Together (Pet Shop Boys song)
| "Together" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Pet Shop Boys | ||||
| from the album Ultimate | ||||
| B-side | ||||
| Released | 24 October 2010 | |||
| Recorded | September 2010 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 6:56 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Pet Shop Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Together" on YouTube | ||||
"Together" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their greatest hits album, Ultimate (2010).[1] It was released by Parlophone as a digital download on 24 October 2010 and as a physical release on 29 November 2010.[2] It was the third Pet Shop Boys single to miss the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 58 on 11 December 2010.[3][4]
Background and composition
[edit]"Together" was a new single written for the compilation album Ultimate. In September 2010, Pet Shop Boys went to Brighton to work with Tim Powell, formerly of Xenomania, with whom they had collaborated on the songs "Love Etc." and "The Loving Kind" during the writing sessions for Yes (2009). In addition to "Together", they recorded a cover version of "Glad All Over" with Powell, which was used as a B-side for the single.[5][6]
The duo were inspired by a song they heard in Portugal, "As sete mulheres do Minho" by Jose Afonso. Neil Tennant said the revolutionary and heroic feel of the Portuguese song influenced the idea of "Together we'll go all the way". He called "Together" a positive song "about two people being intensely in love… But it could really be anything about two people. It could be Chris and I at the beginning of our writing career together, thinking we could go all the way with this".[5]
Chris Lowe described the music as waltz.[5] The song features an almost completely electronic arrangement in 3
4 time, one of the very few songs in the band's catalogue to feature an odd-numbered time signature. According to a statement by Tennant at the time, he and Lowe wrote it that way because they were fascinated by the Viennese waltzes written by Johann Strauss II; Tennant noted that the beat of the song is something Strauss may have come up with if he were alive today.[citation needed]
Release
[edit]The song received its first play on UK radio on 22 October 2010 during Ken Bruce's show on BBC Radio 2 prior to the digital release of the track.[7] A single package on CD and digital formats followed on 29 November.[2] In the United States, "Together" was released on 12 April 2011 by Astralwerks on five digital formats.[8]
Bonus tracks include remixes of "Together" and "West End Girls" and new recordings of two cover versions: "I Cried for Us", arranged for a memorial concert for the songwriter, Kate McGarrigle; and the Dave Clark Five song "Glad All Over", which Pet Shop Boys had performed at the Empress Ballroom after Blackpool was promoted to the Premier League of football in 2010.[8][5]
"Together" is included on the 2017 reissue Yes: Further Listening 2008–2010 along with the B-sides "I Cried for Us" and "Glad All Over".
Music video
[edit]The video for "Together" was filmed in Estonia, in Tallinn and Maardu, by Peeter Rebane, with choreography by Märt Agu. It features a group of six male and six female dancers performing in both classical ballet and contemporary dance styles to the beat of the song. The dancers were selected from the Tallinn Dance Academy, and the locations were chosen to create an authentic atmosphere to depict a story of young people from a small industrial town in Eastern Europe.[9] Tennant and Lowe appear briefly as behind-the-scenes spectators of a dance show by the group, and at the very end of the video.
Live performances
[edit]In December 2010, Pet Shop Boys played "Together" as part of their setlist at a special Big Noise Session of the Little Noise Sessions benefiting Mencap, a charity for people with learning disabilities.[10] They also performed the song on select dates of the Progress Live tour as the opening act for Take That.[11]
Track listings
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Together" (Ultimate Mix) | 3:32 | |
| 2. | "Glad All Over" | 3:27 | |
| 3. | "I Cried for Us" | Kate McGarrigle | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Together" (Extended Mix) |
| 6:56 |
| Total length: | 17:43 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Together" (Radio Mix) |
| 3:30 |
| 2. | "West End Girls" (Grum Remix) |
| 5:33 |
| Total length: | 9:03 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Together" (Pepptalk Mix) |
| 6:46 |
| 2. | "Together" (Ultrabeat Remix) |
| 3:41 |
| 3. | "West End Girls" (Grum Dub Mix) |
| 5:34 |
| Total length: | 16:01 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Together" (Ultimate Mix) |
| 3:30 |
| Total length: | 3:30 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Together" (video) |
| 3:30 |
| Total length: | 3:30 | ||
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from the liner notes of Yes: Further Listening 2008–2010[12] and "Together".[13]
Pet Shop Boys
Technical personnel
- Tim Powell – production
- Jeremy Wheatley – mixing
- Tim Young – mastering
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2010–2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (GfK)[14] | 60 |
| Scotland (OCC)[15] | 69 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[16] | 71 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 58 |
| US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[18] | 3 |
| US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[19] | 20 |
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Levine, Nick (30 September 2010). "Pet Shop Boys confirm 'Ultimate' LP details". Digital Spy. London: Hearst UK. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Together: digital release". petshopboys.co.uk. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys get US release". Star Observer. Sydney, Australia. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ "Together by Pet Shop Boys". Official Charts. London. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d Heath, Chris (2017). Yes: Further Listening 2008–2010 (booklet). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone Records. 0190295852818.
- ^ "Together". petshopboys.co.uk. 9 October 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ "Ken Bruce". BBC Radio 2. London: BBC. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Pet Shop Boys Return with Together". antiMusic. Los Angeles: Iconoclast Entertainment Group. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ "Millised suhted on Peeter Rebasel ja Märt Agul Pet Shop Boysi staaridega?". Kroonika (in Estonian). Talinn: Delfi Meedia. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ Pitt, Andy (11 December 2010). "Pet Shop Boys / The Ting Tings – Hammersmith Apollo, London on Wed 8th Dec 2010". eGigs. Bristol, UK. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ "Together performed by Pet Shop Boys". setlist.fm. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ Pet Shop Boys (2017). Yes: Further Listening 2008–2010 (liner notes). Parlophone Records. 0190295852818.
- ^ Pet Shop Boys (2010). Together (liner notes). EMI Records. 50999 9 47691 2 8.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Together" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201046 into search. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Hot Singles Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2020.