A Red Letter Day

"A Red Letter Day"
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Bilingual
A-side"A Red Letter Day"
B-side
  • "The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On"
  • "Delusions of Grandeur"
Released17 March 1997 (1997-03-17)[1]
Length5:09
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Single-Bilingual"
(1996) 		"A Red Letter Day"
(1997) 		"Somewhere"
(1997)
Music video
"A Red Letter Day" on YouTube

"A Red Letter Day" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 17 March 1997 as the fourth single from their sixth studio album, Bilingual (1996). The single peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, making it another top 10 single for the group. However, it then fell straight out of the UK top 40 (to number 42) the following week.[2] At the time, this was a record as the biggest such fall to ever occur in UK chart history, but it was then beaten the following year by Embrace with their single "My Weakness Is None of Your Business" (which fell from number 9 to 44 the following week).[3]

Composition

The PSB used the chord progression from Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", which is sung on the record by Choral Academy of Moscow.[4]

The duo were admirers of the sound of Motiv8,[citation needed] who had remixed various other artists at the time. Neil Tennant asked the man behind Motiv8 (Steve Rodway) to remix this single, even visiting Rodway at work in his studio during the remix.[citation needed] After it was finished and delivered, Tennant insisted that a synth line, which Rodway had come up with on the Motiv8 version, should be used on the Pet Shop Boys' own main mix. After unsuccessful attempts to recreate Rodway's riff, it eventually had to be sampled from the Motiv8 mix.[citation needed] Thus, as well as appearing on the Motiv8 remix, it appears on the Pet Shop Boys' main version.

Critical reception

Dominic Pride from Music & Media wrote, "The fourth single from the Bilingual album is more of a by-numbers affair than previous singles Bilingual and Se A Vida E, which relied on epic off-beat percussion for their appeal. It's a formula which has resulted in continent-wide hits for Tennant & Lowe before—their understated use of strings and simple club rhythms has been the defining sound of Europe for much of the last decade. Strangely, the hook comes on the first part of the chorus, leading many to think this is called All I Want."[5]

Track listings

  1. "A Red Letter Day" – 4:33
  2. "The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On" – 5:44
  3. "Delusions of Grandeur" – 5:02
  4. "A Red Letter Day" (Moscow mix) – 5:38
  1. "A Red Letter Day" (Trouser Autoerotic Decapitation mix) – 10:04
  2. "A Red Letter Day" (Motiv 8 twelve-inch Master mix) – 6:58
  3. "A Red Letter Day" (Basement Jaxx vocal mix) – 6:50
  4. "A Red Letter Day" (PSB extended edit) – 5:38
  5. "A Red Letter Day" (Trouser Enthusiasts Congo Dongo Dubstramental) – 8:06
  • UK 12-inch single[10]
A1. "A Red Letter Day" (Basement Jaxx Nite dub) – 6:07
A2. "A Red Letter Day" (Trouser Enthusiasts Congo Dongo Dubstramental) – 8:06
B1. "The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On" (the Far Away dub) – 8:56
  • Australian CD single[11]
  1. "A Red Letter Day" – 4:33
  2. "The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On" – 5:44
  3. "Delusions of Grandeur" – 5:02
  4. "A Red Letter Day" (Trouser Autoerotic Decapitation mix) – 10:04
  5. "A Red Letter Day" (Motiv 8 twelve-inch Master mix) – 6:58

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "A Red Letter Day"
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 57
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[13] 13
Czech Republic (IFPI ČR)[14] 5
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles)[15] 56
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] 18
Germany (GfK)[17] 55
Scotland (OCC)[18] 11
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 30
UK Singles (OCC)[2] 9
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[20]
with "Somewhere" 		8

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 15 March 1997. p. 28.
  2. ^ a b "Pet Shop Boys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 30 August 1998. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  4. ^ Pet Shop Boys https://www.petshopboys.co.uk/history/1997
  5. ^ Pride, Dominic (8 March 1997). "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 18. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  6. ^ A Red Letter Day (UK CD1 liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1997. CDR 6460, 7243 8 83702 2 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ A Red Letter Day (European CD1 liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1997. 7243 883714 2 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ A Red Letter Day (UK CD2 liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1997. CDRS 6460, 7243 8 83701 27.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ A Red Letter Day (European CD2 liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1997. 7243 883715 2 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ A Red Letter Day (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1997. 12R 6460, 72438 83701 65.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ A Red Letter Day (Australian CD single liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1997. 7243 883747 2 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 216.
  13. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – A Red Letter Day" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 12. 22 March 1997. p. 19. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  15. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 14. 5 April 1997. p. 16. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  16. ^ "Pet Shop Boys: A Red Letter Day" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – A Red Letter Day" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  19. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – A Red Letter Day". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  20. ^ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2022.