Smash: The Singles 1985–2020
Pet Shop Boys · 2023
506 min · 121 tracks · house music
A vibrant tapestry of synths and beats weaving through poignant narratives of love, loss, and aspiration.
Top tracks — play these first
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West End Girls Start here — The opening track introduces listeners to the duo's signature blend of catchy hooks and social commentary, establishing them as pioneers of synth-pop.
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It's a Sin — This track stands out for its bold exploration of guilt and desire, paired with anthemic production that resonated deeply during the cultural shifts of the 1980s.
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Go West — An emblematic anthem for liberation and hope, this song showcases the duo's ability to transform a simple melody into a powerful rallying cry.
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Being Boring — This reflective piece delves into themes of nostalgia and personal growth, highlighting the lyrical depth that distinguishes the Pet Shop Boys from typical pop acts.
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Love Etc — With its infectious beat and lyrics about modern relationships, this track exemplifies their continued relevance in addressing contemporary themes.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
This compilation effectively showcases the Pet Shop Boys' diverse sound while maintaining a coherent narrative across their career.
What we noticed
- Each track is a self-contained piece that highlights distinct production styles and lyrical themes relevant to its release period.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- infectious dance energy throughout
- nostalgic reflections on love
- for celebratory gatherings
- dynamic flow of hit singles
- earworm melodies to sing along
Maybe skip if you
- prefer long cohesive albums
- seek deep introspective tracks
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Starting Point — This compilation is accessible and showcases the Pet Shop Boys' key hits for new listeners.
- Themes
- guilt and desire· nostalgia for lost time
- Career context
- When 'Smash: The Singles 1985–2020' was released in 2023, the Pet Shop Boys were celebrating nearly four decades of influential music since their debut in 1986. This compilation comes as a retrospective culmination during a period marked by renewed interest in their expansive discography, following successful projects like 'Hotspot' in 2020 and the continued relevance of their sound in contemporary pop culture.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Erasure· New Order· Depeche Mode
Tracklist
Disc 1
- 1 West End Girls Start here 4:01
- 2 Love Comes Quickly 4:24
- 3 Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) 3:39
- 4 Suburbia 4:04
- 5 It’s a Sin 5:02
- 6 What Have I Done to Deserve This? 4:24
- 7 Rent 3:36
- 8 Always on My Mind 4:04
- 9 Heart 4:19
- 10 Domino Dancing 4:20
- 11 Left to My Own Devices 4:47
- 12 It’s Alright 4:21
- 13 So Hard 4:00
- 14 Being Boring 4:52
- 15 Where the Streets Have No Name / I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You 4:32
- 16 Jealousy 4:17
- 17 DJ Culture 4:14
- 18 Was It Worth It? 4:34
Disc 2
- 1 Can You Forgive Her? 3:57
- 2 Go West 5:03
- 3 I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing 4:45
- 4 Liberation 4:08
- 5 Yesterday, When I Was Mad 4:02
- 6 Paninaro 95 4:10
- 7 Before 4:07
- 8 Se a vida é (That’s the Way Life Is) 4:05
- 9 Single‐Bilingual 3:30
- 10 A Red Letter Day 4:31
- 11 Somewhere 4:42
- 12 I Don’t Know What You Want but I Can’t Give It Any More 4:27
- 13 New York City Boy (USA radio edit) 3:21
- 14 You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk 3:15
- 15 Home and Dry 4:01
- 16 I Get Along 4:12
- 17 Miracles 3:56
- 18 Flamboyant 3:42
Disc 3
- 1 I’m With Stupid 3:27
- 2 Minimal 3:37
- 3 Numb 3:29
- 4 Love Etc 3:33
- 5 Did You See Me Coming? 3:43
- 6 It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas 3:51
- 7 Together 3:30
- 8 Winner 3:50
- 9 Leaving 3:51
- 10 Memory of the Future 3:35
- 11 Vocal 3:26
- 12 Love Is a Bourgeois Construct 4:11
- 13 Thursday 3:58
- 14 The Pop Kids 3:41
- 15 Twenty‐Something 3:40
- 16 Say It to Me 3:10
- 17 Dreamland 3:30
- 18 Monkey Business 3:10
- 19 I Don’t Wanna 3:20
Disc 4
- 1 West End Girls Start here 3:56
- 2 Love Comes Quickly 4:19
- 3 Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) 3:48
- 4 Suburbia 5:08
- 5 It’s a Sin 5:03
- 6 What Have I Done to Deserve This? 4:17
- 7 Rent 3:38
- 8 Always on My Mind 3:38
- 9 Heart 4:25
- 10 Domino Dancing 4:18
- 11 Left to My Own Devices 4:46
- 12 It’s Alright 4:18
- 13 So Hard 4:03
- 14 Being Boring 4:55
- 15 Where the Streets Have No Name / I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You 4:26
- 16 Jealousy 4:12
- 17 DJ Culture 4:13
- 18 Was It Worth It? 4:25
- 19 Can You Forgive Her? 3:58
- 20 Go West 4:53
- 21 I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing 4:40
- 22 Liberation 4:07
- 23 Yesterday, When I Was Mad 4:01
- 24 Paninaro 95 4:11
- 25 Before 4:07
- 26 Se a vida é (That’s the Way Life Is) 4:50
- 27 Single‐Bilingual 3:36
- 28 A Red Letter Day 4:32
- 29 Somewhere 5:05
- 30 I Don’t Know What You Want but I Can’t Give It Any More 4:22
- 31 New York City Boy 4:18
- 32 You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk 3:14
- 33 Home and Dry 4:01
- 34 I Get Along/E-mail 5:48
- 35 Miracles 3:55
- 36 Flamboyant 3:58
- 37 I’m With Stupid 3:59
- 38 Minimal 3:33
- 39 Numb 4:42
- 40 Love Etc 3:29
- 41 Did You See Me Coming? 3:42
- 42 It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas (Live at the O2 Arena, 2009) 3:47
- 43 Together 4:21
- 44 Winner 4:14
- 45 Leaving 3:50
- 46 Memory of the Future 3:35
- 47 Vocal 3:31
- 48 Thursday 4:00
- 49 The Pop Kids 3:55
- 50 Twenty‐Something 5:01
- 51 Dreamland 3:25
- 52 Monkey Business 4:11
- 53 I Don’t Wanna 3:21
Disc 5
- 1 Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) (Original version) 3:43
- 2 Paninaro (1986 video) 4:44
- 3 Domino Dancing (Extended version) 7:47
- 4 So Hard (Extended version) 6:39
- 5 How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? 4:05
- 6 Go West (Extended version) 9:27
- 7 London 4:04
- 8 Integral 3:21
- 9 All Over the World (Live at the O2 Arena, 2009) 3:46
- 10 Invisible 5:04
- 11 Axis 3:49
- 12 On Social Media (Official Lyric video) 3:33
- 13 Burning the Heather (Official Lyric video) 4:04
If this landed
Records by other artists that run on the same instinct.
Violator
Depeche Mode
Shares a similar blend of introspective lyrics and infectious synth-driven melodies.
Power, Corruption & Lies
New Order
Combines danceable beats with themes of nostalgia and emotional complexity.
The Innocents
Erasure
Features vibrant synth-pop soundscapes paired with reflective lyrics on love and desire.
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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