Question 1

Do Pet Shop Boys write their own songs?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and they write them together. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe share the credit on 155 of the 159 tracks across their fifteen studio albums. Three carry neither of them: "Always on My Mind" and "It's Alright", both covers on Introspective, and "Numb" on Fundamental, which Diane Warren wrote. The fourth exception is "Two Divided by Zero", written by Tennant with Bobby Orlando.

Question 2

Who wrote "West End Girls"?

Accepted Answer

Tennant and Lowe. It went to number 1 on the Hot 100 and number one in Britain, and it won them a Brit Award and an Ivor Novello in 1987.

Question 3

Did they write "Always on My Mind"?

Accepted Answer

No. Wayne Carson, Mark James and Johnny Christopher wrote it in 1972. The duo's version reached number 4 on the Hot 100 and was re-recorded for Introspective as a medley with "In My House".

Question 4

Who wrote "Go West"?

Accepted Answer

Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and Victor Willis wrote it for Village People. Tennant and Lowe are credited alongside them on the version on Very.

Question 5

Does one of them write the words and the other the music?

Accepted Answer

The credits do not split that way. Almost every track is signed by both. The clearest exception runs the other direction: on "Se a vida é" Tennant is the lyricist while the music is credited to him, Lowe and three Brazilian writers.

Question 6

Who else has written with them?

Accepted Answer

Nineteen tracks carry an outside name, usually the producer on the record. Stephen Hague, Bobby Orlando, Allee Willis, Ennio Morricone, David Morales, Chris Zippel, Stuart Price and Olly Alexander all appear once or twice. The album Yes brings in the Xenomania team on three tracks.

Question 7

How many albums have they made?

Accepted Answer

Fifteen studio albums between 1986 and 2024, plus live records, ballet and film scores, and compilations that sit outside this catalogue.

Question 8

How well have they sold?

Accepted Answer

More than 100 million records worldwide. The 1999 edition of The Guinness Book of Records listed them as the most successful duo in British music history.

Question 9

Have they won any awards?

Accepted Answer

Three Brit Awards, including Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2009, an Ivor Novello for "West End Girls", and NME's Godlike Genius Award in 2017. Their four Grammy nominations are all in the Dance and Electronic categories.

Question 10

Which of their singles did best in America?

Accepted Answer

"West End Girls" reached number 1 on the Hot 100. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" with Dusty Springfield reached 2, "Always on My Mind" 4, "It's a Sin" 9 and "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" 10. All five came in the 1980s.