Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)

"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" is a song by English synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys. The song is a medley of covers of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", the 1960s single by Frankie Valli, though in an arrangement informed by the 1982 disco version of the song by Boystown Gang rather than the original.[1] The song accompanied "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?", the third single from their 1990 album, Behaviour, as a double A-side in the UK (both singles were released separately in the US). Released in March 1991, this song was the band's 15th consecutive Top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The band have said that they thought the guitars in the original sounded similar to a sequencer.[2]

"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)"
Single by Pet Shop Boys
A-side"How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?"
B-side"Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend"
Released11 March 1991
Format7", 12", cassette, CD
GenreSynthpop
Length4:31
6:44 (extended mix)
LabelParlophone / EMI
Songwriter(s)Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Adam Clayton; Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio
Producer(s)Pet Shop Boys and Julian Mendelsohn
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Being Boring"
(1990)		 "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)"
(1991)		 "Jealousy"
(1991)

Background and inspiration

In the liner notes for the album Discography: The Complete Singles Collection, the Pet Shop Boys stated that they wanted to turn "a mythic rock song into a stomping disco record."[1]

Content

The Pet Shop Boys version differed significantly from the original version in its musical arrangement. In contrast to the U2 version's instrumental build-up, the Pet Shop Boys version opens abruptly with synthesized and sampled noises and a drum machine. The musical climax of the song is also changed in other elements; a background vocal sample of "burning down love" is played right at the start, and synthesized horns erupt with even higher notes immediately following each chorus. Singer Neil Tennant performs the lyrics with no vocal exertion or stresses, in contrast to Bono's performance. In addition, at the transition between "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Can't Take My Eyes off You", Tennant sings the two lines one after the other, with no change in pitch — pointing out the similarities in the two songs.[3] Following the release of the single, U2 issued a statement saying "What have we done to deserve this?".[4] Tennant mentioned to The People in 2002 that he had "managed at long last to patch things up with Bono" after meeting him at one of Elton John's homes in the south of France.[5]

This version has been paired with "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?", a song criticizing the insincere humanitarian messages of a number of pop stars during the 1980s and the institutionalization of rock and roll.[3][6]

Live Performances & Recordings

To date, the Pet Shop Boys have performed the song live on five of their tours. The song was included in the main set list for 1991's Performance Tour and a recording of this from the Birmingham NEC in June 1991 was released on the VHS (and later DVD) Performance. The VHS performance of the song omits the Frankie Valli section due to a publishing issue, although the complete soundtrack was later restored to the DVD version in 2004. The song was also later performed sometimes on the 1994 Discovery tour, the 2002 Release tour, the 2004 Summer/Fall shows and the 2006 Cubism tour, of which a performance filmed in Mexico City on 14 November of the same year was included on the 2007 DVD Cubism.

Track listing

7": Parlophone / R 6285 (UK)

  1. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (7" edit) – 4:31
  2. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (single version) – 4:10

MC: EMI USA / 4KM-50351 (US)

  1. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (original 7" mix) – 4:31
  2. "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend" – 4:28

12": Parlophone / 12 R 6285 (UK)

  1. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (extended mix) – 6:44
  2. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (extended mix) – 6:03
  3. "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend" – 4:28

12": Parlophone / 12 RX 6285 (UK)

  1. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (David Morales Remix) – 6:24
  2. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (Mo Mo Remix) – 6:51
  3. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (Ragga Zone Remix) – 6:27
  • All tracks remixed by David Morales
  • Also released on CD in the Netherlands (560-20 4266 2)

12": EMI USA / V-56217 (US)

  1. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (12" Dance Mix) – 7:35
  2. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (Sound Factory Mix) – 4:37
  3. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (Red Zone Mix) – 6:18
  4. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (Eclipse Mix) – 1:38
  5. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (Ska reprise) – 2:59
  6. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (7" version) – 4:33
  • Tracks 1–5 remixed by David Morales

CD: Parlophone / CD R 6285 (UK)

  1. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" – 5:35
  2. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (extended mix) – 6:03
  3. "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend" – 4:28
  4. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (Classical reprise) – 3:05

CD: EMI USA / E2-56217 (US)

  1. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (original 7" mix) – 4:31
  2. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (12" Dance Mix) – 7:36
  3. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" (Red Zone Mix) – 6:20
  4. "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend" – 4:28
  5. "I Want a Dog" (Techno Funk Mix) – 4:08
  • Tracks 2–3 remixed by David Morales

Charts

References
  1. "Where the Streets Have No Name". Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  2. Heath, Chris (2001). "Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you)". In Behaviour / Further Listening 1990-1991 [CD liner notes]. London: Pet Shop Boys Partnership.
  3. "Pet Shop Boys — Product — Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you). How can you expect to be taken seriously?".
  4. O'Hanlon, Eamonn (21 April 2002). "Bono and Neil's row ends with a splash". The People. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  5. Chris Heath (2001). "How can you expect to be taken seriously?". In Behaviour / Further Listening 1990-1991 [CD liner notes]. London: Pet Shop Boys Partnership.
  6. "Australian-charts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – Pet Shop Boys – Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  8. "Ultratop.be – Pet Shop Boys – Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 15. 13 April 1991. p. 31. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  10. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Where The Streets Have No Name". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  13. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 22. 1 June 1991. p. 24. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pet Shop Boys – Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  16. "Charts.nz – Pet Shop Boys – Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)". Top 40 Singles.
  17. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. "Swedishcharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)". Singles Top 100.
  19. "Swisscharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)". Swiss Singles Chart.
  20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  21. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  22. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  23. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  24. "Jaaroverzichten 1991" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  25. "Top 100 Singles - Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.