I know there are a few other PSB fans here... but even if you're not. Let me chime in on this

I think Being Boring is the greatest song ever written by a gay artist. As someone who is gay myself... i strangely have never really felt bounded much to songs written by other gay males. But usually of straight males..."

The only one that has come close is Dug Pinnick from Kings X his lyrics are pretty amazing! but i think Being Boring... for all the story behind the song. For the video, the sound, the voice etc.

It's in my book the best and most introspective song a gay artist has ever wrote IMO of course. I realized Neil Tennant is one of the few gay artists i really look up to and who really makes me feel or say ''oh i get that''

Yeah George Michael, Elton John, Dug Pinnick, Rob Halford of Judas Priest etc. Are all amazing artists but none have ever made a song that makes me reflect so much on my young 22 years of life! and i am sure in 10, 20, 30 years it will make me relect even more.

So, for me at least. This is the best song ever written by a gay artist and everytime i listen to i still love it

You just like that naked man getting out of the pool.

lazycrockett said:

You just like that naked man getting out of the pool.

I just wrote that long.. passionate... thread.

And you think it's about ass? hmmph and the ass is not a bad one... but the guy is not my type. But if that ass is not white as hell! lord in black and white it looks like it could block the sun. And it doesn't help that the dog tries to bite his dick

I do like that this video.. and a lot of Pet Shop Boys videos did feature a very interacial group of people.

Trust me, as you get older, the song will even have more meaning for you.

When it first came out, I was 20 (in 1990) and as much as I liked the song, it just seemed too sophisticated for my ears to fully grasp the sentiment of the lyrics. Then as time went on - I can literally say I lived this song! This year marks the 20th year since being diagnosed HIV+ and I am a survivor of what could easily be considered this century's plague. I am the proverbial "last of the bunch" in terms of all of my close friends who have died - and it used to be that I could count them in order of their passing. Well, two decades later I don't have enough hands - nor do I have that precise of a memory any more. I have pictures of dinner and Christmas parties I had in the late 80's and early 90's where every single person in the group is now gone; I can now understand the line about how you never thought about the future then (never being bored). But - wow - if you can sympathize with the lyrics and understand what it is like to lose a friend or friends... this song is bound to leave an impression on you.

I came across a cache of old photos
And invitations to teenage parties
"Dress in white" one said with quotations
From someone's wife, a famous writer
In my nineteen-twenties
When you're young you find inspiration in
Anyone who's ever gone
And opened up a closing door
She said, "We were never feeling bored"

'Cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought, make amends
And we were never holding back, worried that
Time would come to an end

When I went I left from the station
With a haversack and some trepidation
Someone said, "If you're not careful
You'll have nothing left and nothing to care for"
In my nineteen-seventies

But I sat back and looking forward
My shoes were high and I had scored
I'd bolted through a closing door
I would never find myself feeling bored

'Cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought, make amends
And we were never holding back or worried that
Time would come to an end
We were always hoping that, looking back
You could always rely on a friend

Now I sit with different faces
In rented rooms and foreign places
All the people I was kissing
Some are here and some are missing
In my nineteen-nineties

I never dreamt that I would get to be
The creature that I always meant to be
But I thought in spite of dreams
You'd be sitting somewhere here with me

'Cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought, make amends
And we were never holding back, worried that
Time would come to an end
We were always hoping that, looking back
You could always rely on a friend

And we were never being boring
We were never being bored
'Cause we were never being boring
We were never being bored

Absolutely gorgeous song. One of my favourites not just by the Pet Shop Boys but period. I always get teary eyed when I hear it

FormerlyKnownAs said:

Trust me, as you get older, the song will even have more meaning for you.

When it first came out, I was 20 (in 1990) and as much as I liked the song, it just seemed too sophisticated for my ears to fully grasp the sentiment of the lyrics. Then as time went on - I can literally say I lived this song! This year marks the 20th year since being diagnosed HIV+ and I am a survivor of what could easily be considered this century's plague. I am the proverbial "last of the bunch" in terms of all of my close friends who have died - and it used to be that I could count them in order of their passing. Well, two decades later I don't have enough hands - nor do I have that precise of a memory any more. I have pictures of dinner and Christmas parties I had in the late 80's and early 90's where every single person in the group is now gone; I can now understand the line about how you never thought about the future then (never being bored). But - wow - if you can sympathize with the lyrics and understand what it is like to lose a friend or friends... this song is bound to leave an impression on you.

I came across a cache of old photos
And invitations to teenage parties
"Dress in white" one said with quotations
From someone's wife, a famous writer
In my nineteen-twenties
When you're young you find inspiration in
Anyone who's ever gone
And opened up a closing door
She said, "We were never feeling bored"

'Cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought, make amends
And we were never holding back, worried that
Time would come to an end

When I went I left from the station
With a haversack and some trepidation
Someone said, "If you're not careful
You'll have nothing left and nothing to care for"
In my nineteen-seventies

But I sat back and looking forward
My shoes were high and I had scored
I'd bolted through a closing door
I would never find myself feeling bored

'Cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought, make amends
And we were never holding back or worried that
Time would come to an end
We were always hoping that, looking back
You could always rely on a friend

Now I sit with different faces
In rented rooms and foreign places
All the people I was kissing
Some are here and some are missing
In my nineteen-nineties

I never dreamt that I would get to be
The creature that I always meant to be
But I thought in spite of dreams
You'd be sitting somewhere here with me

'Cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought, make amends
And we were never holding back, worried that
Time would come to an end
We were always hoping that, looking back
You could always rely on a friend

And we were never being boring
We were never being bored
'Cause we were never being boring
We were never being bored

What a moving post.

Honestly, I'd never listened intently to this song. I'm generally struck more by melody than lyrics, and the melody here has always been just OK to me.

But now that I have listened more closely -- and done so in view of your experience -- I do appreciate the song more... albeit with a somewhat different mix of emotions than you.

I turned 18 in 1990. And while certain friends of the same age had found the courage to come out as gay, celebrate their new identity, and live with abandon, I remained deeply closeted, having just a few very brief, very hidden, and mostly unpleasant explorations of my gayness as a young man. I eventually fell in love with and married a woman. As a result, I experienced the sort of liberation and frivolity my out gay friends seemed to enjoy only vicariously. I loved my wife, but I can recall wishing sometimes that I had half the backbone my friends had to be myself more openly. I see the video for this song, and it is such a bittersweet thing for me. I passed up on that type of fun.

Now I'm in my 40s, out as gay (ontologically, if not functionally ), but still married. I'm well into a decent career, with a house and a beautiful kid, and I'm mostly content. Some of my gay friends from years ago have now also settled down, but many of them are gone -- some by way of disease, some by drugs, some just fell off the map. I often wonder what would have happened to me if I had the sense of freedom they had years ago. The song makes me wonder if "being boring" somehow saved my life.

[Edited 11/10/13 8:09am]

Lammastide said:

What a moving post.

Honestly, I'd never listened intently to this song. I'm generally struck more by melody than lyrics, and the melody here has always been just OK to me.

But now that I have listened more closely -- and done so in view of your experience -- I do appreciate the song more... albeit with a somewhat different mix of emotions than you.

I turned 18 in 1990. And while certain friends of the same age had found the courage to come out as gay, celebrate their new identity, and live with abandon, I remained deeply closeted, having just a few very brief, very hidden, and mostly unpleasant explorations of my gayness as a young man. I eventually fell in love with and married a woman. As a result, I experienced the sort of liberation and frivolity my out gay friends seemed to enjoy only vicariously. I loved my wife, but I can recall wishing sometimes that I had half the backbone my friends had to be myself more openly. I see the video for this song, and it is such a bittersweet thing for me. I passed up on that type of fun.

Now I'm in my 40s, out as gay (ontologically, if not functionally ), but still married. I'm well into a decent career, with a house and a beautiful kid, and I'm mostly content. Some of my gay friends from years ago have now also settled down, but many of them are gone -- some by way of disease, some by drugs, some just fell off the map. I often wonder what would have happened to me if I had the sense of freedom they had years ago. Sometimes I wonder if "being boring" has saved my life.

[Edited 11/9/13 19:42pm]

I have a friend who is also out as gay but is still married to his wife. I have always been curious as to why since now he can move on and find love somewhere else, but I have never dared to ask because I don't want to be intrusive. Anyway, he always says she's the love of his life and will never leave her or cheat on her with a man. She loves him very much too and they have an amazing relatioship.

Anyway just wanted to say that I find you very interesting. You seem to be a very humble and honest person.

DysregulatedToxicity said:

Lammastide said:

What a moving post.

Honestly, I'd never listened intently to this song. I'm generally struck more by melody than lyrics, and the melody here has always been just OK to me.

But now that I have listened more closely -- and done so in view of your experience -- I do appreciate the song more... albeit with a somewhat different mix of emotions than you.

I turned 18 in 1990. And while certain friends of the same age had found the courage to come out as gay, celebrate their new identity, and live with abandon, I remained deeply closeted, having just a few very brief, very hidden, and mostly unpleasant explorations of my gayness as a young man. I eventually fell in love with and married a woman. As a result, I experienced the sort of liberation and frivolity my out gay friends seemed to enjoy only vicariously. I loved my wife, but I can recall wishing sometimes that I had half the backbone my friends had to be myself more openly. I see the video for this song, and it is such a bittersweet thing for me. I passed up on that type of fun.

Now I'm in my 40s, out as gay (ontologically, if not functionally ), but still married. I'm well into a decent career, with a house and a beautiful kid, and I'm mostly content. Some of my gay friends from years ago have now also settled down, but many of them are gone -- some by way of disease, some by drugs, some just fell off the map. I often wonder what would have happened to me if I had the sense of freedom they had years ago. Sometimes I wonder if "being boring" has saved my life.

[Edited 11/9/13 19:42pm]

I have a friend who is also out as gay but is still married to his wife. I have always been curious as to why since now he can move on and find love somewhere else, but I have never dared to ask because I don't want to be intrusive. Anyway, he always says she's the love of his life and will never leave her or cheat on her with a man. She loves him very much too and they have an amazing relatioship.

Anyway just wanted to say that I find you very interesting. You seem to be a very humble and honest person.

You're too kind.

Thank you. I try to be humble and honest. After all, I'm just another schmuck.

Really is one of my favorite pop songs ever. Neil really could've been a novelist.

mynameisnotsusan said:

Hey Guns, did you know after Axl saw PSB live he asked them why they didn't play 'Being Boring'? Useless fact for the day...

Ahh yes of course and that My October Symphony sort of inspired November Rain.