It's Alright (Pet Shop Boys song)

"It's Alright" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 26 June 1989 as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. Originally performed by Sterling Void and Paris Brightledge, the song came to the attention of Pet Shop Boys on a house compilation issued by DJ International Records in 1987.

"It's Alright"
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Introspective
B-side
  • "One of the Crowd"
  • "Your Funny Uncle"
Released26 June 1989
Genre
Length9:23 (album version)
4:18 (7″ version)
4:47 (10″ remix)
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Trevor Horn
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Left to My Own Devices"
(1988)		 "It's Alright"
(1989)		 "So Hard"
(1990)

The lyrics list a wide variety of serious political issues in the headlines at the time ("Dictation enforced in Afghanistan, revolution in South Africa taking a stand…"), and then offers the positive message of the title—that on its "timeless wavelength", "music is our life's foundation", it "shall last" and ultimately "succeed all the nations to come".

Versions

"It's Alright" was the last song on the Introspective album and with a length of nine minutes and 26 seconds, it is the longest track on the album and thought to be the Pet Shop Boys' longest track across all albums the band has produced.[1] On the album version, the song concludes with Neil Tennant repeating "I hope it's gonna be alright" – something Chris Lowe hated because he felt "it ruined the song".[2]

After significant remixing including the addition of extra synthesizer melodies, the song was released as a single. An additional verse in the single version expands the song's concerns beyond the purely political into environmental issues. On the 10" single there are additional lyrics with Tennant saying "there's a boy standing by a river, there's a girl lying with her lover, there's a statesman standing at a crossroads, there's a soldier polishing his gun".

In February 1989, following the song's inclusion on Introspective but before its release as a single, the original version by Sterling Void was re-issued and reached number 53 in the UK singles chart. Void remixed the Pet Shop Boys recording on the second 12" single, titled the "DJ International Mixes". Hercules and Love Affair covered the track on their 2011 album Blue Songs.[3]

Track listing

7": Parlophone / R 6220 (UK)
  1. "It's Alright" – 4:18
  2. "One of the Crowd" – 3:54
  3. "Your Funny Uncle" – 2:16

10": Parlophone / 10 R 6220 (UK)
  1. "It's Alright" (alternative mix) – 4:46
  2. "It's Alright" (extended dance mix) – 10:34

12": Parlophone / 12 R 6220 (UK)
  1. "It's Alright" (extended version) – 8:47
  2. "One of the Crowd" – 3:54
  3. "Your Funny Uncle" – 2:16

12": Parlophone / 12 RX 6220 (UK)
  1. "It's Alright" (Tyree mix) – 8:55
  2. "It's Alright" (Sterling Void mix) – 5:34

CD: Parlophone / CD R 6220 (UK)
  1. "It's Alright" – 4:18
  2. "One of the Crowd" – 3:54
  3. "Your Funny Uncle" – 2:16
  4. "It's Alright" (extended version) – 8:47

Remixes
  • Julian Mendelsohn:
  1. "It's Alright" (alternative mix) – 4:46
  2. "It's Alright" (extended dance mix) – 10:34
  • Tyree Cooper
  1. "It's Alright" (Tyree mix) – 8:55
  • Sterling Void
  1. "It's Alright" (Sterling Void mix) – 5:34

Charts

Notes
  1. Only Sterling Void is credited as a songwriter on original pressings of Introspective and "It's Alright". Starting in 2001, Pet Shop Boys releases featuring the song also credit Marshall Jefferson and Paris Brightledge for songwriting.

References
  1. "Introspective : Pet Shop Boys". Rhino. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  2. Introspective: Further Listening (2001) liner notes
  3. "Hercules and Love Affair: Blue Songs". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  4. "Chartifacts – Week Ending: November 04 1990". The ARIA Report (43). 4 November 1990 – via Imgur.
  5. "Austriancharts.at – Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  6. "Ultratop.be – Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  7. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6 no. 31. 5 August 1989. p. IV. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  8. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 233. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  9. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It's Alright". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  11. "Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  12. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  13. "Swisscharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  14. "Pet Shop Boys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – It's Alright". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  16. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1989" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
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