“Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” by Pet Shop Boys

“Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” is a song in which the singer is entreating the addressee to engage in some business activity with him. He feels that their partnership in such an enterprise would be ideal since he, the singer, has high intellect, and the person he is singing to has strength and physical attractiveness. Moreover the type of business adventure he is conceptualizing is apparently not orthodox.

First off the brains-and-brawn scenario respectively alludes to Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the two members of the Pet Shop Boys. We can safely say it is based on the singer’s real-life working relationship. But more importantly, this song is meant to be a criticism of an economic ideology which was sweeping through the United Kingdom, where the Pet Shop Boys are from, during the time this song was penned. And that idea, referred to as Thatcherism, was based on individuals getting paid.

However, if a listener does not take time and do the research, he/she can easily conclude that this song is actually in support of monetary lust since it is composed in a satirical nature. Indeed this misinterpretation is how this track is commonly misunderstood and utilized.

So in an attempt to criticize materialism, the Pet Shop Boys instead dropped a track which many perceive as being in support of it. But at the same time, others got the intended message. And accordingly this was one of the songs which helped establish the duo as an act known for being outspoken ironists in the music industry.

Release Date of “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)”

The Pet Shop Boys originally released this classic on 1 July 1985.

Parlophone in partnership with EMI later re-released the song on 19 May 1986 as a feature on the Pet Shop Boys’ multi-platinum selling maiden album, Please. This version was produced by Stephen Hague. Hague was the same producer who helped transform the Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls” into a mega hit.

Chart Performance

And the newer version of “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” also fared better than its original. It made it to number 10 in America (the Billboard Hot 100). In Britain (the UK Singles Chart), it reached number 11.

Who wrote “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)”?

The Pet Shop Boys (Lowe and Tennant) are the only writers of “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)”.