January 1988
‘I’m Not Scared’, a song the Pet Shop Boys have written and produced for Patsy Kensit, is released as a single by her group Eighth Wonder, and is their first hit.
History
February 1988
At the BPI Awards, the Pet Shop Boys win the Best Group award. They also mime to ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ on stage with Dusty Springfield. Afterwards Neil comments, “It’s kind of macho nowadays to prove you can cut it live, I quite like proving that we can’t cut it live. We’re a pop group, not a rock ’n’ roll group”.
March 1988
A different mix of ‘Heart’ is released as a single on March 21st and reaches #1 in the UK. “It’s a real disco song — the idea of ‘heartbeat’ the beat of the record and the beat of your heart. It’s actually pretty corny, to be honest, but I think the words are quite sweet and sincere”. The video, shot in Yugoslavia, is a resetting of the Dracula story with Ian McKellen in the title role.
May 1988
For the second year running, the Pet Shop Boys win the Best International Hit award at the Ivor Novello Awards, this time for ‘It’s a sin’.
June 1988
Ian McKellen persuades the Pet Shop Boys to play live at an anti-Clause 28 benefit, Before The Act, at London’s Piccadilly Theatre, performing ‘It’s a sin’ and ‘One more chance’. “A brilliant event”, they say afterwards.
July 1988
‘It couldn’t happen here’ is released on July 8th to mixed reviews: it wins an award at the Houston film festival.
August 1988
The Pet Shop Boys win the Berolina award in Germany for ‘Group of the Year’. The award is presented to them by Miss Venezuela.
September 1988
On September 12th, ‘Domino dancing’ is released, a song they recorded that February in Miami with Expose producer, Lewis Martinee. They shoot a video in Puerto Rico and appeared with a full Latin band on Wogan and Top Of The Pops.
October 1988
On October 10th, their new album ‘Introspective’ is released. It is so called because “all the songs, although it’s a dance album, are introspective”. The title was chosen after considering and dismissing ‘f’, ‘Dogmatic’, ‘Bounce’ and ‘Hello’. They explain that ‘Introspective’ sounds serious, like an art exhibition: “Nick Rhodes”, says Chris at the time, “will be so jealous”.
November 1988
On November 14th, ‘Left to my own devices’ is released: “an exaggerated autobiography”. The second verse refers to a time when Neil’s mother would worry about him because he’d wait in a corner of the back garden pretending to be a Roundhead soldier.
On this day
1988
After Neil and Chris help pay for a gay-supportive anti-Clause 28 newspaper ad, a spokesperson tells the Daily Mirror that ‘they support a variety of causes.’
2000
The Boys perform in Berlin.
2005
Neil finishes recording vocals for ‘Fugitive.’
2007
The Pet Shop Boys had been nominated for two 2006 Grammy Awards—Best Dance/Electronic Album (Fundamental) and Best Dance Single (‘I’m with Stupid’)—but lose out to Madonna (Confessions on a Dance Floor) and Justin Timberlake (‘Sexy Back’), respectively.
2008
Chris appears as a witness at St. Pancras Coroner’s Court in London during the inquest into the death of PSB friend and assistant Dainton Connell in an automobile accident the previous October in Moscow. He testifies how he’d seen Dainton only shortly before the accident at a dinner celebrating his (Chris’s) birthday.
2009
Despite that he’s suffering from a nasty bout of either food poisoning or stomach flu, Neil is interviewed via telephone for a radio show on various subjects, including the upcoming new album Yes, the BRITS Awards, and submitting a song shortly before Christmas to Shirley Bassey, who’s in the process of recording a new album of her own.
2011
They begin writing a new song titled ‘Vocal.’
2020
Just as they had attended the first ‘preview’ show nearly a week earlier, both Chris and Neil attend the ‘official’ opening night performance of the second London run of Musik.
2021
Neil posts on the official PSB website that he has just received the COVID vaccine.
- Facts collated by geowayne.com