A Red Letter Day

"A Red Letter Day" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 17 March 1997 as the fourth single from their sixth studio album, ''Bilingual'' (1996). It debuted at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, making it another top 10 single for the group. However, it then fell straight out of the top 40 to number 42 the following week. At the time, it was the highest-charting single to last only one week in the top 40.

Background and composition

"A Red Letter Day" originated as an experiment to write a song using the chord progression from Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". The single's B-side "Delusions of Grandeur" is similarly based on '' Moonlight Sonata''.

In keeping with the international theme of ''Bilingual'', Neil Tennant traveled to Russia to record a choir from the Choral Academy of Moscow for the track. The choir was supplemented using the ''Hallelujah'' sample library from Best Service to give it a bigger sound. Barbara Tucker, Karen Bernod, and Carole Sylvan also provided backing vocals.

A red letter day is a term for a special day, derived from the use of red ink to mark important dates on calendars. In the song, the red letter day is when someone says, "I love you".

Pet Shop Boys decided to work with Steve Rodway, known as Motiv 8, after they had enjoyed Gina G's hit single " Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (1996), which he co-wrote and produced. Motiv 8 did a remix of "A Red Letter Day" and also reworked the song for the single by making the bassline follow the chords and adding a synth line that he had used in his remix.

Release

The single was released in two CD versions and on 12-inch red vinyl. CD2 came in a slipcase that could hold both singles. The slipcase and the vinyl outer sleeve were solid red embossed with red lettering. The inner sleeves and the CD1 cover (pictured) featured photos of the duo on All Saints Road near Sarm West Studios taken by Pennie Smith.

In the United States, "A Red Letter Day" was released as a double A-side with the Pet Shop Boys version of "Somewhere" from ''West Side Story'', which had been a non-album single in the UK. The US maxi-single, issued by Atlantic Records, entered the Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart at number 10 on 15 November 1997 and peaked at number eight the following week.

Critical reception

Dominic Pride from ''Music & Media'' wrote, "The fourth single from the ''Bilingual'' album is more of a by-numbers affair than previous singles Bilingual and Se A Vida E, which relied on epic off-beat percussion for their appeal. It's a formula which has resulted in continent-wide hits for Tennant & Lowe before—their understated use of strings and simple club rhythms has been the defining sound of Europe for much of the last decade. Strangely, the hook comes on the first part of the chorus, leading many to think this is called All I Want."

Music video

The video shows the duo and numerous extras in long queues, referencing the refrain "I'm always waiting", which are shown to variously end at a phone box, ice cream van, sunbed and finally Beachy Head cliff. It was directed by Howard Greenhalgh and filmed on the South Bank in London and in Hackney Marshes. Chris Lowe called it "the worst video of our career".

Live performances

Pet Shop Boys staged a performance of the song on ''Top of the Pops'' on 28 March 1997, which was later included on the DVD with their compilation album ''Ultimate'' (2010). The song was performed on the Release Tour in 2002.

Track listings

* UK and European CD1
# "A Red Letter Day" – 4:33
# "The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On" – 5:44
# "Delusions of Grandeur" – 5:02
# "A Red Letter Day" (Moscow mix) – 5:38

* UK and European CD2
# "A Red Letter Day" (Trouser Autoerotic Decapitation mix) – 10:04
# "A Red Letter Day" ( Motiv 8 twelve-inch Master mix) – 6:58
# "A Red Letter Day" (Basement Jaxx vocal mix) – 6:50
# "A Red Letter Day" (PSB extended edit) – 5:38
# "A Red Letter Day" (Trouser Enthusiasts Congo Dongo Dubstramental) – 8:06

* UK 12-inch single
:A1. "A Red Letter Day" (Basement Jaxx Nite dub) – 6:07
:A2. "A Red Letter Day" (Trouser Enthusiasts Congo Dongo Dubstramental) – 8:06
:B1. "The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On" (the Far Away dub) – 8:56

* Australian CD single
# "A Red Letter Day" – 4:33
# "The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On" – 5:44
# "Delusions of Grandeur" – 5:02
# "A Red Letter Day" (Trouser Autoerotic Decapitation mix) – 10:04
# "A Red Letter Day" (Motiv 8 twelve-inch Master mix) – 6:58

Personnel

Credits adapted from the ''Bilingual: Further Listening 1995–1997'' liner notes and ''Catalogue'' (2006).

Pet Shop Boys
* Chris Lowe
*Neil Tennant

Additional musicians
*The Choral Academy of Moscow – choir
*Victor Popov – choir director
*Alyosha Zolotukhin – choir arrangement
*Barbara Tucker – backing vocals
* Karen Bernod – backing vocals
*Carole Sylvan – backing vocals
*Pete Gleadall – programming

Technical personnel
*Pet Shop Boys – production
* Steve Rodway/Motiv 8 – additional production (single version)
* Bob Kraushaar – engineering, mixing (album version)
*Mike "Spike" Drake – mixing (single version)
*Tatyana Vinnitskaya – choir recording
*Graeme Perkins – choir coordination

Artwork
* Farrow Design – design
*Pennie Smith – photography
*Flavio Cecchetto – photography

Charts

Notes

External links

Lyrics: A Red Letter Day

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Letter Day, A
1995 songs
1997 singles
LGBTQ-related songs
Music videos directed by Howard Greenhalgh
Parlophone singles
Pet Shop Boys songs
Songs written by Chris Lowe
Songs written by Neil Tennant