Liberation (Pet Shop Boys song)

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"Liberation"
LiberationPSB.jpg
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Very
B-side"Decadence"
Released4 April 1994 (1994-04-04)[1]
GenreSynth-pop
Length4:05
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing"
(1993) 		"Liberation"
(1994) 		"Absolutely Fabulous"
(1994)
Music video
"Liberation" on YouTube

"Liberation" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, Very (1993). It peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the lowest-charting single from Very in the United Kingdom.[2] The single's B-side, "Decadence", was featured on the Further Listening: 1992–1994 re-release of Very, and the B-sides compilation Alternative.

Critical reception[]

Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song four out of five. He wrote, "Sleek and sophisticated in its original mix, expensive strings underscore Neil Tennant's typically mournful vocals. There is also a pumped up house mix by E-Smoove with prominent bass and piano, wailing femme and ranting rap to beef things up for those who prefer to approach this from a dance perspective. The fourth hit from the PSBs album Very, and a big one."[3]

Music video[]

The music video for the song, directed by Howard Greenhalgh, is almost entirely CG, an early example of exclusively CG output. The only live-action footage the video features is Neil Tennant's face, seen singing on gold circles. Other features in the video are reminiscent of the duo, including several disembodied heads wearing tall pointy caps (like those seen in the video for "Can You Forgive Her?") and animated versions of the object on the cover, a 3D rendering of Neil and Chris's silhouettes.

The video was used as part of CyberWorld, an early 3D cinema demonstration, on IMAX screens across the UK and elsewhere in 2000 and 2001.

Track listing[]

  • UK 2-part CD single set: Parlophone CDRS 6377 / CDR 6377
  1. "Liberation"
  2. "Decadence"
  3. "Liberation" (E Smoove Mix)
  4. "Liberation" (E Smoove 7" Edit)
  5. "Liberation" (Murk Deepstrumental Mix)
  6. "Liberation" (Oscar G's Dopeassdub Mix)
  7. "Young Offender" (Jam & Spoon Trip-o-Matic Fairy Tale Mix)
  8. "Decadence" (Unplugged Mix)

Charts[]

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4][5] 63
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[6] 27
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[7] 8
Germany (Official German Charts)[8] 51
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 22
Scotland (OCC)[10] 23
UK Singles (OCC)[2] 14

References[]

  1. ^ "Liberation". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Pet Shop Boys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  3. ^ Jones, Alan (9 April 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles - Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 14. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 17 Jul 1994". The ARIA Report – via Imgur.
  5. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  6. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 18. 30 April 1994. p. 14. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 233. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  8. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – Liberation" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  9. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Liberation". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
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