Actually | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 September 1987[1] | |||
Recorded | 1986–1987 | |||
Studio | Sarm West and Advision (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 47:52 | |||
Label | Parlophone | |||
Producer |
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Pet Shop Boys chronology | ||||
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Singles from Actually | ||||
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Actually (stylised as Pet Shop Boys, actually.) is the second studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in North America. According to Neil Tennant[2][3][4] and music historian Wayne Studer,[5] Actually loosely critiques Thatcherism,[2][5] the political zeitgeist of the 1980s, and was recorded in anticipation of Margaret Thatcher's re-election.[6]
When this album came out many people, including ourselves, took the whole album to be loosely about Thatcherism
The first line sets up the song. It's an angry song about Thatcherism. Mrs Thatcher came in on the promise of firm government and I'm interpreting 'the smack of firm government' literally as hitting someone.
As Neil has described it, the song is 'a hymn to the people getting left out of Thatcherism' (the economic policies of the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher).
Thematically, this song could have sat comfortably alongside "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" from the dawn of their career, or had a place on their subsequent classic Thatcherism-critiquing album Actually.
Just like we were terrified Margaret Thatcher was going to lose the 1987 election just before Actually came out, ruining our album about Thatcherism, even while voting Labour.