Singer Neil Tennant's personal experiences growing up Catholic and feeling like his sexuality was something to be ashamed of; essentially, it captures the internal struggle of a gay person grappling with societal pressures and guilt associated with their identity.
@ The OP - I wanted to describe it here, but you've done that perfectly, so you saved me the bother! Even though I came to terms with things a long time ago, this still tears me a bit. If you know, well, you know.
Which is exactly my story. There may be ten years between Neil and myself, but the same sentiments and emotions are there, as strong as ever. When this song first came out, it really struck a nerve and has been the soundtrack of my life ever since…
Neil recently said, I think on Jake Shears' podcast, that that's the meaning that listeners ascribed to the song and it's definitely not invalid, but it's not what he meant when he originally wrote the lyrics. In Catholic dogma, all sex outside of marriage and not for procreation is a sin. So when he wrote the lyrics, to him they were about what the school tried to instill in him about sex in general, and more specifically masturbation.
i remember when i was a teen in the 80's seeing a 2 page spread of this song/video in my smash hits magazine with pics of all the 7 deadly sins which they show two of after each chorus when he says it's a sin. russell t davis(dr who writer)made a 4 part show starring ollie alexander(years and years)about a group of gays during the beginning of aids.this was the title of the show. ollie and elton john sung a version of this song on the brit awards that year.
Loving your latest backdrop btw! Always connect with your reactions. So much musical magic to savor on this PSB journey. One of the most inspired/inspiring duos ever! Love that their creative flame remains burning brightly. 🔥 ❤😊
Yahoo!! Another PSB reaction - thank you, Sal!! I love them. So. Much. Soooo much DRAMA. 😆PSB greatest hits is literally the first CD I ever purchased for myself. I could never pick just one song to listen to . . . but I am very partial to Suburbia and Where the Streets Have No Name/Can't Take My Eyes Off you.
I thank the PSB's music for helping to keep me sane while away from my family for 6 months serving in Belize with the military in 1988. They had so many great songs around that time.
Their recent songs are still really awesome. They never disappoint and the variety of their songs is huge. Try for example the song Shouting in the evening then play The secret to hapiness 😊
Back in the late 80s, the Pet Shop Boys' singer described them as "The Smiths you can dance to". Although possibly a flippant comment, there's a grain of truth to that.
They were also in a supergroup called "Electronic" together with Johnny Marr from The Smiths and Bernard Sumner, lead singer of New Order. 3 fantastic eclectic albums. Check out Getting Away With It, or my favourite, Feel Every Beat (but it has to be the 5:10 Album Version. Sooooo much better than the single mix)
Great to see this video and your reaction. The Pet Shop Boys were my favourite band growing up, but as a tween I didn’t fully understand this message until later. I didn’t know this at the time, but 1987 was the year that negative attitudes to homosexuality peaked at 75% in the UK, and in 1988 “Section 28” outlawed the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools or teaching that it was acceptable. We were kept in ignorance for a long time. 💔
If you want to experience a totally different change of pace and mood and what I feel is one of PSB's greatest melodies, I suggest you give "Being boring" a try... Enjoy!
Im so excited for you to listen to more of this band. Im a big fan Pet Shop Boys fan (since the beginning/Bobby O days) and your reactions. Knowing a little of what you seem to enjoy, this bodes well for future Pet Shop Boys reactions. Stand out tracks for me personally and ones that I think you would feel big impact from are Left to my Own Devices (more opera/dance sounding), Suburbia (superb production, social commentary) and Opportunities (just a good stomping disco song lol). Sadly I am not in a place to purchase song requests, so perhaps the fine person who requested this can continue to spark interest in this band. Thank you for the reaction. ❤❤
The Catholic Church was not a fan -- they said that they weren't killjoys and didn't say that everything is a sin. But it seems to me that people who are gay, as Neil Tennant is, have reason to doubt that.
I hope you follow this up with more Pet Shop Boys - perhaps "Domino Dancing," "So Hard," "I'm with Stupid," or "Can You Forgive Her." The video for "It's a Sin" is very much channeling middle ages Catholic vibes. The song itself is more about growing up gay and being told who you are is innately unacceptable or sinful and the song, as a result, has become a gay anthem of rebellion against those oppressive ideas. Love your channel. Liked and shared.
Having been brought up as a Roman Catholic kid educated in Catholic school right up to college, I relate totally to this song. Neil Tennant expressed his upbringing as a Catholic as well through this song and it’s an extremely powerful statement on the control organized religion, in this case the Catholic Church, can have on an individuals emerging true self. true” self. Guilt and shame used to control and suppress someone’s true self is unconscionable and takes strength and fortitude to breakthrough the gaslighting and recognize the goodness in self. I have always respected and admired Neil and Chris for so boldly putting that to song in an incredibly catchy and powerful pop song.
They had a handful of big hits (around 5 or 6 top tens)in the US in the mid-to-late 1980s, but were never more than “also-rans” in a time when the charts were totally dominated by Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and George Michael. I believe both the public and the radio/TV programmers didn’t quite know what to do with them, since they were so English and didn’t fit the US mainstream. By the time the 1980s became the 1990s, they had completely fallen out of favor as far as the pop charts were concerned but had massive success on the dance charts, becoming one of the top dance acts of all time. They definitely do things their own way - which is exactly why I love them! (For the same reason I love Kate Bush. 😊)
This is a nice climatic song, a lot different to other Techno-Pop Pet Shop Boys tunes, usually more danceable or more Pop. This sounds more as a electronic music dramatic and serious, with a climatic sonority and theme, almost as a "Post-Punk typical" tune. Really enjoyable. Diffrent to an early "extremely electronic" music and different of the "West End Girls" Pop approach.
I relate to this as a gay man who gew up in the 70s and 80s. Such an important song. The pet shop boys are like Rem to me - they have a huge back catalogue and never make a bad song.
I think this song is about struggles with gay people before it wasn't illegal to love someone. Right up to the 80s we could be arrested if living in same sex relationship.
Amazing song! I strongly suggest listening to TALK TALK - IT'S MY LIFE. From 1984. The video version, NOT the live version. If you like 80s New Wave, sythnpop and beautiful songs, you will love that one. Right in your wheelhouse!
I do like some of Pet shop boys songs. I call them alternative/ new wave. Do Cover song Always on my mind by Elvis, What have I done to deserve this with Dusty Springfield and Opportunities
Great song. Was the finale of the concert i saw a couple years ago. It was about Neol Tennant's Catholic childhood and coming out as gay. Someone m mentioned a comparison with Cat Steven's Wild World. I was dismissive at first, but yeah. I can hear it Y ou definitely need to review "Rent" probably my favorite PSB song. Does anyone know what Pet Shop Boys name refers to? At least in American lore?
Please excuse what/how I'm writing here, I'm just not sure what I'm trying to say will come across, I'm not all that a wiz with the verbalage... I think this song is pretty phenomenal(!), let's just get that out of the way. I wouldn't even put myself in the category of a massive PSB fan but I do absolutely love them. Having said that... I'd probably put this song somewhere near the bottom of the list of fave songs by them; I've only listened to it, oh, maybe a few hundred times since it came out. Now, the songs that squeeze this song out of the top rankings by them, wow! You have such a beautiful and varied selection to discover. And as much as their production values are so impeccably tight, I love the fact that they somehow still allow dj's from all over the world to have some 'wiggle room' to make it their own. To hear the various takes by different dj's of the same song is a pleasure in itself. Looking forward to you discovering more PSB. - massive thanks to Mia for selecting this gem.
The Catholic church are no better than the Third Reich. A lot of Nazi's escaped through the Vatican. I will not forget that, nor will I forget that they have held the Irish people in slavery for several centuries.
I went to a Catholic school from 1st thru 4th grades & they beat this crap into you. Literally everything you do is a sin & what this song is about. I believe Neil Tennant also went to Catholic school growing up. Thankfully, when I reached the age of reason, I got out of the cult of religion.
Think about WHO they are, and how controversial that was back in the day. Everything they thought or did was a sin according to how they were raised. Pairing that with a dance beat was their way of saying we're damned anyway, might as well have some fun.
As a straight male aged 21 in the UK when this came out, it was pretty obvious at the time that this song was about a gay man growing up in the catholic church. Duh.
Your reaction for the first time ever made me cringe a bit, and I very much didn't want to. So out of character for you, or have I read you completely wrong 😢
OMFG l just realised the main melody of this is a complete rip off of a Cat Stevens song title?? If you wanna leave take good care, cause you know there's a lot of bad things out there, and I never wanna see you sad girl, don't be a bad girl... surely someone else can hear it🤷🏻♀️
It's really only used for part of the song's melody but yes it's definitely Wild World. I wouldn't call it a rip-off, in fact it took me a while to even pick up on it.
I remember Jonathan King not only making that point but really full-on accusing them of plagiarism, I think he ended up in court for libel... actually, why I am trying to drege this up from my memory when it's probably on the very Wikipedia page shown in the video? Hang on... yeah, basically that's what happened.
![Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dRHetRTOD1Q/mqdefault.jpg)
Singer Neil Tennant's personal experiences growing up Catholic and feeling like his sexuality was something to be ashamed of; essentially, it captures the internal struggle of a gay person grappling with societal pressures and guilt associated with their identity.
Turned over a new leaf then tore right through it. Yep...did that til I said the hell with that. I ain't turning any more leaves. 😂
@ The OP - I wanted to describe it here, but you've done that perfectly, so you saved me the bother! Even though I came to terms with things a long time ago, this still tears me a bit. If you know, well, you know.
Which is exactly my story. There may be ten years between Neil and myself, but the same sentiments and emotions are there, as strong as ever.
When this song first came out, it really struck a nerve and has been the soundtrack of my life ever since…
Neil recently said, I think on Jake Shears' podcast, that that's the meaning that listeners ascribed to the song and it's definitely not invalid, but it's not what he meant when he originally wrote the lyrics. In Catholic dogma, all sex outside of marriage and not for procreation is a sin. So when he wrote the lyrics, to him they were about what the school tried to instill in him about sex in general, and more specifically masturbation.
Their entire discography is amazing and still making music in 2024!!!!
They have so many great songs. I love their version of Always on my Mind. ❤
Agree. I prefer it to the version by Elvis.
Agree
From this álbum ALL songs❤
Me too.
My favorite PSB song. If you pay close attention to the video you see the 7 deadly sins depicted - jealousy, sloth, greed , gluttony etc
The 80s were a Renaissance of music. No music put out today can compare.
Fantastically epic music. Blows most tunes around today out of the water.
Love the Pet Shop Boys!
One of a discography packed with hits
Listen to Left to My Own Devices.. that’s EPIC sonically!
These guys were ahead of their game .. love their music ,so vast ,broad and just ever encompassing.❤
Love this song!
Love pet shop boys. Left to my own devices is one of my faves
I was 27 then & adored watching any of The Pet Shop Boys songs. Just excellent!!!!!!
Actually was my first Pet Shop Boys album I bought (cassette) from Columbia House Records & Tape Club. I still adore it.
i remember when i was a teen in the 80's seeing a 2 page spread of this song/video in my smash hits magazine with pics of all the 7 deadly sins which they show two of after each chorus when he says it's a sin.
russell t davis(dr who writer)made a 4 part show starring ollie alexander(years and years)about a group of gays during the beginning of aids.this was the title of the show.
ollie and elton john sung a version of this song on the brit awards that year.
OMG me and my mom singing out loud in the car ❤ best moments ever. 😊😊
I love their video to their song Heart - so good.
Love Comes Quickly!
The BEST.
Loving your latest backdrop btw! Always connect with your reactions. So much musical magic to savor on this PSB journey. One of the most inspired/inspiring duos ever! Love that their creative flame remains burning brightly. 🔥 ❤😊
Another brilliant song by the extremely talented pet shop boy's. New subscriber.
Best synth pop band ever
Yahoo!! Another PSB reaction - thank you, Sal!! I love them. So. Much. Soooo much DRAMA. 😆PSB greatest hits is literally the first CD I ever purchased for myself. I could never pick just one song to listen to . . . but I am very partial to Suburbia and Where the Streets Have No Name/Can't Take My Eyes Off you.
Glad you got this one past the copyright 👮♀️
I’ve probably seen PSB’s a dozen times in concert and they never disappoint 🎉
I thank the PSB's music for helping to keep me sane while away from my family for 6 months serving in Belize with the military in 1988. They had so many great songs around that time.
Their recent songs are still really awesome. They never disappoint and the variety of their songs is huge. Try for example the song Shouting in the evening then play The secret to hapiness 😊
hands down, their BEST song!
Back in the late 80s, the Pet Shop Boys' singer described them as "The Smiths you can dance to". Although possibly a flippant comment, there's a grain of truth to that.
My dear!!!! The Latin at the end rocks
One thing to consider is that this came out as the AIDS crisis was peaking. There was a lot of fear, guilt and blame going around.
Pet Shop Boys for life. Keep digging my brother
They were also in a supergroup called "Electronic" together with Johnny Marr from The Smiths and Bernard Sumner, lead singer of New Order.
3 fantastic eclectic albums. Check out Getting Away With It, or my favourite, Feel Every Beat (but it has to be the 5:10 Album Version. Sooooo much better than the single mix)
They have such a long list of hits; they do an awesome mash up of "Where the Streets Have No Name/Can't Take My Eyes off of You"
Heart, West end Girls, left to my own devices, domino dancing, being boring, rent, always on my mind, so hard
It was my favorite song at the age of 7. It's incredible still.
Great to see this video and your reaction. The Pet Shop Boys were my favourite band growing up, but as a tween I didn’t fully understand this message until later. I didn’t know this at the time, but 1987 was the year that negative attitudes to homosexuality peaked at 75% in the UK, and in 1988 “Section 28” outlawed the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools or teaching that it was acceptable. We were kept in ignorance for a long time. 💔
If you want to experience a totally different change of pace and mood and what I feel is one of PSB's greatest melodies, I suggest you
give "Being boring" a try... Enjoy!
Im so excited for you to listen to more of this band. Im a big fan Pet Shop Boys fan (since the beginning/Bobby O days) and your reactions. Knowing a little of what you seem to enjoy, this bodes well for future Pet Shop Boys reactions. Stand out tracks for me personally and ones that I think you would feel big impact from are Left to my Own Devices (more opera/dance sounding), Suburbia (superb production, social commentary) and Opportunities (just a good stomping disco song lol). Sadly I am not in a place to purchase song requests, so perhaps the fine person who requested this can continue to spark interest in this band. Thank you for the reaction. ❤❤
great reaction love this song classic 80s
EPIC! Love it! ❤
The Catholic Church was not a fan -- they said that they weren't killjoys and didn't say that everything is a sin. But it seems to me that people who are gay, as Neil Tennant is, have reason to doubt that.
Hell yes!
But Catholic bashing is always acceptable.. but try that with another religion that still stones homosexuals....and you are prejudice
my favorite PSB song! ❤
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I hope you follow this up with more Pet Shop Boys - perhaps "Domino Dancing," "So Hard," "I'm with Stupid," or "Can You Forgive Her."
The video for "It's a Sin" is very much channeling middle ages Catholic vibes. The song itself is more about growing up gay and being told who you are is innately unacceptable or sinful and the song, as a result, has become a gay anthem of rebellion against those oppressive ideas.
Love your channel.
Liked and shared.
When The Pet Shop Boys compose your theme song. ❣
The capital sins Pride, Greed, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth.
Heart is one of my favourites! Really, i can't choose just one!
I like the Pet Shop Boys. This has always been my favourite song by them.
Having been brought up as a Roman Catholic kid educated in Catholic school right up to college, I relate totally to this song. Neil Tennant expressed his upbringing as a Catholic as well through this song and it’s an extremely powerful statement on the control organized religion, in this case the Catholic Church, can have on an individuals emerging true self. true” self. Guilt and shame used to control and suppress someone’s true self is unconscionable and takes strength and fortitude to breakthrough the gaslighting and recognize the goodness in self. I have always respected and admired Neil and Chris for so boldly putting that to song in an incredibly catchy and powerful pop song.
Great video, thank you.
Watch Being boring or So Hard…the videos were collaborations with Bruce Weber. Very iconic imagery
Did the US totally miss out on the Pet Shop Boys? They were massive over here in the UK. Epic!
They had a handful of big hits (around 5 or 6 top tens)in the US in the mid-to-late 1980s, but were never more than “also-rans” in a time when the charts were totally dominated by Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and George Michael. I believe both the public and the radio/TV programmers didn’t quite know what to do with them, since they were so English and didn’t fit the US mainstream. By the time the 1980s became the 1990s, they had completely fallen out of favor as far as the pop charts were concerned but had massive success on the dance charts, becoming one of the top dance acts of all time.
They definitely do things their own way - which is exactly why I love them! (For the same reason I love Kate Bush. 😊)
I loved this period of operatic dance music with big, big, big sound, similar to the Stock, Aitkins, Waterman hi-nrg stuff but so much more dramatic.
I still own their cassette tapes LOL ❤
PSB's best songs are their most obscure songs. Dig deep on this group SalvoG
Suburbia
Fantastic song.
Fun fact: One of the women in this song is Geena Davis an actor in many movies like Thelma and Louise.
It's not Geena Davis. It's a Croatian actress called Daniella Crolic.
@@pobstrel Wow that likeness..
This is a nice climatic song, a lot different to other Techno-Pop Pet Shop Boys tunes, usually more danceable or more Pop. This sounds more as a electronic music dramatic and serious, with a climatic sonority and theme, almost as a "Post-Punk typical" tune. Really enjoyable.
Diffrent to an early "extremely electronic" music and different of the "West End Girls" Pop approach.
I relate to this as a gay man who gew up in the 70s and 80s. Such an important song. The pet shop boys are like Rem to me - they have a huge back catalogue and never make a bad song.
Music was good back then...
The other one of theirs you watched was their duet with Dusty Springfield, "What Have I Done To Deserve This", and you liked it if I recall correctly.
Check out se a Vida e very uplifting tune from 1996 I think it was
Seek ye out the blue butterfly, young host! (This review was a big deal for many of us)
US Billboard Hot 100 peak # 9
Anthem ❤
🔥 🔥
I think this song is about struggles with gay people before it wasn't illegal to love someone. Right up to the 80s we could be arrested if living in same sex relationship.
Please react - West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys
One of the best Songs. Try: Rent!
Amazing song! I strongly suggest listening to TALK TALK - IT'S MY LIFE. From 1984. The video version, NOT the live version. If you like 80s New Wave, sythnpop and beautiful songs, you will love that one. Right in your wheelhouse!
Perhaps see if u can track down a mini series of the same name "it's a sin".
Excellent series based around hiv in the 80s.
I do like some of Pet shop boys songs. I call them alternative/ new wave. Do Cover song Always on my mind by Elvis, What have I done to deserve this with Dusty Springfield and Opportunities
Don't forget Results and Losing My Mind with Liza.
You were heading in the right direction with your description of this song. You seem apprehensive.
The seven deadly sins it's about going to a Catholic school love tge pet shop boys ❤
This geatured in the recent trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet - the next Naughty Dog game.
It doesn't get any better than eighties synth pop.
Great song. Was the finale of the concert i saw a couple years ago. It was about Neol Tennant's Catholic childhood and coming out as gay. Someone m mentioned a comparison with Cat Steven's Wild World. I was dismissive at first, but yeah. I can hear it
Y ou definitely need to review "Rent" probably my favorite PSB song. Does anyone know what Pet Shop Boys name refers to? At least in American lore?
Please excuse what/how I'm writing here, I'm just not sure what I'm trying to say will come across, I'm not all that a wiz with the verbalage... I think this song is pretty phenomenal(!), let's just get that out of the way. I wouldn't even put myself in the category of a massive PSB fan but I do absolutely love them. Having said that... I'd probably put this song somewhere near the bottom of the list of fave songs by them; I've only listened to it, oh, maybe a few hundred times since it came out. Now, the songs that squeeze this song out of the top rankings by them, wow! You have such a beautiful and varied selection to discover. And as much as their production values are so impeccably tight, I love the fact that they somehow still allow dj's from all over the world to have some 'wiggle room' to make it their own. To hear the various takes by different dj's of the same song is a pleasure in itself. Looking forward to you discovering more PSB.
- massive thanks to Mia for selecting this gem.
I love you SalvoG. Is that a sin?
It's about being gay.
I love this one. You probably did West End Girls, check out Go West.
He was a cocoa-shunter in a Catholic environment.
The Catholic church are no better than the Third Reich. A lot of Nazi's escaped through the Vatican. I will not forget that, nor will I forget that they have held the Irish people in slavery for several centuries.
I think the song is about the Catholic Church and how they view homosexuality. Domino Dancing and Suburbia is awesome.
✨🤍✨
I went to a Catholic school from 1st thru 4th grades & they beat this crap into you. Literally everything you do is a sin & what this song is about. I believe Neil Tennant also went to Catholic school growing up. Thankfully, when I reached the age of reason, I got out of the cult of religion.
Please react to the german marching band Meute
Think about WHO they are, and how controversial that was back in the day. Everything they thought or did was a sin according to how they were raised. Pairing that with a dance beat was their way of saying we're damned anyway, might as well have some fun.
As a straight male aged 21 in the UK when this came out, it was pretty obvious at the time that this song was about a gay man growing up in the catholic church. Duh.
I always took it to be a song about homosexuality.
Your reaction for the first time ever made me cringe a bit, and I very much didn't want to. So out of character for you, or have I read you completely wrong 😢
OMFG l just realised the main melody of this is a complete rip off of a Cat Stevens song title?? If you wanna leave take good care, cause you know there's a lot of bad things out there, and I never wanna see you sad girl, don't be a bad girl... surely someone else can hear it🤷🏻♀️
Yes! It sounds like “Wild World”
It's really only used for part of the song's melody but yes it's definitely Wild World. I wouldn't call it a rip-off, in fact it took me a while to even pick up on it.
I remember Jonathan King not only making that point but really full-on accusing them of plagiarism, I think he ended up in court for libel... actually, why I am trying to drege this up from my memory when it's probably on the very Wikipedia page shown in the video? Hang on... yeah, basically that's what happened.
Wrong! Cat Steven’s tried to sue and lost! You sound American, infatuated in suing…. or you’re Muslim.
not a fan
No need, it would blow out the candles 😅