Rocktrospectiva: Pet Shop Boys' Top Ten Single "Suburbia" Turns 40

Released on 22 September 1986 "Suburbia" was a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their debut album, Please. It was re-recorded with producer Julian Mendelsohn for release as the fourth single from the album. Peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, "Suburbia" was the band's second top 10 hit after "West End Girls", and in their view it saved them from becoming a one-hit wonder.

The song's primary inspiration was the 1983 Penelope Spheeris film Suburbia, and its depiction of violence and squalor in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The recent events of the Brixton riots of 1981 and of 1985 were another influence. The lyrics convey the boredom of suburbia ("I only wanted something else to do but hang around") and the underlying tension among disaffected youth. The music is punctuated by sounds of suburban violence, riots, and smashing glass, along with barking dogs—a motif derived from scenes in Spheeris's film.

"Suburbia" was written in 1985 at Terminal Studios in London. Chris Lowe composed the music; according to him, the bassline was inspired by Madonna's hit song of that time, "Into the Groove". Neil Tennant wrote the lyrics afterwards. They added car crash samples from an Emulator and riot noises from a film. The duo did not have time to rework the track during the 10-week recording session for Please, and the album version is essentially a polished version of their demo.

A completely new version was made for the single, using barking dogs recorded at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, audio of riots obtained from the BBC, and real breaking glass. Julian Mendelsohn brought in Fairlight programmer Andy Richards, who created a horn section sound with the synth line. Gary Barnacle played saxophone on the track. The single version is an edit of a longer piece called "Suburbia (The Full Horror)", which includes a spoken word segment with the refrain, "Suburbia, where the suburbs met utopia…", and ends in a series of explosions.

Pet Shop Boys had thought that their career might be on a downward trajectory when "Love Comes Quickly", the follow-up single to their number one hit "West End Girls", only reached 19 on the UK Singles Chart, but "Suburbia" alleviated those concerns. 

"Suburbia" was released on 22 September 1986. It spent four weeks in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, with two weeks at its peak position of number eight. The duo promoted the single heavily in Europe, where it received widespread radio airplay. In West Germany, "Suburbia" was in the top 10 for nine weeks from 10 November 1986 to 12 January 1987; its peak position was number two, which it held for four weeks. The song was also a top 10 hit in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Sweden, and Austria.

The B-side of the 7-inch single had Lowe's first lead vocal appearance, "Paninaro". A 7-inch EP in a double pack sleeve, limited to 25,000 copies, came with the standard single on one disc and a Shep Pettibone remix of "Love Comes Quickly" backed with "Jack the Lad" and the short edit "Suburbia Part 2" on the other. "Suburbia (The Full Horror)" was released as a 12-inch single and is also on Disco and the reissue Please: Further Listening 1984–1986.

The 7-inch version of "Suburbia" has been included on the compilation albums Discography: The Complete Singles Collection, Ultimate, and Smash: The Singles 1985–2020. PopArt: The Hits includes the "Video Mix" from the music video, which has an intro featuring the spoken word refrain.

Two remixes of "Suburbia" by Arthur Baker, the "Club Vocal Mix" and the "Dub Mix", were originally used on a promotional 12-inch EP. In 2023, both remixes were released by Pet Shop Boys as digital downloads, and the "Club Vocal Mix" was included on Arthur Baker: The Classic Dance Remixes from Baker's Dance Masters series.

The sleeves for the single were designed by Mark Farrow with photos by Eric Watson. The standard 7-inch single (pictured) has a motion-blurred image of Tennant holding Lowe in a headlock. The main 12-inch single has a selenium-toned portrait of Lowe wearing a striped Poshboy shirt and a pair of Issey Miyake shutter sunglasses. Farrow won a Design and Art Direction silver award for the 12-inch sleeve, and Watson's portrait of Lowe is in the Photographs Collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London.

The video was directed by Eric Watson and features footage of the duo in a Los Angeles suburb, while they were there for that year's MTV Video Music Awards, and a contrasting image of British suburbia, filmed in Kingston-upon-Thames, a suburb of south-west London. It opens with the barking dog motif in an extended "Video Mix" of the song, and dogs appear throughout. Tennant and Lowe are shown walking in the streets among the residents and sitting on a sofa in a house full of unpacked boxes, which represent sudden wealth and the acquisition of things that haven't been used, according to Watson.

Suburbia Track List: 

7-inch: Parlophone / R 6140 (UK)

 

1. Suburbia

2. Paninaro

  

2×7-inch: Parlophone / RD 6140 (UK)

 

1. "Suburbia" 

2.  "Paninaro" 

3.  "Love Comes Quickly" [Shep Pettibone Mastermix] (Early Fade) 

4.  "Jack the Lad" 

5.  "Suburbia Pt. Two" 

 

MC: Parlophone / TC R 6140 (UK)

 

1. "Suburbia" 

2.  "Paninaro" 

3.  "Jack the Lad" 

4.  "Love Comes Quickly" [Shep Pettibone Mastermix]

 

MC: Parlophone / TR 6140 (UK)

 

1. "Suburbia" (The Full Horror) 

2.  "Paninaro"

3.  "Jack the Lad" 

4.  "Love Comes Quickly" [Shep Pettibone Mastermix] (Even Earlier Fade) 

 

12-inch: Parlophone / 12 R 6140 (UK)

 

1. "Suburbia" (The Full Horror) 

2.  "Paninaro" 

3.  "Jack the Lad" 

 

12-inch: EMI America / V-19226 (US)

 

1.  "Suburbia" (The Full Horror)

2.  "Suburbia" (7-inch version) 

3.  "Jack the Lad"

In Memoriam: The Broadway Composer And Barely Breathing Composer "Duncan Sheik" Dies Aged 56

The Grammy- and Tony-winning musician and composer Duncan Sheik has passed away at age 56, his mother has confirmed. Sheik, perhaps was best known for his 1996 hit "Barely Breathing," had been hospitalized in critical condition earlier this week, according to a message posted to his official Instagram page on Wednesday. The post did not elaborate on his medical condition, but said Sheik was stable and receiving treatment.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Sheik's mother Suzanne Sheik had said her son died of organ failure, but the outlet later reported that she identified the cause of death as cardiac arrest. He died on Thursday while hospitalized in New York City, she said.

Another message posted to Sheik's Instagram page on Friday also confirmed his death:

"The world has a lost a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater,” reads the caption. “From his Grammy-nominated hit ‘Barely Breathing’ to his groundbreaking, Tony and Grammy Award-winning work on Spring Awakening, Duncan’s artistry touched many and leaves an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.

“Duncan was a father, husband, son, brother, and friend. He will be remembered for his sensitivity, wit, inteligence, and depth of spirit he brought to those who knew and loved him."

Growing up between South Carolina and New Jersey, Sheik learned guitar as a child and got his first synthesizer when he was 12. He was heavily influenced by Talk Talk, David Sylvian and Nick Drake. His self-titled debut album was released in 1996 and Rolling Stone gave it a four-star review, calling it "a defiant debut — beautiful and benevolent of spirit."

The single "Barely Breathing," from that album, spent 55 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 16. It was nominated for best pop vocal performance at the Grammy Awards in 1998.

Sometime during the production of his third album, Sheik teamed up with playwright Steven Sater to compose the music for "Spring Awakening," a musical that opened on Broadway in 2006. "Spring Awakening" went on to win eight Tony Awards, including for best musical, as well as the Grammy for best musical show album.

New Music: Take Me By The Hand

           

Taken from Echo And The Bunnymen's new album "Apples For Isaac" out today, "Take Me By The Hand" is the band's latest single that stick again with that legendary post punk vibe from the 80's, the band's new album had the collaboration of the legendary Clem Burke from Blondi who managed to work in 10 of the 11 tracks before his demise last year, the track was produced by Ian McCulloch, Alan Moulder & Andrea Wright.

New Music: Western/Martian Skyline

           

           

The Church have announced their 28th studio album — a stat that would close out most careers and is, for this lot, simply Thursday. Lacuna lands October 30 via Cooking Vinyl, and shares the lead single "Western"; Steve Kilbey has said the title came straight from the setting, a nod to a childhood spent absorbing TV. It also arrives paired with second track "Martian Skyline", the pair following on from last year's "Sacred Echoes (Part Two)." Kilbey calls the album “intense, forlorn, and exultant” — as tidy a summary as any for a band still finding new corners inside their own sound: jangling guitars, atmospheric post-punk, dream-pop haze. 

New Music: Fade To Grey

           

Midge Ure has just announced the compilation “Chapters: The Best Of” on 13 November 2026 via Chrysalis Records. The collection gathers his 1980s hits and key album tracks in new 2026 stereo mixes, alongside first-time studio recordings of two songs long associated with his career. "Chapters: The Best Of" follows Ure's recent studio album "A Man Of Two Worlds" and brings together his solo catalogue with material connected to Visage and Thin Lizzy. For the first time, Ure has recorded new studio versions of Visage's "Fade To Grey" and Phil Lynott's "Yellow Pearl," a song he originally co-wrote. The first single is actually "Fade To Grey" in a new fresh version of this 80's hit classic.

News/Compilation: Chrysalis Announce "Midge Ure Best Of" Collection

Midge Ure is back with a brand new compilation, following his recently acclaimed studio album A Man Of Two Worlds, Chrysalis Records will release a brand new Midge Ure Best Of collection, encompassing music he created in the 80s.

Featuring 15 newly mixed songs, including all the hits and, for the first time ever, new studio recordings of Visage's Fade To Grey and Phil Lynott's Yellow Pearl, Chapters: The Best Of is available on 2LP black vinyl and 1CD (standard edition) in a six-panel digisleeve.

A 3CD deluxe edition adds 10 newly commissioned remixes by artists and producers who have worked with Midge, including Craig Armstrong, Richard Barbieri and Steve Jansen (Japan), Wolfgang Flür (Kraftwerk) and Chris Payne (Visage/Gary Numan), as well as new instrumental remixes.

Midge's remarkable life in music did not stand still from the moment he arrived in London from his native Glasgow in 1977. He joined Glenn Matlock's Rich Kids. The following year, he and Rich Kids' drummer Rusty Egan formed Visage with Steve Strange. The line-up was completed by John McGeoch, Barry Adamson and Dave Formula from Magazine and Ultravox! keyboardist Billy Currie. Their second single, Fade To Grey, was a Top 10 hit. The new collection will be out on 13 November.

Chapters: The Best Of Tracklisting

CD One The Songs [2026 Stereo Mixes]

 

1. Yellow Pearl 

2. Fade To Grey 

3. No Regrets 

4. The Man Who Sold The World

5. After A Fashion [Midge Ure & Mick Karn] 

6. Living In The Past 

7. The Gift 

8. If I Was 

9. That Certain Smile 

10. Wasteland 

11. When The Wind Blows*

12. Call of The Wild 

13. Hell To Heaven*

14. Answers To Nothing 

15. Sister & Brother [Midge Ure & Kate Bush]

16. Dear God 

17. Remembrance Day 

 

 * Deluxe Edition bonus track

 

CD Two CONNECTIONS 

 

1. Fade To Grey – Chris Payne Mix 

2. After A Fashion – Richard Barbieri Remix 

3. The Man Who Sold The World – Midge Ure 2026 Remix 

4. That Certain Smile – Craig Armstrong Remodel 

5. Call of The Wild – Ty Unwin Reconstructed 

6. If I Was – Blank & Jones so8os Reconstruction 

7. Sister and Brother – Steve Jansen Remix 

8. Wastelands – Danny Mitchell’s  Remix 

9. Answers To Nothing – 2026 Rework 

10. Dear God – Flür/Duggal Remix

CD Three The Music [2026 Instrumental Versions]

1. Yellow Pearl 

2. Fade To Grey 

3. No Regrets

4. The Man Who Sold The World 

5. After A Fashion [Midge Ure & Mick Karn] 

6. Living In The Past 

7. The Gift

8. If I Was

9. That Certain Smile 

10. Wasteland 

11. When The Wind Blows 

12. Call of The Wild 

13. Hell To Heaven 

14. Answers To Nothing 

15. Sister & Brother [Midge Ure & Kate Bush] 

16. Dear God 

17. Remembrance Day 

A Super Deluxe Edition exclusive release features a Blu-ray Atmos mix of the compilation and a hand-pressed edition of the 2LP on splatter vinyl.

News: Kings Of Leon Announces New Album "O My Beloved" And Shares New Single

Kings of Leon have announced their 10th studio album, O My Beloved, due November 6 through Love Tap Records and Virgin Music. The band has also shared the record's first single, "My Whole World," along with an accompanying music video.

The 13-track album marks Kings of Leon's first fully self-produced LP. According to the band, its stripped-back sound draws inspiration from the raw music they made after first arriving in Nashville, while the lyrics look back on family, childhood and the experiences that shaped their lives.

 We have already surpassed anything we ever imagined we could do, and we've built something that is so special, singer Caleb Followill said in a statement that arrived with the announcement. "I thought, wouldn’t it be beautiful to make an album that is looking back on all of the things that we've done and appreciating how we got here."

"In the songs, theres our families, stories from our childhood, things that maybe didnt seem that significant at the time, but the way they find their way into these songs kind of lets me realize how impactful they really were in my life."

O My Beloved Track List:

 

1. Intro

2. My Whole World

3. Cold Blue Down

4. The Hand

5. Rose

6. Make It Count

7. KOYSAR

8. Feel The Love

9. Blue Jeans And Diamonds

10. Warm Company

11. Forever Endeavor

12. Pretty Thing

13. Get You Down 

Rocktrospectiva: The Legedary Gen' X Anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Turns 35

Released on 10 September 1991, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by the US alternative rock band Nirvana, was the opening track and lead single from Nirvana's second album, Nevermind (1991), released on DGC Records. Having sold over 13 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling songs of all time. The success propelled Nevermind to the top of several albums charts and is often marked as the point when grunge entered the mainstream. It was Nirvana's biggest hit, charting high on music industry charts around the world in 1991 and 1992, and was number one on the charts in Belgium, France, New Zealand and Spain.

The guitarist and singer, Kurt Cobain, described "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as an attempt to write "the ultimate pop song", inspired by the soft-and-loud dynamics of the Pixies. The title derives from a phrase written by his friend Kathleen Hanna, the singer of the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill: "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit." Hanna was referencing the deodorant Teen Spirit, but Cobain misinterpreted it as a revolutionary slogan.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was met with acclaim and described as an "anthem for apathetic kids" of Generation X. It was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of "The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". 

It was one of several songs written following Nirvana's first recording sessions with producer Butch Vig in 1990. Lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain began writing it a few weeks before recording their second album, Nevermind, in 1991.He said it was an attempt to write a song in the style of the Pixies, a band he admired:

I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily that I should have been in that band—or at least a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.

When Cobain presented the song to his bandmates, it comprised just the main guitar riff and the chorus vocal melody. Cobain said the riff was "clichéd", similar to a riff by Boston or the Richard Berry song "Louie Louie". Bassist Krist Novoselic dismissed it as "ridiculous"; in response, Cobain made the band play it for an hour and a half. Eventually, Novoselic began playing it more slowly, inspiring drummer Dave Grohl to create the drum beat, which drew from disco artists such as the Gap Band. As a result, it is the only song on Nevermind to credit all three band members as writers. 

The title derives from a phrase coined by Cobain's friend Kathleen Hanna, singer of the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill: "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit." Hanna and Tobi Vail, Cobain's then-girlfriend, had been at a grocery store earlier in the day, discovered Teen Spirit deodorant, thought the name was funny and joked that various things "smelled like Teen Spirit". Later on, Hanna wrote the phrase in sharpie on Cobain's wall. Cobain said that he was unaware of the deodorant until months after the single was released, and had interpreted it as a revolutionary slogan, as they had been discussing anarchism and punk rock.

Prior to the album recording, the band sent Vig demos for songs including "Teen Spirit". While the sound was distorted due to the band playing at a high volume, Vig felt it had promise. Vig and the band recorded "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at Sound City Studios in the Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Van Nuys in May 1991. Vig suggested changes to the arrangement, including moving a guitar ad lib to the chorus and shortening the chorus. The band recorded the basic track in three takes, and used the second take. Vig corrected some timing errors created by Cobain switching between his guitar effects pedals. Cobain recorded only three vocal takes; according to Vig, "I was lucky to ever get Kurt to do four takes

The lyrics to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" were often difficult for listeners to decipher, both due to their nonsensicality and because of Cobain's slurred, guttural singing voice. This problem was compounded by the fact that the Nevermind album liner notes did not include any lyrics for the songs aside from selected lyrical fragments. This incomprehensibility contributed to the early resistance from radio stations towards adding the song to their playlists; one Geffen promoter recalled that people from rock radio told her, "We can't play this. I can't understand what the guy is saying." MTV went as far as to prepare a version of the video that included the lyrics running across the bottom of the screen, which they aired when the video was added to their heavy rotation schedule.

The book Teen Spirit: The Stories Behind Every Nirvana Song describes "Teen Spirit" as "a typically murky Cobain exploration of meaning and meaninglessness". Azerrad plays upon the juxtaposition of Cobain's contradictory lyrics (such as "It's fun to lose and to pretend") and states "the point that emerges isn't just the conflict of two opposing ideas, but the confusion and anger that the conflict produces in the narrator—he's angry that he's confused". Azerrad's conclusion is that the song is "alternately a sarcastic reaction to the idea of actually having a revolution, yet it also embraces the idea". Additionally, the "famously obscure couplet" in the chorus—"A mulatto, an albino / A mosquito, my libido"—is, according to Azerrad, "nothing more than two pairs of opposites, a funny way of saying the narrator is very horny". In Heavier Than Heaven, Charles R. Cross' biography of Cobain, Cross argues that the song is a reference to Cobain's relationship with ex-girlfriend Tobi Vail. Cross cites the line "She's over-bored and self-assured" and states the song "could not have been about anyone else". Cross backs up his argument with lyrics which were present in earlier drafts, such as "Who will be the King & Queen of the outcasted teens".

The music video depicts a high school pep rally which ends in chaos, inspired by Jonathan Kaplan's 1979 film Over the Edge and the Ramones' film Rock 'n' Roll High School. It won two MTV Video Music Awards, and was in heavy rotation on MTV during the 1990s. Amy Finnerty, formerly of MTV's programming department, said the video "changed the entire look of MTV" by giving the channel "a whole new generation to sell to". 

Smells Like Teen Spirit" was released to radio on August 27, 1991. On September 10, it was released as the lead single from Nevermind, Nirvana's major label debut on DGC Records. The song did not initially chart, and it sold well only in regions of the United States with an established Nirvana fanbase.

The single was intended to be a base-building alternative rock cut from the album, and was not expected to be a hit; the follow-up "Come as You Are" was planned as the single that could cross over to mainstream radio formats. However, campus and modern rock radio stations placed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on heavy rotation. Danny Goldberg of Nirvana's management firm Gold Mountain said: "None of us heard it as a crossover song, but the public heard it and it was instantaneous ... They heard it on alternative radio, and then they rushed out like lemmings to buy it."

The video received its world premiere on MTV's late-night alternative rock program 120 Minutes on September 29, and proved so popular that the channel began to air it during its regular daytime rotation. MTV added the video to its "Buzz Bin" selection in October, where it stayed until mid-December. By the end of the year, the song, music video, and the Nevermind album had become hits. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Nevermind became a rare cross-format phenomenon, reaching all the major rock radio formats including modern rock, hard rock, album rock, and college radio.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was also a critical and commercial success. The single peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart the same week that Nevermind reached number one on the albums chart. "Teen Spirit" hit number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and in April 1992 it was certified Platinum (one million copies shipped) by the Recording Industry Association of America. However, many American Top 40 stations were reluctant to play the song in regular rotation and restricted it to night-time play.

Smells Like Teen Spirit Track List: 

US 7" single (DGCS7-19050)

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 
2. "Even in His Youth"

US/Australian/Australasian cassette single (DGCCS-19050)

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 
2. "Even in His Youth" 

US & Australian CD single (DGCDS-21673)

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 
2. "Even in His Youth" 
3. "Aneurysm" 

UK 7" single (DGCS 5)

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
2. "Drain You"

UK 12" single (DGCT 5)

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (LP Version)
2. "Drain You"
3. "Even in His Youth" 

UK picture disc 12" single (DGCTP 5)

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (LP Version)
2. "Drain You" 
3. "Aneurysm" 

 UK CD single (DGCTD 5)

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 
2. "Drain You" 
3. "Even in His Youth"
4. "Aneurysm" 

News: Pet Shop Boys Announce The Release Of "A Man From The Future"

 

The Pet Shop Boys are pleased to announce the forthcoming album release of  "A Man From The Future", along with a special listening and conversation event in Manchester to mark the occasion.

Created in collaboration with Alan Turing biographer, Andrew Hodges, and performed by Pet Shop Boys and the Manchester Camerata Octet with narration by Juliet Stevenson and string arrangements by Sven Helbig, the work explores eight significant chapters in the life and death of Alan Turing, the pioneering British mathematician and cryptanalyst who laid the foundations of modern computing. The work has been revised and updated since its first performance at the BBC Proms in 2014. This new version, produced by Pet Shop Boys and Sven Helbig, will be released as an album on October 9th., via Parlophone Records. It is now available to pre-order in various formats at this link: AMFTF

Pet Shop Boys and Andrew Hodges will take part in a listening and conversation event for “A man from the future” on Thursday, 8th.,  October at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester which will feature a full playback of the album followed by a discussion about the work by Pet Shop Boys and Andrew Hodges. Tickets for the event go on sale on Monday, 7th., September at 10am BST via the link below. The conversation will also be filmed and made available online shortly afterwards.

New Music: Beginner Boys

           

Simple Minds started off in Glasgow way back in 1977 and the group's two longtime members, singer Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill, are about to celebrate their 50th anniversary nxt week and will publish their joint memoir Our Secrets Are The Same. But now it's time to share the band's new single "Beginner Boys" taken from their forthcoming album Sacrosanct. Kerr says that the brooding lead single "Beginner Boys" is about watching his grandsons grow up, "how strength, tenderness, courage, and gentleness might still belong together, even when the wider culture around them can send mixed signals. It's less a statement than a question I hope they'll spend their lives answering for themselves." 

Rocktrospectiva: The Italo Disco Classic "Shy Like And Angel" Turns 40

Released between 1985-1986 "Shy Like an Angel" by New Romantique was a synth-pop track with a terrific blend of italo disco and new wave produced by The Feldman Brothers.

 

Originally released in 1985 as 7-inch and 12-inch in Germany and France. A series of limited editions such as the Hong Kong pressing were available in 1986. 

 

The track featured key contributions from vocalist and songwriter, Alex Elena, and producer, Jack Anderson. As a contemporary representative of the synth-pop genre, "Shy Like an Angel" blended nostalgic elements of 80s new wave with modern electronic music production techniques. 

 

The song grabbed attention for its dreamy, atmospheric soundscapes and introspective lyrics, which explore themes of love, vulnerability, and self-discovery. Historically, "Shy Like an Angel" is notable for its contribution to the current resurgence of interest in synth-pop and new wave music, influencing a new generation of musicians and fans.

News: Pet Shop Boys Announce A New Recording Of "A Man From The Future" Will Be Premiered On BBC This October

Made in collaboration with Turing's biographer, Professor Andrew Hodges. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, it was first performed it at the Royal Albert Hall in 2014, as part of the BBC Proms, with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers. For this new version, both the text and the music have been revised.

BBC Radio 6 Music will broadcast the 2026 edition on Sunday 4 October, within Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone (8–10pm) and Maconie will also speak to Tennant, Lowe and Hodges about the reworking, including their approach to combining electronic and orchestral music.

A man from the future will then air on BBC Radio 3 later the same evening, within Unclassified (11.30pm–12.30am), with Pet Shop Boys and Hodges joining presenter Elizabeth Alker in the studio to discuss the original performance and its revision. After that, both broadcasts will be available on BBC Sounds for 30 days afterwards.

The piece follows Turing's life chronologically across eight parts: his school days and early interest in mathematics, his time at Cambridge, his work breaking the German Enigma machine's codes during the Second World War, his role in the invention of the digital computer and his early predictions about artificial intelligence, his trial and conviction for a homosexual relationship, his death in 1954, the royal pardon granted to him in 2013, and his lasting influence.

The duo explain the piece was intended as a tribute to Turing's life and treatment. "Our motive in creating this work was to make a musical memorial to Alan Turing, who gave so much to his country and the world and was rewarded for it by being prosecuted for his sexuality. In both his professional and private lives, he was ahead of his time."

Lorna Clarke, BBC Director of Music adds: "When Pet Shop Boys debuted A man from the future at the BBC Proms twelve years ago, audiences were treated to an ambitious and moving tribute to the life and legacy of Alan Turing."

The 2026 recording is co-produced by Pet Shop Boys and German composer Sven Helbig, who also worked on the original 2014 orchestrations. This version leans further into electronic production, alongside a more intimate string arrangement from Helbig. Olivier-winning actress Juliet Stevenson, who appeared in the 2014 Royal Albert Hall performance, returns to deliver narration adapted from Hodges' biography, Alan Turing: The Enigma, which Hodges has updated for this revision. Manchester Camerata Octet perform the strings, with Manchester Grammar School choir also featured.

New Music: The Light That Surrounds You

           

Echo & The Bunnymen have shared "The Light That Surrounds You," the second single taken from their forthcoming album Apples For Isaac. The song finds Ian McCulloch offering words of hope and redemption, set against a swirl of guitar built for festival fields and wide-open spaces. The new track follows previous single "Brussels Is Haunted" and offers another glimpse of Apples For Isaac, the band's 13th studio album and their first collection of new music in twelve years. The album is set for release on September 18 via BMG and follows 2014’s Meteorites and the 2018 compilation The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon. It will be available on black vinyl, limited splatter vinyl, limited picture disc, CD and digital formats.

In Memoriam: The Great "Dolly Parton" Has Died Aged 80

Dolly Parton, one of the greatest singer-songwriters in country music who was also much cherished for her philanthropy, has died aged 80. Her death was announced by nephew Brian Seaver on Instagram. "I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven't truly felt it until now," he said. "It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness."

Parton's songwriting was characterised by its vivid storytelling, emotional acuity and melodic strength, all sung with strident clarity. From an eventual catalogue of hundreds of songs, she scored a record 25 US country No 1 singles and 47 albums in the country Top 10 . She crossed over into the pop charts with 9 to 5, a US No 1 in 1980; balanced her music career with acclaimed acting, twice earning Golden Globe nominations for her roles; and her Imagination Library literacy scheme donated more than 150m books to children.

This was all done with considerable panache, rhinestoned glamour and towering hairdos, with her immortal assertion regarding her appearance –  "it takes a lot of money to look this cheap" – the most quoted example of Parton's ready wit. Parton was born in poverty in a one-room cabin in Tennessee, the fourth child to a mother who would have 12 children by the age of 35, and a father who was a farmer and construction worker. One of her best-loved songs, Coat of Many Colours, was about her mother creating patchwork clothes; Parton's first guitar was cobbled together from a mandolin with bass guitar strings. Her first proper guitar was given to her aged eight by her uncle, and she went from singing in church, to appearing on local television aged 10, to cutting her first record aged 13. That year she appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, the concert hall in Nashville at the centre of country music, and her performance was introduced by Johnny Cash. 

After graduating high school in 1964 she moved to Nashville and started out as a songwriter rather than performer. The following year she was signed as an artist and initially moulded as a pop singer, without success; after she was allowed to switch to country, she scored back-to-back hits and released her debut album Hello, I’m Dolly. In 1966 she married Carl Dean – who died in 2025, with the couple renewing their vows in 2016 to mark 50 years together.

Beginning in 1967, a duet partnership with country singer and TV personality Porter Wagoner helped her star continue to ascend, and she had her first country No 1 in 1971 with the song Joshua. Then appeard "Jolene," her unforgettably raw and desperate plea to a rival lover, was released in 1973 and became one of her first success, written at the same time, "I Will Always Love You," written to Wagoner as a farewell after their creative partnership, was a country No 1 in 1974 and again via a re-recorded version in 1982, and would go on to be a huge pop success when revived by Whitney Houston for the soundtrack of The Bodyguard in 1992: it is still the bestselling single of all time by a woman, with an estimated 20m sales.

In the mid 1970s Parton broadened her sound, embracing pop-rock arrangements on songs such as 1977’s Light of a Clear Blue Morning – its accompanying album New Harvest … First Gathering was her first entry in the pop album chart. Later that year its follow-up Here You Come Again reached the Top 20 and was her first million-selling LP, powered in part by its hit title track, which also won Parton the first of her 10 Grammy awards.

1980 was a peak in her success, with three back-to-back country No 1s, including 9 to 5, taken from the film of the same name which Parton starred in alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, earning her an Oscar nomination for best original song. Parton would later write songs for a stage musical version of 9 to 5, in 2008.

Another classic single came in 1983: Islands in the Stream, a duet with Kenny Rogers, which topped the US pop charts, and a Christmas album with Rogers in 1984 went two times platinum. There were more notable film roles in the 1980s, too, opposite Burt Reynolds in the The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Sylvester Stallone in Rhinestone, and an all-star female ensemble in Steel Magnolias.

A landmark Parton album came in 1987 with "Trio," an exquisitely harmonised, springwater-clear collaboration with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, earning Parton her only nomination for album of the year at the Grammys. Another all-star trio recording came in 1993, with Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn on the album Honky-Tonk Angels, followed by a reunion with Harris and Ronstadt for Trio II in 1999, featuring a Grammy-winning cover of Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush.

The turn of the century brought a trilogy of acclaimed bluegrass albums, and Parton would release 10 more LPs, the most recent being Rockstar in 2023. She was courted by a younger generation of stars, appearing with country artists such as Brad Paisley as well as pop singers such as Kesha, and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus. There were fewer acting roles, but she lent her voice to animated film Gnomeo and Juliet in 2011 and the following year appeared alongside Queen Latifah and more in the musical film Joyful Noise.

Alongside her music and acting, Parton was an astute businesswoman and philanthropist. She founded the film and TV production company Sandollar, with former manager Sandy Gallin, which went on to produce hits such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Father of the Bride film series. In 1986, she took a stake in the Silver Dollar City theme park in Tennessee and renamed it Dollywood, doubling its size over the next two decades, and a Dollywood-branded spa, cabin complex, theatre-restaurant concept and waterpark have since been opened.

The Dollywood Foundation, funded through these business ventures and creative projects, was created in 1988, initially awarding college scholarships and running a scheme to help children complete high school in her native Sevier County, Tennessee. In 1995 Parton began her Imagination Library project, which sent an age-appropriate book to every child in the county every month until they were five. “My father could not read and write, and I saw how crippling that could be,” she explained. It expanded nationwide in 2000, internationally in 2006, and nearly 25m books are now distributed each year across the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and Ireland.

Parton has also set up a reserve in 2003 to help preserve the bald eagle; contributed $500,000 to the opening of a Sevier county hospital in 2006; coordinated relief efforts for those affected by the Smoky mountain wildfires of 2016; and contributed to an HIV/Aids charity album. She supported Black Lives Matter and transgender rights, opposing a North Carolina “bathroom bill” that restricted transgender people’s access to toilets (Parton was also nominated for an Oscar for her song in trans drama Transamerica, entitled Travelin’ Thru).

She made a number of donations to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where her niece was treated for leukaemia. The most high profile of these was in 2020, when she donated $1m for research into Covid-19, which formed the basis for the eventual Moderna vaccine.

The Compilation: Now Yearbook Vault '86

NOW Music's Yearbook Vault series continues next month, when the spotlight falls on 1986, and songs that were minor hits, hit-adjacent or, and let’s use the word, flops.

For this release, the usual "Yearbook" 4CD option of deluxe hardcover book packaging or more basic card sleeve edition, offers 77 tracks, while a 3LP coloured vinyl (purple) delivers 44 songs from 1986.

For this Vault compilation, because there's some relatively big names here such as Paul Young's first single from his third solo album, 1986's Between Two Fires, had been "Wonderland". Vault ’86 also reminds us that acts we know and love as one hit wonders did actually ‘try again’; they didn’t want to be one hit wonders, after all. So yes, Belouis Some did release a few singles that weren’t ‘Imagination’ and funnily enough one of them was called ‘Some People‘! It was a very minor hit, but if history teaches us anything, it’s that 1986 was not a year to release a song called ‘Some People’. ‘Ed’s Funky Diner‘ was actually a great follow-up to It’s Immaterial’s ‘surprise’ hit.

Other tracks include Nik Kershaw's ‘Nobody Knows’ (No 44) and Howard Jones’ All I Want (No 35), both artists, like Paul Young, experimenting with new producers (in Nik’s case himself!) and it not really working out. The Thompson Twins‘ ‘Nothing in Common’ wasn’t released in the UK, but it didn’t trouble the upper reaches of the American chart when it was issued there (their previous two singles had been top 10 hits Stateside). Three singles from Sting's brilliant The Dream of the Blue Turtles album failed to get into the UK top 40 which seems crazy, and ‘Moon Over Bourbon Street‘, when issued as the fifth 45 (A&M were probably enthused because ‘Russians’ had reached No 12) was the last of them (No 44). Sting would have to wait until 1994 before chalking up a solo UK top 10 single (‘When We Dance’).

Tears For Fears make an appearance on Vault ’86, with a song that was both the first and last single from Songs From The Big Chair: ‘Mothers Talk‘. Included here is the US Mix, not issued in the UK. In America, it reached 27 which sounds decent, until you recall that the first three singles from the album were No 1, No 1 & No 3!. Roland Orzabal told this writer that he much preferred the version re-recorded for the North American market: “I always thought we got ‘Mothers Talk’ slightly wrong. It was a bit too fast. The US version worked really well, we were happy”. There’s plenty more interesting selections on this new compilation; scroll down for full tracklistings.

NOW Yearbook Vault ’86 will be released on 18 September 2026.

 

4CD Track List:

 

CD 1

1. Paul McCartney – Only Love Remains

2. Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart – The Miracle Of Love

3. The Lover Speaks – No More “I Love You’s”

4. Sting – Moon Over Bourbon Street

5. Chris Rea – On The Beach

6. The Bangles – If She Knew What She Wants

7. Belinda Carlisle – Mad About You

8. Billy Idol – To Be A Lover

9. Daryl Hall – Dreamtime

10. Paul Young – Some People

11. Wax – Right Between The Eyes

12. Nick Heyward – Goodbye Yesterday

13. Nik Kershaw – Nobody Knows

14. Thompson Twins – Nothing In Common

15. Howard Jones – All I Want

16. Ultravox – Same Old Story

17. Belouis Some – Some People

18. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – We Love You

19. ABC – Ocean Blue

 

CD 2

1. David Sylvian – Taking The Veil

2. Talk Talk – Living In Another World

3. Arcadia – The Flame

4. John Taylor – I Do What I Do (Theme for 9 1/2 Weeks)

5. China Crisis – Arizona Sky

6. It’s Immaterial – Ed’s Funky Diner

7. The Mission – Stay With Me

8. The Jesus And Mary Chain – Some Candy Talking

9. Siouxsie And The Banshees – Candyman

10. Cocteau Twins – Love’s Easy Tears

11. Mint Juleps – Only Love Can Break Your Heart

12. Everything But The Girl – Come On Home

13. Sandie Shaw – Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?

14. Big Audio Dynamite – C’Mon Every Beatbox

15. The Stranglers – Always The Sun

16. The Housemartins – Sheep

17. Fine Young Cannibals – Funny How Love Is

18. The Blow Monkeys – Wicked Ways

19. Simply Red – Jericho

20. Elton John – Cry To Heaven

 

CD 3

1. The Communards – Disenchanted

2. Bronski Beat – C’mon! C’mon!

3. Yello – Goldrush

4. Grace Jones – I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You)

5. Aretha Franklin – Another Night

6. Chaka Khan – Love Of A Lifetime

7. Cameo – Candy

8. Hollywood Beyond – No More Tears

9. El DeBarge – Who’s Johnny

10. Matt Bianco – Dancing In The Street

11. Carmel – Sally

12. Dee C. Lee – Come Hell Or Waters High

13. Maxi Priest – Strollin’ On

14. UB40 – All I Want To Do

15. Loose Ends – Slow Down

16. Ruby Turner featuring Jonathan Butler – If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)

17. Billy Ocean – Love Zone

18. Lionel Richie – Love Will Conquer All

19. Gloria Estefan – Words Get In The Way

 

CD 4

1. Tears For Fears – Mothers Talk (U.S. Remix)

2. Wang Chung – Everybody Have Fun Tonight

3. Stacey Q – Two Of Hearts

4. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (with Full Force) – All Cried Out

5. The Fixx – Secret Separation

6. The Outfield – Your Love

7. Glass Tiger – Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)

8. Pat Benatar – Le Bel Age

9. Heart – Nothin’ At All

10. Boston – Amanda

11. Don Johnson – Heartbeat

12. Meat Loaf – Rock ‘N’ Roll Mercenaries

13. ZZ Top – Stages

14. Mr. Mister – Is It Love

15. Huey Lewis & The News – Hip To Be Square

16. The Moody Blues – Your Wildest Dreams

17. Mike + The Mechanics – All I Need Is A Miracle

18. Billy Joel – A Matter Of Trust

19. Bruce Springsteen – War (Live at LA Coliseum)

Rocktrospectiva: Pet Shop Boys' Summery And Fun Single "Se A Vida É" Turns 30

Released on 12 August 1996 "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" was a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, as the second single from their sixth studio album, Bilingual (1996). The song was based on "Estrada Da Paixão" by African-Brazilian band Olodum, which Pet Shop Boys heard during the South American leg of their Discovery tour in 1994. The band shares songwriting credits with Pet Shop Boys. The correct English translation of "Se a vida é" from Portuguese is actually "If Life Is...". ("That's the way life is" would be "É assim que a vida é..." or "A vida é assim".) The other Portuguese lyric is "Essa vida é..." ("This life is..."), which sounds very similar to "Se a vida é". Neil Tennant acknowledged that he started writing the lyrics with a mistranslation of the phrase but decided he liked it as is. The addition of "Essa vida é" was intended as a more accurate way to convey "that's the way life is".

"Se A Vida É" spent eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight, and became a top-five hit in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Spain. It topped the European Hit Radio chart, with airplay on 98 stations in 23 countries. 

In the United States, the song was released in 1997 as a double A-side with "To Step Aside". This version reached number eight on the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales chart while "To Step Aside" by itself reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

The single covers (CD1 pictured) featured photos from the music video shoot at a water park, taken by Lynda Churilla. The photos were printed on a yellow background in duotone pink, blue, green, red, and orange, with flecks of spot varnish to give an effect of splashing water. The 12-inch double vinyl cover had plain panels of the same colours, with the photos on the inner sleeves. The compact discs were yellow, and the vinyl records were green for side A/B and yellow for side C/D. Designer Mark Farrow described the look as "summery and fun and wet and sexy".

The accompanying music video for "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" was shot at the Wet 'n Wild water theme park in Orlando, Florida, and was directed by Bruce Weber, who had also directed the video for "Being Boring" (1990). Actress Eva Mendes appeared in a small role as a teenager with her friends at the park. The video entered heavy rotation on MTV and VH1 that summer.

The single has been described as "a sexy and vibrant song", and a "life-affirming lambada". Other described it as the best Pet Shop Boys single in years. Justice demands it be the biggest of summer hits." An extremely commercial and very positive song, it features a four-piece brass section, a guitar and 20 female drummers. The latter's inclusion gives a sometimes thunderous rumble to appropriate sections of the song, but the rest is very lightweight and breezy, with a vaguely Latin flavour floating in with the brass section.

 

Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) Track List: 

 

UK And Australian CD1 Japanese Maxi-CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Betrayed

3. How I Learned To Hate Rock 'n' Roll

4. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Pink Noise Mix)

 

UK And Australian CD2:

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picciotti's Deep And Dark Vocal) 

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picciotti's Shelter Dub)

3. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)" (Deep Dish Liquid Remix)

 

UK Cassette Single And European CD Single

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Betrayed

 

Japanese Mini CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Go West 

US CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Album Version) 

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picchiotti's Deep And Dark Vocal)

3. To Step Aside (Album Version)

4. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Disco Vox)

5. The Calm Before The Storm

6. Betrayed

 

US 2x12 inch Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Pricchiotti's Deep And Dark Vocal)

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Deep Dish Liquid Remix)

3. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Disco Vox)

4. To Step Aside (Hasbrouck Heights Mix)

5. To Step Aside (Davidson Ospina Dub)

6. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Old School Dub) 

7. To Step Aside (Brutal Bill Mix)

8. To Step Aside (Ralphi's House Vox)