It's Alright (Pet Shop Boys song)


"It's Alright" is the 13th single from Pet Shop Boys and was released in the UK by Parlophone Records on 26 June 1989. It reached number 5 in the UK singles charts. The song was originally written and performed by Sterling Void, Chicago Vocalist and lyricist Paris Brightledge and Marshall Jefferson and came to the attention of Pet Shop Boys on a house compilation issued by DJ International Records in 1987.
The lyrics list a wide variety of serious political issues in the headlines at the time, and then offers the positive message of the title—that on its "timeless wavelength", "music is our life's foundation", it "shall last" and ultimately "succeed all the nations to come".

Versions

"It's Alright" was the last song on the Introspective album and with a length of nine minutes and 26 seconds, it is the longest track on the album and thought to be the Pet Shop Boys' longest track across all albums the band has produced. On the album version, the song concludes with Neil Tennant repeating "I hope it's gonna be alright" – something Chris Lowe hated because he felt "it ruined the song".
After significant remixing including the addition of extra synthesizer melodies, the song was released as a single. An additional verse in the single version expands the song's concerns beyond the purely political into environmental issues. On the 10" single there are additional lyrics with Tennant saying "there's a boy standing by a river, there's a girl lying with her lover, there's a statesman standing at a crossroads, there's a soldier polishing his gun".
In February 1989, following the song's inclusion on Introspective but before its release as a single, the original version by Sterling Void was re-issued and reached number 53 in the UK singles chart. Void remixed the Pet Shop Boys recording on the second 12" single, titled the "DJ International Mixes". Hercules and Love Affair covered the track on their 2011 album Blue Songs.

Track listing

7": Parlophone / R 6220 (UK)

  1. "It's Alright" – 4:18
  2. "One of the Crowd" – 3:54
  3. "Your Funny Uncle" – 2:16

    10": Parlophone / 10 R 6220 (UK)

  4. "It's Alright" – 4:46
  5. "It's Alright" – 10:34

    12": Parlophone / 12 R 6220 (UK)

  6. "It's Alright" – 8:47
  7. "One of the Crowd" – 3:54
  8. "Your Funny Uncle" – 2:16

    12": Parlophone / 12 RX 6220 (UK)

  9. "It's Alright" – 8:55
  10. "It's Alright" – 5:34

    CD: Parlophone / CD R 6220 (UK)

  11. "It's Alright" – 4:18
  12. "One of the Crowd" – 3:54
  13. "Your Funny Uncle" – 2:16
  14. "It's Alright" – 8:47

    Remixes

  1. "It's Alright" – 4:46
  2. "It's Alright" – 10:34
  1. "It's Alright" – 8:55
  1. "It's Alright" – 5:34

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts