A pink taxi

A pink taxi

September 2, 2010

Pet Shop Boys Milestones


I wonder about my kids' taste in music. Till this day, they like the same singers that I do and I find it slightly embarassing that they appreciate such retro pop music. Granted Madonna, Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode still produce but they don't have the same cache as Britney Spears, Lady Gaga or Rihanna. I am glad I can pop a David Guetta, Eminem or ColdPlay CD in the car and redeem myself.

As for Pet Shop Boys, I must admit, it was my own fashionable yuppy dad who introduced me with their first song called West End Boys (from the album Please). My Dai Rahim, my youngest uncle, the coolest of them all, made the Pet Shop Boys a confirmed passion.

I then bought the tape of their album"Actually" in 1987. I still believe it to be their best. I would listen to "It's a Sin" on my walkman while I attempted jogging around my boarding school.  I wrote in my diary to the tune of "Heart" and woke up to a never ending "Rent". My housemates even knew the lyrics!

Pet Shop Boys continued to produce albums, one of which, "Introspective" I purchased as a CD for 7$, a small fortune in 1988, when I was a freshman at Smith College. Again I listened constantly to the laments of "I want a Dog" and the happy beat of "Domino Dancing". In 1990, the "Behavior" album sounded  literally like "poetry on pop": perhaps it was on this album that I memorized and cherished most, with such lyrics as "piles of toast and broken promises".

In 1993, at the time I bought the truly original album "Very", with its orange unicolored cover with orange dots, I owned a car with a CD player,  and I used to cruise down Newberry Street in Boston, listening to "Go West!" Five years later, it became the theme song at my wedding. The guests got to hear it at least three times! I also shed sobbing tears at my wedding, grasping at my brother's collar, when the song Rent came on, with its heartbreaking introductory notes.We often remember Dai Rahim when we listen to Pet Shop Boys.

The Pet Shop Boys made a comeback in 1999 with "Nightlife". We were very fortunate, my husband, two brothers and I,  to dance to "New York City Boys" at their concert in New York City. I had just found out that week that I was pregnant with my first, so I will never forgot that happy day.

Recently, Pet Shop Boys came out with yet another album, entitled "Yes". This is the one my three kids are most fond off. It warded off the Dubai heat as we listened to its cooling tunes. Our favorite tune from that album is "Did yousee me?" and "Vulnerable".


Pet Shop Boys have been milestones in my teenage and adult life.  In fact, I once saw Neil Tennant in Monaco where he was visiting his dear friend Elton John. I walked behind him discreetly and even followed him into the Casino. I believe he could have perceived my Heart....beat (as he sings himself) and I quickly turned awayIf a movie was ever made about me, their albums would probably be a huge part of the soundtrack.

Below is a link to Rent:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d0GARTk_Nk&ob=av2e

3 comments:

  1. Arte the French German TV station that you get addicted to while spending summer in France,has been showing delightful series on the YeYe 60's!Over and above the famous French Johny Halliday,John Destang,Bridget Bardot and others,they have been hailing the Beatles and Elvis.Each generation has it's idols,and some of them have a big return.Especially in France,the " vedettes"or stars never die professionally until they depart from this world,but nevertheless they remain icons.
    This summer I enjoyed the afternoons with my grandchildren by the pool,listening to the blaring tunes and new songs from Shakira,Lady Gaga-coming from Radio Energie,the pop music station of choice.The foremost fan was the 4 year old grandson with an amazing musical ear,who would demand to have "Muthica"!

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  2. This post brought tears to my eyes, mainly because of ALL the GREAT memories I have of Dai Rahim who was more of a brother than an uncle to the older generation of cousins. I think most of the older generation of cousin's taste in music was influenced by Dai Rahim because of his passion for such bands as Depeche Mode, The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, etc. When I think of Dai and all the happy times we had together, my memories are always associated with a specific song.

    I remember our many summers spent in Utah. We were all part of the swim team and poor Dai Rahim had to wake up at the crack of dawn to drive a bunch of sleepy kids to The Canyon Racquet Club for swim team practice. Eventhough we were all half asleep in the car, he would play the latests Depeche Mode tape and we would all sing along. If we were going on one of our infamous summer camping trips or our yearly visit to the amusement park Lagoon, we would all fight about riding in Dai's blue Toyota so we could listen to his music. It was with him that I went to my first of many Cure and Depeche Mode concerts.

    When he was living in LA and we were in San Diego, my mom and Khaleh would let my cousin and I go visit him on the weekends. He would take us to underage clubs and we would dance to the latest beats until the club closed down at 2 a.m. (I don't think my mom knew that!)

    Finally when we were all living in SD, he would take all of the cousins to the beach, when there was high tide on the piere at 3 a.m, it was he who took us to see it, any movie we wanted to see, we would just ask him and he was always happy to take us. I often associate different areas in SD with things I did with him and the music we were listening to at the time.

    Today, when Depech Mode, the Cure, or other groups that he used to listen to come on the radio, my kids often ask if that is one of "Dai's songs". It is through the music he listened to that my kids have learned about their great uncle. Like me, when they think of him, they associate him with the music he loved.

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  3. The Pet Shop Boys are one of the finest pop acts of all time, with their remarkable combination of wit and and poetic intelligence. Their lyrics are beautiful and their melodies enchanting. Their words sing like poetry and their notes captivate your heart. They are the definition of sophistication and all that is great about England! They are always on my mind. PSB forever!

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