Left to My Own Devices

"Left to My Own Devices" is a song recorded by Pet Shop Boys, released as the second single from their third studio album, Introspective. It was also the first track of the album. It is their 9th best-selling hit.

The single fared better than the album's lead single, "Domino Dancing", charting three positions higher in the UK Singles Chart, at Number 4. 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 12" 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 listing

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)

"Left to My Own Devices" – 4:43
"Left to My Own Devices" (Disco Mix) – 11:28
"The Sound of the Atom Splitting" – 3:37

Chart performance

Chart (1988)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart^[1]	48
Belgian Singles Chart	23
Dutch Singles Chart^[2]	18
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[3]	8
German Singles Chart^[4]	9
Irish Singles Chart^[5]	3
Italian Singles Chart^[6]	15
New Zealand Singles Chart^[7]	22
Polish Singles Chart	9
Spain (AFYVE)^[8]	5
UK Singles Chart^[9]	4
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[10]	84
U.S. Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart^[10]	8
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales Chart^[10]	25

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.^[11]

References

↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys - Left To My Own Devices". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys - Left To My Own Devices". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
↑ "charts.de". charts.de. 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
↑ Jaclyn Ward - Fireball Media Group - http://www.fireballmedia.ie. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
↑ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: P". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys - Left To My Own Devices". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/26802/pet-shop-boys/
1 2 3 Pet Shop Boys (2009-12-21). "Pet Shop Boys - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
↑ http://www.milliyet.com.tr/-pop-saati--rekora-kosuyor-muzik-532009/ Retrieved 2014-08-22

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Pet Shop Boys

Chris Lowe Neil Tennant

Studio albums	Please Actually Introspective Behaviour Very Bilingual Nightlife Release Fundamental Yes Elysium Electric Super

Compilation albums	Discography: The Complete Singles Collection Alternative Essential PopArt: The Hits Story: 25 Years of Hits Party Ultimate Format

Remix albums	Disco Disco 2 Disco 3 Disco 4

Live albums	Concrete Pandemonium

Extended plays	Christmas

Soundtracks and scores	It Couldn't Happen Here Closer to Heaven Battleship Potemkin The Most Incredible Thing

Other songs	"King's Cross" "The Loving Kind" "The Night I Fell in Love" "I'm Not Scared" "In Private" "Nothing Has Been Proved" "So Sorry, I Said" "Don't Drop Bombs" "Euroboy"

Film, stage and television	It Couldn't Happen Here Closer to Heaven Pet Shop Boys: A Life In Pop The Most Incredible Thing

Notable tours and concerts	MCMLXXXIX Performance Discovery Somewhere Nightlife Release Fundamental Pandemonium Progress (as special guests) Electric Inner Sanctum

Related articles	Discography x2 Reputation Results Electronic Back to Mine: Pet Shop Boys West End Girls

Book

Pet Shop Boys singles

Please (1984–1986)	"West End Girls" "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" "Love Comes Quickly" "Suburbia"

Disco (1986)	"Paninaro"

Actually (1987–1988)	"It's a Sin" "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" "Rent" "Heart"

Introspective (1988–1989)	"Always on My Mind" "Domino Dancing" "Left to My Own Devices" "It's Alright"

Behaviour (1990–1991)	"So Hard" "Being Boring" "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?"/"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" "Jealousy"

Discography (1991)	"DJ Culture" "Was It Worth It?"

Very (1993–1994)	"Can You Forgive Her?" "Go West" "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" "Liberation" "Yesterday, When I Was Mad"

Alternative (1995)	"Paninaro '95"

Bilingual (1996–1997)	"Before" "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)"/"To Step Aside" "Single-Bilingual" "A Red Letter Day"

Nightlife (1999–2000)	"I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More" "New York City Boy" "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk"

Release (2002–2003)	"Home and Dry" "I Get Along" "London"

PopArt (2003–2004)	"Miracles" "Flamboyant"

Fundamental (2006)	"I'm with Stupid" "Minimal" "Numb"

Disco 4 (2007)	"Integral"

Yes (2009)	"Love etc." "Did You See Me Coming?" "Beautiful People"

Ultimate (2010)	"Together"

Elysium (2012)	"Winner" "Leaving" "Memory of the Future"

Electric (2013-14)	"Axis" "Vocal" "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" "Thursday" "Fluorescent"

Super (2016)	"The Pop Kids"

Non-album singles	"One More Chance" "Absolutely Fabulous" "Hallo Spaceboy" "Somewhere" "Break 4 Love" "She's Madonna" "Love Life"

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 26, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.