This past weekend kicked off with a bit of controversy for Drake, but it came courtesy of an unlikely duo, and it was delivered casually and using arguably the most polite wording possible.
Using their official Twitter account, Pet Shop Boys, a.k.a. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, informed the Canadian singer/rapper - and, by extension, all of their followers - that he'd used the chorus of their '80s single "West End Girls" in his song "All the Parties" without bothering credit the duo, let alone ask them for permission to utilize it.
The covers for the classic Pet Shop Boys single and Drake's new album
"Surprising to hear @Drake singing the chorus of 'West End girls' in the track 'All the Parties' on his new album," wrote the duo. "No credit given or permission requested."
As of this writing, Drake - or "Drizzy," as he currently calls himself on Twitter - has not responded to the tweet about the use of the chorus, though he has made plenty of time to promote For All the Dogs, the album from which "All the Parties" hails.
You can hear Pet Shop Boys' classic single below, after which you can listen to Drake's song and hear that this isn't a case of Tennant and Lowe making mountains out of molehills. At the 2:38 mark, you can quite clearly hear the lyrics: "In a West End town, a dead end world / The East End boys and West End girls."
To date, "West End Girls" remains Pet Shop Boys' only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that it was their first single. Written by Tennant and Lowe, the song was initially recorded by the duo in 1983 during sessions with producer Bobby Orlando, a.k.a. Bobby O. Although it was a club hit in San Francisco and Los Angeles, it was only available in the UK as an import 12" single. It wasn't until the duo hooked up with producer Stephen Hague that the song was re-recorded and transformed into the huge hit that most listeners remember. That said, if for some reason you've never heard the original version, we've posted that version below as well, for your musical education.
