80's Jams #62: Pet Shop Boys "West End Girls" (1984)

It was one heck of a way to come to public attention and still stands out as a peak of the Pet Shop Boys' career, not to mention arguably being one of the first hip-hop singles to go top of the charts. That may seem strange, but it's pretty obvious Tennant is delivering the verses in his own English style of flow; he confirmed in later years that the source of inspiration was the Grandmaster Flash single "The Message." Lyrically, though, his focus is slightly different, a focus on class as much as inner-city pressure (though he later said that the commonly accepted vision of the song being about rough trade was not the intent). -- Allmusic http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:apfexq9dldhe