Who Did It Better?
Go West
Tomorrow marks the beginning of Gay Pride Month, and in anticipation and in honor of this month-long celebration this week's edition of Who Did It Better? takes a look at a true gay anthem as performed by two premiere gay icons.
Go West was written by Jacques Morali, creator of the Village People, Henri Belolo and Victor Willis, who was the lead singer of the popular gay disco group.
The song's title is attributed to the 19th-century quote "Go West, young man," commonly attributed to Horace Greeley. It served as a rallying cry for the colonization of the American West, but also can be interpreted as an invitation to pursue one's own dreams and individuality. The song's melody is reminiscent of Alexander Alexandrov's State Anthem of the Soviet Union.
It first appeared as part of the group's 1979 album of the same name and was released as the second single from the album. It was preceded by the groups' final major hit, In The Navy. The song proved quite popular in the clubs, while also charting worldwide. In the US it managed to reach #45 on Billboard's Hot 100, and #14 on the Dance Club Songs chart, while in Canada it hit #41 on their Top Singles chart and #13 on their Dance/Urban chart. It fared much better overseas, snagging the #15 slot in the UK and Ireland, #12 in Belgium, and #31 on the Dutch Top 40.
In 1992, filmmaker/artist Derek Jarman was hosting an AIDS charity event at The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester and asked the Pet Shop Boys to perform. Chris Lowe selected Go West for the occasion. During the performance, Neil Tennant struggled to remember the lyrics, but both fell in love with the idea of releasing the song as a single. Initially, they intended to release it as a one-off single, and they did record it, but that version has never seen the light of day - though remixes and variants of it have appeared on reissues and B-sides.
Instead, a reworked version of the song appeared on their 1993 album, Very and was released as its second single on September 6, 1993. This version was dramatically altered, as it was influenced by Pachelbel's Canon, the former Soviet anthem, and There Is Nothing Like A Dame from the musical South Pacific.
In addition, Tennant and Lowe wrote a new coda and a bridge for the song, with the lyrics:
"There where the air is free
we'll be what we want to be
Now if we make a stand
we'll find our promised land"
It became a runaway worldwide hit, peaking at #2 on the UK Singles chart and going #1 in Finland, Germany, Ireland and Iceland. It also topped the US Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart and went to #2 in Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland and France, #3 in the Netherlands, #4 in Spain, #5 in Denmark and Norway, #10 in Australia, #13 in Italy and New Zealand, and #19 in Canada.
Since then, it's become a staple in the Pet Shop Boys touring shows and been remixed and extended numerous times.
And that's the whole story.
Now? On to the competition!
The Song: Go West
The Competitors: Village People vs. Pet Shop Boys
Go West - Village People
Go West - Pet Shop Boys
Village People
On this side of things, I can now fairly evaluate the music of the Village People. At the time they were hot? Not a fan. Their very presence made me uncomfortable - which probably has more to do with my self-inflicted homophobia and fear of being found out than the clever packaging creator Jacques Morali summoned forth to present to the world.
That initial thump-thump, standard fare, but the horns come on hot and so does lead singer Victor Willis, who - despite his lack of love for the overall project - has some skin in the game here (although it would take a pro-longed lawsuit before he'd see the royalties), and therefore, brings his A-game. I'm not sure why he never pursued a solo career. Other than a one-off single in 1983 for Salsoul Records and a ten-track album released in 2010 - radio silence after he left the group.
His is a very sexy sound, ripe, rounded and full-bodied. Yes, I realize he's being asked to do nothing more than spout slogans and fulfill the role of head-cheerleader, but he does so with a great deal of energy, drive and commitment. He fills that 40 second intro marvelously.
As for the backing boys... again, not much is asked of them, but they acquit themselves quite nicely. The mix is incredibly bright and punched-up. What's not to like?
On occasion, Willis sounds like he's either lacking breath support or reaching just below his golden range.
The string stings in the second verse crack me up. But that was the magic of disco; if you got the strings dramatically correct, people paid attention.
The hand-claps on the chorus are an inspired bit texture. The group vocals (I guess you can't really consider them back-up) are rather colorless, merely gruff and macho sounding. Everything with this is punch, punch, punch - almost militaristic in scope.
Willis sounds a bit insane on that chorus, scary even. Maybe he's not the vocalist I'd hoped. "I know you love me..." Goat bleat. I do that when my throat is tired, I think a lot of singers do when surrendering. So, maybe the reason Willis didn't pursue something is because his voice simply wore out. Listen to this and imagine having to sing it over and over. It would be like being a boxer punching a bag; eventually you are going to wear out. In fact, by the time we finish that third verse, I am thinking he's spent. He's employing a lot of vocal techniques used by singers past their prime and on the last rung of their stage worthiness.
That trumpet is just having the time of it's life. One can't fault the arrangement or the mix.
That said, it's not like they didn't make a few errors with this release. I never talk about the album art, but I think there's a reason this album sold less than the previous two - and it has nothing to do with people growing tired of disco (that wouldn't happen until the release of their full-length motion picture Can't Stop The Music and the infamous football stadium where an enterprising DJ declared 'disco sucks' and they burned a bunch of disco albums.) No, I think the issue is that people simply weren't aware that they had a new album. If you look at the cover art for their previous release, 1978's Cruisin' featuring the smash hit, Y.M.C.A, you'll notice that from a distance the two are rather identical. The color and the photo shape make them almost undistinguishable from each other.
And, while many would say the same of the group's musical catalog, that - I don't agree with. Yes, the production work remained the same for their most popular albums, but it was a winning sound, so why mess with that. Maybe people simply grew tired of the 'rah-rah' nature of their songs.
This? This is a nice bit of work. It's fun and effervescent, if deceptively simple-minded.
Pet Shop Boys
Creamy, dreamy synths woven in a classical style. That's what's to love about PSB. Their approach to pop music is so intellectual, literary, and sweetly verbose. It screams class and a brand of ivy league elitism - so, sort of the opposite of the everyman vibe of the Village People.
Lush, antiseptically clean and a tad chilly. Fun 'horns', very seamless and musically adept. Interesting ghosty vocal bit before the he-man chorus enters. And then we have Neil.
So, it would be easy to dismiss Neil's vocals as very fey and extremely nasal, but that would be missing their role in all this. It's his vocals which ground the rest of the trappings to the earth. They're relatable, even as he employs his trademark deadpan charm. His vocals here are treated with quite a bit of fairy dust, but that doesn't cover up the ease with which Neil pops a note or tosses a phrase with a flip of the wrist.
When his voice is doubled, as on the chorus, it takes on an insect like quality. If I was casting a voice for an animated film featuring a singing mosquito, Mr. Tennant would be my number one choice.
The chorus gives way to jazzy Las Vegas style horns and a wailing back-up singer. Unnecessary? Perhaps. It does liven things up, of course.
"Together... we will love the beach..." Yes, not exactly working with Chaucer, now are we.
Adore, "I love you... how could I disagree?" So very (pardon the pun) Pet Shop Boys.
The programmed trapset dates this and strikes me as a bit of a bore these days. But is... as I like to say... of its time.
The production work is stellar. Pristine and airy, providing a very romantic sheen that's easy to lose one's self in. That's another hallmark of the PSB sound - a well of loneliness given voice.
This is an odd requiem; joyous, celebratory and mournful, all at the same time.
Obligatory almost-spoken bridge, check.
The drop off - smart move - check.
I remember listening to this in a tiny gay bar in Waterloo, IA. I'd arrived in time for happy hour, but before most. There was a young man across the bar, a child, really... he was listening in earnest; obviously those were his coins in the jukebox - and I thought, "He thinks this is the height of gay sophistication."
And I'm not sure he wasn't wrong.
Verdict
Well.
This is a pickle. A bit of a stew.
And, since there are no ties here at Who Did It Better?, we all have to choose one or the other.
Really depends on one's mood.
I appreciate both and both are well done, given their respective eras and intent.
But let's face it - sometimes it doesn't pay to overthink these things. (Let that sink in.)
Today? I'm in a lively mood. It's why I go to concerts. I don't mind the occasional missed note, dropped phrase, or vocal crack - it keeps things human.
So, even with my misgivings regarding Mr. Willis' vocal performance, I'm giving it to Village People.
PSB is perfection. Note perfect. But perfection comes at a price and, in this case, it all sounds a bit hermetically sealed. And while I appreciate all they brought to this - maybe this was a case where they should have just cut loose and had a bit of fun?
I'll go with the livelier, more simplistic sound of the Village People. Cookie-cutter? Perhaps.
But who doesn't love a great cookie?
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And that's enough of me.
Okay, your turn. You know what to do: leave your thoughts and choice in the comments section. I love to hear a differing opinion.
That's all for now.
Until next time...
Thanks for reading... and listening!
Go West - Pet Shop Boys
Go West - Village People
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