"Domino Dancing" is a song by English

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

duo

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

, released in September 1988 by

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

as the lead single from their third studio album, '' Introspective'' (1988). The song reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and topped the charts in Finland and Spain. Its music video was directed by Eric Watson and filmed in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

Background

Written by

Chris Lowe Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981. Biography Christopher Sean Lowe was born and raised in Bla ...

and

Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for '' Smash Hits'', and assist ...

, and influenced by

Latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...

, the song was produced by Lewis A. Martinée, the Miami-based producer behind 1980s freestyle groups such as Exposé. The song was recorded at Martinée's studio in Miami, resulting in a large number of studio musicians being featured on it for a Pet Shop Boys song. The duo had achieved three number ones in 1987 and 1988, and "Domino Dancing" was expected to continue this success. However, the public reception to the duo's new Latin sound proved disappointing. Tennant remembers: "...it entered the charts at number nine and I thought, 'that's that, then – it's all over'. I knew then that our imperial phase of number one hits was over." The single peaked at number 18 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as the duo's sixth top-20 entry in the United States. Though they have not since made top-60 on the Hot 100, the song did reach number 5 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart, where the duo has seen more consistent success.

Critical reception

John Wilde from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' said, "After taking some delightless turns in recent months, Tennant and Lowe swoon, yup ''swoon'', back with their most exquisite offering for many a moon. It looks as weightless as a kite up there. It comes complete with a spoken interlude that wakes up the glowworms inside me for the first time since that heavenly respite in the middle of

Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

's ' Louise'." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' wrote, "Their knack of creating irresistible synthesizer-driven pop songs never seems to diminish. Not their best, but still better than most of the competition." Jack Barron from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' named it Single of the Week, adding, "'Domino Dancing' perfectly captures the omnipresent power dynamics of an unbalanced relationship, which most are. It's a song of acid jealousy burning a hole in a love affair. An emotional Paradise reduced to Hell by the constant flick of a partner's eyes elsewhere in covert flirtation."

Music video

The music video for "Domino Dancing" was directed by Eric Watson and was his sixth of eleven collaborations with the band. The storyline is about a love triangle between two handsome young men who are fighting over a beautiful woman. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine calls the video "probably the most homoerotic pop video ever made", citing the slow-motion shots of the boys wrestling on the beach: The video was taped in about four days in the old colonial district of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, in 1988. One of the locations that was featured in the music video is the

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery () is a colonial-era Catholic cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in ...

. All the lead actors were Puerto Rican; the two boys were David Boira and Adalberto Martinez Mojica and the girl was Donna Bottman, who was an aspiring actress and model. All of them were cast by the Pet Shop Boys. ''Domino Dancing'' (extended version) is a seven-minute dance song, combined with Lowe's synth melodies, Cuban brass and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

beats. Versions * ''Domino Dancing'' (short video 7″) – 4:18 * ''Domino Dancing'' (extended version 12″ remix) – 7:41 Cast *

as himself *

as himself * David Boira as Boy * Adalberto Martinez Mojica as Boy * Donna Bottman as Girl

Track listings

* 7-inch, mini-CD, and US cassette single # "Domino Dancing" – 4:17 # "Don Juan" – 3:53 * UK 12-inch, CD, and cassette single : Australian 12-inch single # "Domino Dancing" (disco mix) – 7:41 # "Don Juan" (disco mix) – 7:32 # "Domino Dancing" (alternative mix) – 4:42 * UK 12-inch remix single :A1. "Domino Dancing" (Base mix) – 5:53 :B1. "Don Juan" (demo) – 4:19 :B2. "Domino Dancing" (demo) – 4:45 * US 12-inch single # "Domino Dancing" (disco mix) – 7:41 # "Domino Dancing" (single version) – 4:17 # "Don Juan" (disco mix) – 7:32 # "Domino Dancing" (alternative mix) – 4:45

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

Cover versions

The Swedish Pet Shop Boys

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band, tribute group or tribute artist is a Musical ensemble, music group, Singing, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the so ...

West End Girls "West End Girls" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song's lyrics are concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life in London wh ...

released a cover version of "Domino Dancing" in 2005 as a single from their album '' Goes Petshopping'', peaking at number three on the Swedish Singles Chart.

References

{{Authority control 1988 songs 1988 singles Pet Shop Boys songs Freestyle music songs Latin pop songs Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Spain Parlophone singles Songs written by Chris Lowe Songs written by Neil Tennant Works based on the Don Juan legend