"Heart" | ||||||||||
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Single by Pet Shop Boys | ||||||||||
from the album Actually | ||||||||||
B-side | "I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)" | |||||||||
Released | 21 March 1988 | |||||||||
Format | 7", 12-inch single, Cassette single, CD single | |||||||||
Recorded | 1987 | |||||||||
Genre | Synthpop | |||||||||
Length | 3:57 (album version) 4:16 (7" edit) 8:55 (12" edit) |
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Label | Parlophone / EMI | |||||||||
Writer(s) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | |||||||||
Producer(s) | Andy Richards & Pet Shop Boys | |||||||||
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Heart" is a song recorded by Pet Shop Boys which reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in April 1988 (see 1988 in music), becoming their last native number 1 song to date. The song was included on the group's second studio album, Actually. The group had initially written the song for Madonna, though they never asked her to record it, instead keeping it for themselves.
Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, "Heart" was the fourth and final single from the duo's second studio album, Actually. Remixed as a single and released in March 1988, it rocketed to the top of the charts to become the duo's fourth—and, to date, last—UK number one single. It was also a massive hit across Europe.
The genesis of the song goes back to the sessions for the duo's first album Please in early 1986 with Shep Pettibone. Originally the duo had planned to offer it to Hi-NRG singer Hazell Dean or—more notoriously—Madonna, but they ultimately kept it for themselves. The duo's version of the song was intended to be used in the Steven Spielberg-produced film Innerspace, but the dance sequence it was intended for was at the wrong tempo for the song. The song was originally called "Heartbeat", but was changed after Culture Club drummer Jon Moss announced the formation of a group Heartbeat UK.
The lyrics are noted for being more traditional than most Pet Shop Boys songs, being a straightforward declaration of love—a characteristic common in many pop songs. On the commentary of the live Pet Shop Boys DVD Cubism, Tennant reveals that the "oh – ah – oh'oh ah" refrain which repeats throughout the song features the vocals of himself, Pavarotti and Wendy Smith (of Prefab Sprout).