It's a Sin
| "It's a Sin" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "You Know Where You Went Wrong" |
"It's a Sin" is a song recorded by the Pet Shop Boys which reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in June 1987.
Song
Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, "It's a Sin" was the lead single from the duo's second "proper" album, Actually. Released in June 1987, it rocketed to the top of the charts to become the duo's second UK number one single. It was also a massive hit across Europe, supposedly the best-selling European single of 1987. In the United States it reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the duo's third Top 10 hit there. A demo of the track was first cut in 1984 with Bobby O, and the song's form in the demo remained intact to the final version, although the released production is far more dramatic.
The song is an implicit rejection of Tennant's Catholic upbringing and education at St Cuthbert's High School in Newcastle upon Tyne, where Tennant claims to have been the victim of homophobic bullying.[citation needed] It is also a subtle indication of his homosexuality[citation needed] (Tennant did not come out until 1994), the song uses extensive samples from Latin masses (specifically, Tennant reciting a part of the Confiteor, and other sounds recorded at locations such as Westminster Cathedral) and religious imagery throughout to reinforce the feel of the song. Tennant has said that he wrote the lyrics in 15 minutes, purging his emotions in a moment of frustration and anger.
The dramatic, overblown production style of the song, loaded with synthesizers, orchestra hits and bookended by a non sequitur sample of a NASA countdown, has come to exemplify the most theatrical extremes of the Pet Shop Boys' musical style.[1] To date, it remains a concert staple, being only one of two songs (alongside "West End Girls") that has been played during every Pet Shop Boys tour.[2]
Controversy
At the time of the single's release, Jonathan King (a British DJ & record producer), accused the Pet Shop Boys of plagiarism by saying they stole the melody for "It's a Sin" from Cat Stevens' 1971 hit, Wild World. He made the claims in The Sun newspaper, in which he had his own regular column during the 1980's. He also went as far as to release his own cover version of "Wild World" (set to the tune of "It's a Sin") as a single to prove his point. However, the single flopped and the Pet Shop Boys sued King and won damages, which they donated to charity. In the BBC Radio 2 2003 documentary, "Pet Shop Boys, Really!", Neil Tennant said that King's accusations were false, and they did not steal or copy the melody at all; if there is any similarity between the two songs, it is purely coincidential.
Track listing
7": Parlophone / R 6158 (UK)
A. It's A Sin (4:59)
B. You Know Where You Went Wrong (5:51)
12": Parlophone / 12R 6158 (UK)
A. It's A Sin (Disco Mix) (7:39)
B1. You Know Where You Went Wrong (5:51)
B2. It's A Sin (7" Version) (4:59)
CD: Parlophone / CDR 6158 (UK)
A. It's A Sin (7" Version) (4:59)
B1. You Know Where You Went Wrong (5:51)
B2. It's A Sin (Disco Mix) (7:39)
12": Parlophone / 12RX 6158 (UK)
- "It's a sin" (Remix) (Ian Levine) - 8:15
- "You know where you went wrong" (Rough Mix) - 6:38
12" REMIX (US)
A1. It's A Sin (Phil Harding Latin Vocal Mix) (9:14)
A2. It's A Sin (Phil Harding Latin Dub Mix) (4:20)
B1. It's A Sin (Remix) (8:15)
B2. It's A Sin (Disco Mix) (7:39)
B3. You Know Where You Went Wrong (5:51)
Chart performance
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany | 1 |
| Austria | 1 |
| Norway | 1 |
| Sweden | 1 |
| Swizerland | 1 |
| France | 12 |
| Australia | 10 |
| UK | 1 |
| US The Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
Other recordings
In 2004, the band participated in Passport Back to the Bars, a series of benefit concerts to raise funds for Shelter and War Child, set in the various Barfly venues.[3] Their show at the Camden Town Barfly (March 17, 2004) was noted as their first-ever without backing musicians;[4] it included a new arrangement of "It's a Sin", which would later be recorded in the studio, performed on Parkinson, and finally released on the 2006 compilation Popjustice: 100% Solid Pop Music.
Music video
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Directed by Derek Jarman, the "It's a Sin" video marked the experimental director's first of several collaborations with the band. It extended the lyrical themes of the song by showing Tennant under arrest by an inquisition with Lowe as his jailer and Ron Moody in the role of his judge, interspersed with brief clips of personifications of the seven deadly sins.
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Cover versions
It has subsequently been recorded by Corporal Punishment, as well as Paul Anka on the 2005 covers album Rock Swings and the Cruxshadows.
Paul Anka gave the song a downtempo swing jazz treatment, and also changed some lyrics: the lines "At school they taught me how to be / so pure in thought and word and deed" was modified to "My father taught me how to be..." instead, thus changing the context of the later line "Father forgive me...", which would otherwise refer to a Roman Catholic priest. In addition, the repeated intonements of "It's a sin" in the chorus are drawn out further, with variations such as "What a sin" and "Such a sin" added.
The German power metal band Gamma Ray covered the song on their 1999 album Powerplant.
The Italian death metal band Graveworm included their cover of the song as a bonus track on the Japanese version of their Engraved in Black album in 2003 and To/Die/For did the same with their All Eternity album in 2000.
Notes
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "It's a Sin". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|accessyear=(help) - ^ Studer, Wayne. "Songs That the Pet Shop Boys Have Performed "Live"". Pet Shop Boys Commentary. Geowayne.com. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|accessyear=(help) - ^ Youngs, Ian (February 27, 2004). "Charity gig tickets fetch £1,375". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-10-28.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|year=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|accessyear=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ "The new single 'Flamboyant' out on 29th March". The Guardian. March 17, 2004. Retrieved 2006-10-28.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|year=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|accessyear=(help)CS1 maint: year (link)
References
- Heath, Chris (2001). "It's a Sin". In Actually / Further Listening 1987-1988 [CD liner notes]. London: Pet Shop Boys Partnership.
- Longmire, Ernie and Steffen Gärtner (1989–2006). "Pet Shop Boys: It's a Sin" (TXT). Gardner's Pet Shop Boys Discography. Gardner Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)