"One More Chance" 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 ...

, first released as their second single in 1984 and re-recorded for their second album '' Actually'' in 1987. The track was originally credited to

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 producer

Bobby Orlando Robert Philip Orlando also known as Bobby Orlando or just Bobby O, is an American record producer, indie record label owner, songwriter, and musician. He is regarded as an innovator in the hi-NRG genre for developing his signature sound, using a ...

before

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 ...

wrote additional music for the album version.

Composition and recording

"One More Chance" was based on an unused backing track that Bobby Orlando had recorded for the actor/singer

Divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

, provisionally titled "Rock Me". Tennant wrote lyrics for the song exploring the theme of 'romantic paranoia' while in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He envisioned the setting as "New York on one of those horrible cold December nights with the wind whistling out of the river." The 1984 single was recorded at Sugar Hill Studio in Englewood, New Jersey. The 1987 re-recording was produced by

Julian Mendelsohn Julian Mendelsohn is an Australian record producer, audio engineer and mixer. Early life After completing school in Australia, Mendelsohn moved to the United Kingdom. He secured his first job in 1974 at Milner Sound Fulham Rd. Chelsea, run by ...

at Sarm West.

Fairlight Fairlight may refer to: In places: * Fairlight, East Sussex, a village east of Hastings in southern England, UK * Fairlight, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia * Fairlight, Saskatchewan, Canada In other uses: * Fairlight (company), ...

programmer

Andy Richards Andrew John Richards (born 26 October 1952) is an English pianist, Film score, composer, music producer and keyboardist. Richards has played with artists including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, George Michael, Propaganda (band), Propaganda, Grace ...

contributed to the track and suggested adding a middle section. Lowe wrote the chords, and Tennant added the lyrics "You're so extreme / I want to take you home with me..." A car crash sample was included, similar to "I Want a Lover" from '' Please'' (1986). The track also featured sleigh bells and a repeated vocalisation that Tennant compared to a cartoon character like

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is a cartoon character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Productions, Walter Lantz Studio and Universal Animation Studios, Universal Animation Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures sinc ...

Release

The Bobby Orlando production was released on 12-inch vinyl in the US by Bobcat Records; in Germany, Belgium and Canada by

ZYX Records ZYX Music GmbH & Co. KG is a German record label founded in 1971 by Bernhard Mikulski. It is one of the most successful German record labels of the 1980s and 1990s. Until 1992, the label was known as Pop-Import Bernhard Mikulski. The label speci ...

, ChanneL Records and

Unidisc Unidisc Music is a Canadian independent record label. The label is known for releasing rare music, that was made between the mid-1960s and late 1980s. Genres include rock, electronic, funk, soul, hip hop, jazz, reggae, Latin, disco and a cappel ...

respectively; and on 7-inch vinyl in Sweden by Planet Records. One of the two US singles included an early version of "

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 ...

", later their breakthrough single in 1985. The Canadian release featured tracks by Girly and Divine. For ''Actually'' in 1987, a standard 7-inch version was made and was intended for release as a single, but Pet Shop Boys were dissatisfied with the mix so Mendelsohn produced a 12-inch

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

that was used on the album. A single was not released. The unused 7-inch mix was included on the second disc of ''Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988'' in 2001.

Artwork

The cover photos for the single releases were taken by Eric Watson. The German 12-inch used the same photograph as the original "

", taken in August 1983, showing Lowe and Tennant in white T-shirts with a band of light across their eyes. The Belgian version (pictured) featured Tennant sitting on a set of speakers and Lowe lounging on the ground, both wearing

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

brand anoraks. The typography was created by the duo and also appeared on both versions of "West End Girls".

Critical reception

Lee Carter of ''The Hard Report'' called the song "the best Pet Shop Boys track I've heard since 'West End Girls'". Connie Johnson of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' gave an overall negative review to ''Actually'' apart from "

It's a Sin "It's a Sin" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, '' Actually'' (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became the duo's ...

", adding: "'One More Chance', the album's only other interesting track, is not bad. Even if it does sound like 'Son of West End Girls'". A retrospective look at ''Actually'' by Mark Elliott of ''Dig!'' said the album opener "perfectly established ''Actuallys tone: intelligent pop-dance where melody and mood demands as much attention as the beat."

Live performances

"One More Chance" was on the setlist of the Pet Shop Boys' first live performance at The Fridge in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

in 1984. On 5 June 1988, they played "One More Chance" and "

" at a benefit organized by

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cu ...

at the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...

opposing the anti-homosexuality law

Section 28 Section 28 refers to a part of the Local Government Act 1988, which stated that Local government in the United Kingdom, local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with t ...

. When they embarked on their first tour in 1989, "One More Chance" was staged with the ensemble performing a ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

''-style choreography against a backdrop of black-and-white images of New York City. The song was revived on the

Electric Tour The Electric Tour was synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys' 2013–15 world tour in support of their two albums ''Elysium'' and ''Electric''. The first leg started on 22 March and ended in October in Mexico. The second leg of the tour was announced in J ...

in 2013–2015, paired with "A Face Like That" from ''

Elysium Elysium (), otherwise known as the Elysian Fields (, ''Ēlýsion pedíon''), Elysian Plains or Elysian Realm, is a conception of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philosophical sects and cult ...

'' (2012).

Usage in other media

"One More Chance" is featured in the Pet Shop Boys film '' It Couldn't Happen Here'' (1988), which ends with the duo performing the song to a crowd of dancers in a nightclub.

Track listings

United States 12-inch

#"One More Chance" (Kordak remix) – 3:26 #"One More Chance" (remix) – 5:33

United States two-song 12-inch

#"One More Chance" – 3:26 #"

" – 7:50

Belgian 12-inch

#"One More Chance" (remix) – 5:33 #"One More Chance" – (3:26)

German 12-inch

#"One More Chance" (Kordak mix) – 3:26 #"One More Chance" (Bobby O remix) – 5:33

Swedish 7-inch

#"One More Chance" – 3:30 #"One More Chance" (remix) – 5:37

Canadian 12-inch

#"One More Chance" – 5:34 #"Working Girl (One Way Love Affair)" (by Girly) – 5:10 #"

Love Reaction "Love Reaction" is a song by American performance artist Divine, released as a single in 1983. The song was later included on the 1984 compilation album ''The Story So Far''. It has been noted for its similarity to New Order's song " Blue Monday" ...

" (by Divine) – 5:31

German 1986 7-inch

#"One More Chance" (Hurricane mix) – 3:25 #"Theme for the Pet Shop Boys Pt II" – 3:40

German 1986 12-inch (reissued 1988 on 12-inch and mini CD)

#"One More Chance" (Hurricane mix) – 5:00 #"Theme for the Pet Shop Boys Pt II" – 5:03

External links

Lyrics: One More Chance

References

{{Pet Shop Boys singles 1984 singles Pet Shop Boys songs Songs written by Neil Tennant Songs written by Chris Lowe Song recordings produced by Julian Mendelsohn 1984 songs Songs written by Bobby Orlando Song recordings produced by Bobby Orlando ZYX Music singles