Being Boring

The song *Being Boring* by Pet Shop Boys, released in November 1990, invites us to reflect on the passage of time and how our perspectives and values evolve as we age. The title itself stems from a Japanese critique that labeled the duo as "boring," referring to their well-known impassive attitude. This accusation, however, evoked in Neil Tennant a 1922 quote from Zelda Fitzgerald about refusing to be bored by not being boring, an idea that his friend Christopher Dowell had paraphrased in an invitation to a party in the 70s. That phrase resonated with the pact they made as teenagers in Newcastle: not to settle for monotonous lives. Tennant has described it as a personal elegy, full of emotion, dedicated to a friend who passed away from AIDS, intertwining memories of their youth, the move to London, and the contrast between his success and his friend's illness.

The composition of *Being Boring* spanned between 1989 and 1990. The musical foundation was initially conceived in a West Glasgow studio, where ideas for *My October Symphony* and *The End of the World* were also worked on. Chris Lowe sought to emulate the structure of Stock Aitken Waterman, making the music ascend a semitone towards the chorus to generate a sense of elevation. The lyrics of the first verse, inspired by the quote from the party invitation, and those of the second, about leaving Newcastle for London in the 70s, were already defined. The final verse, written in 1990 in a rented room in Munich, expresses nostalgia for the absence of his friend. The production, handled by Harold Faltermeyer at Red Deer Studios, Munich, leveraged his mastery of analog synthesizers. For the rhythmic base, Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines were used, along with the bass from the Roland TB-303. Roland Jupiter-8 and Oberheim OB-8 synthesizers were employed for textures and the main melody, while a Synclavier provided the harp glissandos. Later, at Sarm West Studios, London, other elements were added, such as the "wakka-wakka" guitar by J.J. Belle, influenced by Isaac Hayes's track *Theme from Shaft*. As the second single from their album *Behaviour*, *Being Boring* reached number 20 on the UK charts, marking the first time in four years that a Pet Shop Boys single had not entered the Top 10, since *Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)* in 1986. The music video, directed by fashion photographer Bruce Weber, was filmed entirely in black and white.