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It's Alright (Pet Shop Boys song)

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"It's Alright"
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Introspective
B-side
  • "One of the Crowd"
  • "Your Funny Uncle"
Released26 June 1989 (1989-06-26)[1]
GenreHouse[2]
Length
  • 9:23 (album version)
  • 4:18 (7-inch version)
  • 4:47 (10-inch remix)
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Trevor Horn
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Left to My Own Devices"
(1988) 		"It's Alright"
(1989) 		"So Hard"
(1990)
"It's All Right"
Single by Sterling Void & Paris Brightledge
Released1987
GenreHouse[3]
LabelD.J. International Records
Songwriter(s)Sterling Void, Paris Brightledge
Producer(s)Sterling Void, Marshall Jefferson

"It's Alright" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 26 June 1989 as the third and final single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. Originally performed by Sterling Void and Paris Brightledge, the song came to the attention of Pet Shop Boys on a house compilation issued by DJ International Records in 1987.

The lyrics list a wide variety of serious political issues in the headlines at the time ("Dictation enforced in Afghanistan, revolution in South Africa taking a stand…"), and then offers the positive message of the title—that on its "timeless wavelength", "music is our life's foundation", it "shall last" and ultimately "succeed all the nations to come".

Versions

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"It's Alright" was the last song on the Introspective album and with a length of nine minutes and 26 seconds, it is the longest track on the album and thought to be the Pet Shop Boys' longest track across all albums the band has produced.[4]

After significant remixing including the addition of extra synthesizer melodies, the song was released as a single. An additional verse in the single version expands the song's concerns beyond the purely political into environmental issues. On the 10-inch single there are additional lyrics with Tennant singing, "there's a boy standing by a river, there's a girl lying with her lover, there's a statesman standing at a crossroads, there's a soldier polishing his gun".

In February 1989, following the song's inclusion on Introspective but before its release as a single, the original version by Sterling Void was re-issued and reached number 53 in the UK singles chart. Void remixed the Pet Shop Boys recording on the second 12-inch single, titled the "DJ International Mixes". Hercules and Love Affair covered the track on their 2011 album Blue Songs.[3]

Critical reception

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Jerry Smith from Music Week wrote, "Seemingly always popping up in the right place at the right time, Tennant and Lowe comment on the world's ills with a perky disco beat and lush synth backing with yet another seductively memorable lyric. Wide exposure is assured."[5] Harriet Dell from Smash Hits commented, "'It's Alright' was originally recorded by a bloke called Sterling Void and was a largish club hit last year. It includes the tinkling piano, the P.S.B's famous synthesised string pluckings and Neil Tennant's plaintive voice. He "wails" on about how the trees and flowers are being destroyed, how people eventually have to die, but the music lasts forever. It's a really "big" arrangement but somehow the excitement of Sterling Void's original has been flattened out."[6]

Track listings

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Charts

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Only Sterling Void is credited as a songwriter on original pressings of Introspective and "It's Alright". Starting in 2001, Pet Shop Boys releases featuring the song also credit Marshall Jefferson and Paris Brightledge for songwriting.

References

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  1. ^ "It's Alright". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  2. ^ "October 1988: Pet Shop Boys Release INTROSPECTIVE". Rhino. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Hercules and Love Affair: Blue Songs". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Introspective : Pet Shop Boys". Rhino. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  5. ^ Smith, Jerry (1 July 1989). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 23. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  6. ^ Dell, Harriet (28 June 1989). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 61. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  7. ^ It's Alright (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1989. R 6220.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ It's Alright (UK cassette single sleeve). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1989. TCR 6220.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ It's Alright (UK 10-inch single sleeve). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1989. 10R 6220.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ It's Alright (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1989. 12R 6220.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ It's Alright (UK 12-inch remix single vinyl disc). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1989. 12RX 6220.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ It's Alright (UK CD single liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1989. CDR 6220, 20 3420 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "Chartifacts – Week Ending: November 04 1990". The ARIA Report. No. 43. 4 November 1990 – via Imgur.
  14. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  15. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  16. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 31. 5 August 1989. p. IV. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 233. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It's Alright". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Pet Shop Boys" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  20. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  22. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  23. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  24. ^ "Pet Shop Boys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  25. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1989" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
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