Pet Shop Boys on Calls From Madonna, Partying With Liza Minnelli and the Kylie Minogue Collab That Wasn’t.

[Askeroff 8,157]

Pet Shop Boys on Calls From Madonna, Partying With Liza Minnelli and the Kylie Minogue Collab That Wasn’t

The synth-pop supergroup popping up everywhere from 'Saltburn' to 'All of Us Strangers' release their 15th studio album, 'Nonetheless,' on April 26.

 

extract

 

I know you went to Madonna‘s greatest hits tour recently. Over the years, I’ve heard different Madonna rumors about Pet Shop Boys. One was that the 1987 song “Heart” — which features Ian McKellan as Dracula in the music video — was written for her. Is that true?

TENNANT No, we wrote “Heart,” and we thought it would be great for Madonna. We didn’t send it to her. But we mentioned that in an interview, and people often mention it.

 

The other rumor is the Madonna album that became 2008’s Hard Candy, that Pet Shop Boys were supposed to produce that album.

TENNANT True. Well, not true. We were asked by Madonna’s manager, who ironically is now our manager, Angela Becker, “Madonna wants to know if you’ve got any tracks she could work with.” This was the period where we were asked simultaneously to write for Madonna and for Kylie Minogue. And out of it came nothing for either. Kylie, we wrote a load of songs for, which I thought were pretty good. I don’t even know if Kylie ever heard them, to be honest. Because she’s never, ever mentioned them. As for Madonna, they phoned back and said, “Forget about that. Madonna’s going to make an R&B album.” So we did write some stuff, but it was never sent to her.

LOWE We’re not the go-to for [R&B].

TENNANT Weirdly, we wrote quite a good R&B track, but she never heard it.

 

FULL INTERWIEW YOU CAN READ HERE

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/pet-shop-boys-madonna-liza-minnelli-kylie-minogue-collab-1235881378/

 

[deathproof 10,638]

The new album is good!!!

[Honey Little 4,093]

The managers that I remember her having are:

Angela Becker 

Freddy Demann

Camile Barbone

Careese Henry 

Guy Oseary 

 

not sure if I’m missing any 

[Gonzus 1,669]

16 minutes ago, deathproof said:

The new album is good!!!

It's REALLY good. I wouldn't say the same about Hotspot, their previous album. it's great they're still around and putting out consistently good stuff since 1986.

[maddy1111 1,628]

Love them both but.. 

Cooperation between Madonna and PSB would have worked back in 2008 after COADF. 

Not sure, if I need them to produce an album for her at this moment. It would not bring her much attention, after rather unsuccessful 10s she now needs some really famous producer that is currently 'hot' to prove she can still make it. And I love Madame X and prefer Madonna experimenting, but I guess now she needs a proper hit after years of absence in charts. And PBS won't be able to give her that. Maybe another remix would be fine, at least. 

But nice to read some insights what happened back in 2008

[Pedro Beltran 4,639]

It would have been my dream collaboration 

[survivalartist 6,521]

Someday we will get a James Ford/Madonna collab I can feel it in my guts

[wtg1987 10,193]

I would love her to team up with Air - French band - they could have made beautiful songs together 😍

[Debord 449]

1 hour ago, maddy1111 said:

Love them both but.. 

Cooperation between Madonna and PSB would have worked back in 2008 after COADF. 

Not sure, if I need them to produce an album for her at this moment. It would not bring her much attention, after rather unsuccessful 10s she now needs some really famous producer that is currently 'hot' to prove she can still make it. And I love Madame X and prefer Madonna experimenting, but I guess now she needs a proper hit after years of absence in charts. And PBS won't be able to give her that. Maybe another remix would be fine, at least. 

But nice to read some insights what happened back in 2008

She's approaching 70. She's not going to get a "proper hit". And if she does anything with a hot producer you'll get all the usual stuff about her being desperate, chasing trends blah blah blah.

[maddy1111 1,628]

3 minutes ago, Debord said:

She's approaching 70. She's not going to get a "proper hit". And if she does anything with a hot producer you'll get all the usual stuff about her being desperate, chasing trends blah blah blah.

[DiegoLCL 5,144]

I'm not sure their work with Madonna would reach our expectations. Sometimes things are better as ideas than as reality.
Anyway, I'm happy for the Sorry remixes and the fact that she used Neil's vocals in the tour performance.

[Debord 449]

6 minutes ago, maddy1111 said:

I don't think it's negative at all, the charts are utterly meaningless nowadays. She has absolutely nothing left to prove.

[survivalartist 6,521]

38 minutes ago, wtg1987 said:

I would love her to team up with Air - French band - they could have made beautiful songs together 😍

OMG what a great idea

[luluthecat 1,121]

56 minutes ago, survivalartist said:

Someday we will get a James Ford/Madonna collab I can feel it in my guts

I've been manifesting this since 2010!! Still hasn't come true, but I still keep the faith 

[survivalartist 6,521]

26 minutes ago, Debord said:

She's approaching 70. She's not going to get a "proper hit". And if she does anything with a hot producer you'll get all the usual stuff about her being desperate, chasing trends blah blah blah.

What is a proper hit in 2024 anyway? The stuff "the kids listen to" adults have no idea about and the legacy artists that adults listen to, the kids are indifferent/uninterested. Even former collaborator and former surefire hit maker Justin is old news already falling off the Top 200 in about a month with his latest album. 

[Askeroff 8,157]

well the did some great work for other artists as producers too

sad they didn't work out back then with M

 

[Piksel8 620]

1 hour ago, DiegoLCL said:

I'm not sure their work with Madonna would reach our expectations. Sometimes things are better as ideas than as reality.
Anyway, I'm happy for the Sorry remixes and the fact that she used Neil's vocals in the tour performance.

i think what came out "hard candy" was a hit in the US which is probably what they were aiming for. but in the long run was forgettable and dated.

Looking back at this now, Stuart price would've stuck with her if the PSB collab did happen since he's cited the group to be one of his main inspiration for the longest time. when he did venture out to do music for Kylie (Aphrodite), The Killers(almost all their albums beginning with Day and Age) , Scissor sisters (night work) and eventually PSB, he aligned their hits with the rise of electronic music at that time.

[Debord 449]

They have done great work with other artists, but it's tended to be artists who always sang other people's songs (Dusty, Liza, Shirley Bassey, Girls Aloud) except when remixing. Even the Boy George one is a cover. Robbie is the only one I can think of who was known for writing his own stuff. Given how Madonna is known for her singular vision it's up in the air as to whether it would've worked.

[Alpha 1,217]

4 hours ago, wtg1987 said:

I would love her to team up with Air - French band - they could have made beautiful songs together 😍

They were going to work together on American Life. "Alpha Beta Gaga" was meant for her and American Life.

[androiduser 2,493]

7 hours ago, Alpha said:

They were going to work together on American Life. "Alpha Beta Gaga" was meant for her and American Life.

can you imagine if they did end up recording it? M fans could forever mock Gaga for naming herself after a Madonna track

[Roland Barthes 5,894]

It should be aknowledged that the first proper lenghty interview she did for her first british cover was by Tennant for Smash Hits.

My favourite PSB production for another artist is Eight Wonder's I'm not scared. 

I wish they'd release the full set of demos they did for their first album with Bobby Orlando.

[Redha DBL 7,443]

And that's exactly when she chose to left the avant-garde road for the jump-wagon road... Right way : PSB / Left way : Timbaland... She probably thought 'Ok now i'm turning 50 let's play it more commercial'. I don't blame her, i would have probably done the exact same.

[Robertthenurse 2,941]

I’d die for a NIN or Trent Reznor collab. Need GothDonna 

[Pootz333 2,704]

It would have been cool to have them at least remix tracks from HC. For me that was the last great era of her maxi singles. There's been a handful of good official remixes since, but the unofficial/ fan made one's mostly take the cake now.

[Alpha 1,217]

1 hour ago, Robertthenurse said:

I’d die for a NIN or Trent Reznor collab. Need GothDonna 

My dream album would be an album with Trent/Atticus and Anthony Gonzales (M83). She should've really done this for Rebel Heart