Music

Amie-Jo Locke / 16 October 2025

The 11 best Pet Shop Boys songs

With Pet Shop Boys announced as Lytham Festival 2026 headliners, we take on the task of ranking their very best tracks

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Normally, this would start with some generic information about the band in question. How they formed. Their album prowess, blah blah blah. Let’s face it, you want to get to the track listing, right?

Wrong. Because this isn’t your average Plus One.

Most people have a Pet Shop Boys era. Whether you were a child of the 80s, 90s or even later, there hasn’t been a decade that hasn’t been touched by them in some way. Formed in London in 1981, keyboardist Chris Lowe and vocalist Neil Tennant have become pioneers, lauded for their music, their image and the impact of their work on queer cultural history.

So, I decided to ask a dear friend, a massive Pet Shop Boys fan, why they mean so much to her as I felt it would be a fitting way to open this illustrious list.

“There’s nothing more that can lift my spirits more than seeing the Pet Shop Boys live,” she told me. “Even thinking about them, and the memories I’ve made watching them, brings a smile to my face. Pet Shop Boys are pure joy. End of.”

How can we follow that? Oh, with eleven of the best Pet Shop Boys tracks to be played, consumed and danced to, on your own, with mates, or with your dog. Enjoy enjoy enjoy.

11. ‘Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money)‘

Pet Shop Boys - Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) (Version 2) (HD)

(Please, 1986)

I’ve got the brains. You’ve got the looks. Let’s make lots of money. Bang. We’re in. Welcome to the Pet Shop Boys (PSB) Plus One, and damn, what an opener. Taken from the duo’s astonishing debut album, Please, it’s clear that this run-down will deal with a very different calibre of pop act if a track like ‘Opportunities’ is sitting at the back end. This is swagger wrapped up in an infectious 80s bow, and this writer is here for it. Try and sing along without giving it finger guns.

10. ‘Go West‘

Pet Shop Boys - Go West (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]

(Very, 1993) 

Originally recorded by The Village People in 1979, the PTB took ‘Go West’ to new joyous synthy heights when they decided to cover it for an AIDS charity event at the Haçienda nightclub in 1992. Its subsequent recording has become one of the duo’s most rousing anthems, with a gracious nod to the original and its theme of gay liberation. Plus, there’s hand actions if you go see it live. Banger.

9. ‘Suburbia‘

Pet Shop Boys - Suburbia

(Please, 1986)

Taking inspiration from the 1983 flick Suburbia (directed by Penelope Spheeris) and the unrest in London following the 1981 and 1985 Brixton riots, ‘Suburbia’s lyrics tap into what the disenfranchised youth were thinking at the time, and arguably, what they are still thinking in 2025 – a desire to move beyond the boroughs, limitations and social class that define them and their future (sound familiar?). Another fine example of how PTB were lyrically well ahead of the game.

8. ‘Domino Dancing‘

Pet Shop Boys - Domino Dancing (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]

(Introspective, 1988)

Released as the lead single from their third studio album, Introspective, ‘Domino Dancing’ was the duo’s foray into exploring a more latin-inspired sound. At the time, fans weren’t enthused, but as time has gone on, it’s become a bona fide PTB classic (my mate reckons it would be her samba track if she ever were to appear on Strictly). Also, LOVE the brass solo at the end.

7. ‘Being Boring‘

Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring

(Behaviour, 1990)

Deeply personal, melancholic yet full of warmth, ‘Being Boring’ was written in tribute to a friend of Tennant’s that died during the AIDS epidemic. A departure from their extravagantly poppy synth bangers, ‘Being Boring’ reflects on the fleeting beauty of youth and how innocence can be snatched away from us with very little warning. Many regard this track as one of PTB’s finest. We’re inclined to agree.

6. ‘Rent‘

Pet Shop Boys - Rent (Official Video) [HD Upgrade]

(Actually, 1987)

Inspired by the idea of transactional relationships – Tennant has reportedly said that he was envisioning the mistress of a powerful businessman – ‘Rent’ sounds, on the surface, a lot more paired-back than rest of the PSB’s back catalogue. However, the genius is in the song’s simplicity. After a few listens, the dynamics shift gear and it becomes lush, slick and incredibly sexy. If Lana Del Rey did synth pop in the 80s, it would sound exactly like this.

5. ‘It’s A Sin‘

Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]

(Actually, 1987)

A reflection on his Catholic education, Tennant has later gone on to say that ‘It’s a Sin’ was never meant to be taken quite so seriously – especially being that it ruffled quite a few religious feathers at the time. Of course, the song’s title is now synonymous with the incredible Channel 4 show It’s A Sin that followed a group of friends during the AIDS crisis, and retrospectively, it could be argued that the themes of this song were always written to be dramatised on screen. String-heavy and opulent, ‘It’s A Sin’ is a perfect example of how the Pet Shop Boys use storytelling to heighten their sound. Plus, thundercracks in a synth-pop track? Amazing.

4. ‘Left To My Own Devices‘

Pet Shop Boys - Left To My Own Devices

(Introspective, 1988)

Oof. Come on. That intro. The sweet strings. It’s dramatic. It’s camp. Yes, ‘Left To My Own Devices’ could be one of the most glorious pop songs ever written. It’s just perfect. Elevate the listening experience with whatever glamorous accouterments come to hand (opera gloves: great shout).

3. ‘What Have I Done To Deserve This‘ (with Dusty Springfield)

Pet Shop Boys - What Have I Done To Deserve This (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]

(Actually, 1987)

Neil Tennant has often mentioned that one of his favourite albums is Dusty Springfield’s spectacular 1969 classic Dusty In Memphis (if you haven’t heard it, do yourself a favour and get involved), and ‘What Have I Done To Deserve This’ is the perfect synthy vessel to showcase the talent (and the vibe) that both artists bring to the table. A queer icon in her own right, it’s impossible to not be drawn right into Dusty’s grace and vocal line, with Tennant’s distinctive speak-sing delivery sitting adoringly alongside. Apparently, when first approached, Springfield wasn’t interested in collaborating with PSB. Thank god she did.

2. ‘Always On My Mind‘

Pet Shop Boys - Always on my mind (Official Video) [4k Upgrade]

(Actually, 1987)

So joyous we can imagine Elvis dancing his sweet spirit buns off to it on some heavenly dance floor, the synth-pop cover of ‘Always On My Mind’ (made commercially famous by The King in 1972) is this writer’s most favourite PTB song, and would have nipped the number one spot if we were basing this list on kitchen discos alone. Bittersweet yet heart-burstingly glorious – those lyrics: ‘maybe I didn’t treat you, quite as good as a should’, stop it – this track couldn’t be any more perfect. 

1. ‘West End Girls‘

Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]

(Please, 1986)

It doesn’t matter what decade you were born in, ‘West End Girls’ is the track that defines everything we know and love about the Pet Shop Boys. From the hustling street noise to the iconic synth intro, and that beefy ‘bom bom bom’ beat that licks your body like a love slap, ‘West End Girls’ has it all – yes, even Tennant rapping in his quintessential British accent. With lyrics inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land and a bassline lifted from Grandmaster Flash (plus some pretty sick tailoring in the accompanying music video), this is pop at its very, very finest, and a deserving winner.

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Pet Shop Boys will headline Lytham Festival in July 2026. Find tickets here