Iconic
WITH SALES OF OVER 50 MILLION RECORDS, THE PET SHOP BOYS ARE THE UK’S MOST SUCCESSFUL MUSICAL DUO WHO HAVE PROVIDED US WITH A UNIQUE MUSICAL COMMENTARY OF THE LAST 30 YEARS
Matt Cain @MattCainWriter
PET SHOP BOYS – IT’S A SIN
‘IT’S A, IT’S A, IT’S A, IT’S A SIN.’ It’s one of the Pet Shop Boys’ biggest hits and we can all sing along to the chorus. But how many of us have asked ourselves which sin Neil Tennant’s singing about?
I’m not sure I did when I fell in love with the song at the age of ten. Released in 1987, It’s a Sin was the lead single from the duo’s second album, Actually, and a number one hit in the UK. It has a dramatic production, a ferociously catchy hook, and was promoted by a glossy video directed by gay filmmaker Derek Jarman. In it, Neil Tennant plays an outlaw, chained to his jailer Chris Lowe, and subjected to some kind of Inquisition in front of several surprisingly hot monks. The concept is a perfect match for the song’s lyrics, which involve Tennant protesting against the guilt his Catholic upbringing made him feel. But what sin could possibly be so bad that it makes him look back on his life ‘forever with a sense of shame’?