to make to the Pet Shop Boys, the famous English electro-pop/dance duo composed of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.

They became famous in the second half of the '80s, thanks also to the success of hits such as "West End Girls," "It's A Sin," and "Rent." The single I want to talk about is "Being Boring," the second release from the album "Behaviour" published in 1990.

It's a song that profoundly marked a period of my life (the memories related to high school graduation and the senior trip to Barcelona), and with this track, I got to know them at that moment.

As for the version published in the album, it's a notably long piece (6:48), introduced by a one-minute intro characterized by keyboard pads that envelop and introduce the listener to the first verses of Tennant; verses that immediately convey the emotions that the track will evoke (nostalgia, reflection, sadness, and many memories).

It begins with nostalgic singing ("I came across a cache of old photos and invitations to teenage parties"), and through various reflections, the issue of AIDS is also touched upon ("Some are here and some are missing... in the 1990's"), since the song was dedicated to a friend of Tennant's who died from that disease (and in this context, probably "But I thought in spite of dreams you’d be sitting somewhere here with me" is the peak of the composition).

For those who don't know it, don't expect the classic "danceable" Pet Shop Boys song, but it's nonetheless a fundamental piece in their discography and one of the fans' most beloved hits.

Perhaps it’s the unique reflections and emotions conveyed that allow the piece to remain extraordinary over time, continuing to amaze and not bore after repeated listens.

After all, as they sing in this masterpiece, "We were never being boring cos we were never being bored."