Left to My Own Devices

"Left to My Own Devices" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as the second single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). It was also the first track of the album.

"Left to My Own Devices"
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Introspective
B-side"The Sound of the Atom Splitting"
Released14 November 1988
Recorded1987–1988
Genre
Length8:16 (album version)
4:43 (7″)
11:28 (The Disco Mix)
5:31 (Super version)
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Domino Dancing"
(1988)		 "Left to My Own Devices"
(1988)		 "It's Alright"
(1989)
Alternative cover
12-inch single cover

The single fared better than the album's lead single, "Domino Dancing", charting three positions higher on the UK Singles Chart, at number four. It became the first track that Pet Shop Boys recorded with an orchestra, arranged by Richard Niles. Since its release, it has become a staple of Pet Shop Boys live performances.

Background and writing

Neil Tennant (who wrote the lyrics, as with most other Pet Shop Boys songs) explained the meaning of the track:

This person goes through life always doing what he wanted to do. I liked the idea of writing a really up pop song about being left alone. This song is a day in the life of someone, so it starts off with getting out of bed and being on the phone and drinking tea and all the rest of it, and it ends up with coming home. By this time I was making the words very exaggerated and camp, though writing a book and going on stage were both things I had wanted to do when I was young.

As with the other tracks on Introspective, it has a longer version on the album and was edited down to become more radio-friendly when released as a single. This is mainly due to the Pet Shop Boys wanting to be different from every other artist at the time. This is confirmed in the booklet accompanying the 2001 re-release of Introspective, where both Tennant and Lowe state:

We had been so disciplined at making four-minute pop singles, with the exception of "It's a Sin", which is five minutes. The idea was to have an album where every track was a single.

Music video

The music video, directed by longtime Pet Shop Boys director, Eric Watson, primarily consists of Tennant and Lowe dancing on an invisible glass floor, with the camera angle facing upwards. Tennant and Lowe are joined by several acrobats who are also seen from the same camera angle. At one point, balloons are also visible. MTV declined to show the video due to its dimly-lit nature.

Track listings

7": Parlophone / R 6198 (UK)
  • A. "Left to My Own Devices" – 4:43
  • B. "The Sound of the Atom Splitting" (Extended version) – 5:13

12": Parlophone / 12R 6198 (UK)
  • A. "Left to My Own Devices" (Disco Mix) – 11:28
  • B1. "Left to My Own Devices" – 4:43
  • B2. "The Sound of the Atom Splitting" – 3:37

CD: Parlophone / CDR 6198 (UK)
  1. "Left to My Own Devices" – 4:43
  2. "Left to My Own Devices" (Disco Mix) – 11:28
  3. "The Sound of the Atom Splitting" – 3:37

Charts

Other countries

Turkey's longest weekly video-music programme Pop Saati (lit. Pop Hour) begins with the intro of the song, which continues from 1987 until today on TRT.[19]

References
  1. "Australian-charts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  2. "Ultratop.be – Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  3. "RPM 100 Singles" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 18. 27 February – 4 March 1989. p. 6. ISSN 0315-5994.
  4. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5 no. 50. 10 December 1988. p. 22. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  5. 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.
  6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Left to My Own Devices". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  7. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Pet Shop Boys" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  9. "Charts.nz – Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  10. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  11. "Swisscharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  12. "Pet Shop Boys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  13. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  14. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  15. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  16. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending February 4, 1989". Cash Box. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  18. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1989" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  19. http://www.milliyet.com.tr/-pop-saati--rekora-kosuyor-muzik-532009/ Retrieved 2014-08-22.
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