Burning The Ground Exclusive 1991
“Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You)” is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. The song is a medley of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, a 1967 song by Frankie Valli, though in an arrangement informed by the 1982 disco version of the song by the Boys Town Gang rather than the original. The song accompanied “How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?”, the third single from their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990), as a double A-side in the United Kingdom (both singles were released separately in the United States). Released in March 1991 by Parlophone, the song became the duo’s 15th consecutive top-20 entry in the UK, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart.
The single’s other A-side, “How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?”, criticizes the insincere humanitarian messages of a number of pop stars during the 1980s and the institutionalization of rock and roll. The band noted that “one song is about rock stars so to have a U2 song with it serves as a further comment.”
Also of note the version of “How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?” is the “7” Perfect Attitude Mix” but not the same version that appeared on the U.S. CD Single this version is also used for the music video containing the “Gotta Have Fun” samples this mix only appears on the UK 7″ single, and the video. The mix title does not appear on the sleeve or record label.
SIDE A:
Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You) (7″ Edit) 4:32
Engineer – Ren Swan
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Steve Fitzmaurice
Guitar – J.J. Belle
Producer – Julian Mendelsohn, Pet Shop Boys
Sequenced By – Dominic Clarke
Vocals [Additional Vocals] – Tessa Niles
Written-By [I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You] – Bob Gaudio/Bob Crewe
Written-By [Where The Streets Have No Name] – Clayton, Evan, Mullen, Hewson*
SIDE AA:
How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously? 4:09
Mixed By – Brothers In Rhythm, Paul Wright
Mixed By [Assisted By] – Richard Edwards
Producer – Harold Faltermeyer, Pet Shop Boys
Remix, Producer [Post-production] – Brothers In Rhythm
Written-By – Tennant/Lowe*
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You) | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #72 |
| 1991 | Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You) | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music Club Play | #4 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Parlophone – R 6285, Parlophone – R6285, Parlophone – 2042547
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: Mar 11, 1991
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
- Design – Mark Farrow, PSB*, 3a*
- Photography By – Lawrence Watson
NOTES:
A: listed as “7” Edit” only on the record label.
MANUFACTURED IN THE UK BY EMI RECORDS LIMITED.
Buy the 7″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
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Thank you for this post. The 7″ edit of “Streets” is a fade of the 5:38 full version from the US CD single.
Hi Paul ! It’s always a pleasure to see that you have found that kind of jewels ! I really loved the remix of “Seriously” with the “You Gotta Have Fun” samples in it !!! For some more information about “Seriously” : This one has been released also in France on 7″ , as the A-Side, with a very close front cover… https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/1996851-Pet-Shop-Boys-How-Can-You-Expect-To-Be-Taken-Seriously This version is the same as the “Video mix”. So it’s never been properly released on any other format… (It is now available on the blu-ray of the 2023 compilation “smash”) The sample “you Gotta Have Fun”… Read more »
As a big fan and supporter of PSB from the Bobcat/Bobby Orlando days, I was appalled that they could possibly cover U2’s classic in their formulaic disco arrangement. I hated this SO much that once while drunk, I wrote a letter to my friend who was head of EMI America/Manhattan Records promotion in the US telling him this was just crap, especially with the overplayed Frankie Valli AC track thrown in. Luckily, I sobered up and didn’t send it. It took QUITE a while for me to appreciate their creativity in this cover medley.
Don’t know much about these boys from the pet shop, but I’ll check them out because they have the “official DJ PaulT Seal of Approval 🅟Ⓣ
Thank you, Paul 🙂
I’m also remembering all the discussions we would have about who Seriously was about… ‼️
I was just listening to this and marveling at how every time I hear the regular version /edit of wtshnn it throws me off because I’m always playing the extended version!
love this!! thank you for posting.
Wow! Great post! I didn’t even know this existed. I have almost everything from their 80’s-90’s period and now I’m slowly buying their last albums on vinyl (as I do NOT like the loud CD/digital formats). I’ve ordered that white vinyl release of “nonetheless” with the extra 12″ from their website 🙂 Another similar unique commercial release in UK (accidentally) was a version of “Opportunities” called “matrix remix”. It was included in the “Now That’s What I Called Music 7″ compilation, only in the vinyl version and only in UK. Bought a copy of that to make a good clean… Read more »
I’m always amazed at your attention to detail to find super rare gems like this one! Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to add another excellent rarity to our PSB collection! Your meticulous transfers are the next best thing to owning the actual piece of vinyl!
Pet Shop Boys need to release a Singles Box Set like Depeche and Erasure with ALL versions and B-sides for their releases! The Further Listening releases were excellent, but not enough!
Martika,
I certainly agree with you. The Pet Shop Boys deserve an extensive box set containing everything. I’d certainly like to think that the Boys will do this one day. It’s just (difficult) being patient. In the mean time, I’m so glad we’re blessed with DjPaulT!!
Jeff
I agree 100%!!! How else would we find such rare gems in such superb quality!
That would be awesome, but not even Depeche Mode did a “complete” version. I have many versions not on those box sets!
Cool to see some more PSB posted, i liked some of their 90’s singles output too. This was a another cool cover version from the boys, which they nailed imo.
Thanks Paul 🙂
Hi.
Again your post made me think 🙂
I consider that my digitalized collection is nearly perfect and…sometimes I still discover details !
I had that version of “How Can You…” in an obscur low quality mp3 without being sure it had been ripped from the video or from some non official release.
Thanks to you I’ve now added an extra item to my collection: that specific 7″ release including those unique PSB add-ons.
Tx a million
Thanks Paul. You’ve done something that has been needing to be done for a very long time…. make an excellent digital transfer of this version… in some circles this mix is infamous as a big omission in their digital cannon, actually, I only recently got a clean copy of this single to make my own transfer, and now you’ve done it… brilliant, hard to do better than your work! Thanks for the Wham! too, and I gotta say that was a really unusual Robin Gibb single this week, totally left field there, like a cross between freestyle and industrial music….… Read more »
You’re welcome, Joey. I hope you have a nice weekend 🙂
These are the moments that I truly love. Who knew the unmarked side 2 track was actually a rare remix? Leave it to you, Paul, to uncover these treasures and then share them in such perfection. Thank you so much. Love PSB and their singles are amazing. Appreciate you working on this one and sharing it with us!
You are so welcome, MusicMan3 🙂
What a cool cover of U2 and Frankie Valli! Man, everything the Pet Shop Boys touched in those days turned to gold. They owned that sound. Thank you Paul for another great week of posts. Enjoy your weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to you and all of the BTG community!!
Thank you, Retro Hound have a happy weekend 🙂
Wow, never knew this existed! Made my day!
That is good to hear. Enjoy! 🙂
Love this! When this medley was released it was just so epic, PSB could not miss in my opinion at this juncture in their career! And the US CD single had the epic Music For Boys Part 3 which I used to play over and over, it’s epic techno! Thanks for the rare version of Seriously!!!
This was a major floor filler back in my club days 🙂
Music For Boys Part 3 by Altern-8 with the “Hallelujah” sample … still LOVE that song! It should have been released as a single on its own!
1000% agree!
This …Seriously remix is one of those elusive, legendary mixes of this time. I knew the perfect attitude mix was similar and figured this mix never got released. Of course you figured it out! Thank you so much for sharing this. I’ve got it on repeat.
You’re welcome Conner I know how much you love edit versions 🙂
Pet Shop Boys are near and dear to my heart, Paul. Karen will be equally ecstatic when she sees/hears this as well. I love the background information you shared with us about the song. The Boys are making a big impression these days with their latest album getting great chart numbers in the UK. I wasn’t too sure about the new record myself, but it does grow on one the more it’s played. I also think it’s been interesting too that Neil Tennant has commented on the Taylor Swift phenomenon as well. Neil certainly can because he was quite the… Read more »
You’re welcome, Jeff. Happy Mothers Day have a great weekend 🙂
I’ll have to dig up that interview! Pet Shop Boys should definitely produce and help write Taylor’s next album!
Oh Martika, I just love you! It was this interview and another article that made me make the comment I did. It’s just fascinating what Neil Tennant had to say about Miss Swift. And I don’t think it was really harsh criticism. Mr Tennant knows what he’s talking about. Martika, you and others make this such an important place for discussions. I lament that artists/producers/remixers/others don’t come and give us insights and/or anecdotes behind the music created. Paul’s not making any money by posting. He just rescuing music from being lost and forgotten. So much is NOT available. He even… Read more »
I appreciate you and your positivity! I still think the record labels should hire Paul to sanitize some of these rare recordings. It’s a Win/Win for everyone, the labels, the bands, the fans, and Paul! Maybe they will read one of our posts one day and come to their senses!
Call me crazy, but I’ve often thought that the Pet Shop Boys sounded like the 80s techno-pop version of Al Stewart. Hear me out: it’s in the vocal timber and delivery of Neil Tennant. Many of the Pets songs have a similar delivery to Stewart’s “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages”.
Check it out…you can’t un-hear it.
Wow!! I can certainly hear what you’ve said. I heard “Time Passages” just the other day, and recollecting, you are right. Very cool observation!!
Have a nice weekend, Gary!
Jeff
Now I will be singing “Year Of The Cat” all weekend but I do hear it as well 🙂