Suburbia by Pet Shop Boys Lyrics Meaning – The Pulsating Beat of Discontent
Lyrics
(Where the suburbs met Utopia)
Lost in the high street, where the dogs run
Roaming suburban boys
Mother’s got a hairdo to be done
She says they’re too old for toys
Stood by the bus stop with a felt pen
In this suburban hell
And in the distance a police car
To break the suburban spell
Let’s take a ride, and run with the dogs tonight
In Suburbia
You can’t hide, run with the dogs tonight
In Suburbia
Break a window by the town hall
Listen, the siren screams
There in the distance, like a roll call
Of all the suburban dreams
Let’s take a ride, and run with the dogs tonight
In Suburbia
You can’t hide, run with the dogs tonight
In Suburbia
I only wanted something else to do but hang around
I only wanted something else to do but hang around
(Hang around, hang around)
It’s on the front page of the papers
This is their hour of need
Where’s a policeman when you need one
To blame the colour TV?
Let’s take a ride, and run with the dogs tonight
In Suburbia
You can’t hide, run with the dogs tonight
In Suburbia
In Suburbia
In Suburbia
Run with the dogs tonight
You can’t hide
Run with the dogs tonight
You can’t hide
(You can’t hide, you can’t hide)
In Suburbia
(Suburbia, where the suburbs met Utopia)
(What kind of dream was this, so easy to destroy?)
(A world together, the cities of the past)
(Mews, slums of the future)
(Suburbia, where the suburbs met Utopia)
(Suburbia, where the suburbs met Utopia)
(Where the suburbs met Utopia)
The Pet Shop Boys have an uncanny ability to marry the throbbing pulse of synthesized pop with the contemplative dissection of modern life. ‘Suburbia’, a standout track from their critically acclaimed 1986 album ‘Please’, serves as a vibrant window into the nuanced ennui of suburban existence.
In ‘Suburbia’, the Pet Shop Boys encapsulate the juxtaposition of mundane suburban landscapes against the yearning for escapism, crafting a narrative that resonates with listeners who find themselves lost in the homogenized sprawls of their own neighborhoods.
Utopia’s Broken Dream: The Suburban Paradox
The opening lines of ‘Suburbia’ set a scene that is immediately recognizable: the intersection of Utopia with the everyday blandness of suburban life. The suburbs, once envisioned as an idyllic escape from city chaos, have become a symbol of uniformity and disillusionment.
By framing the suburbs as ‘where the suburbs met Utopia’, the Pet Shop Boys invite a reflection on the failed promise of a perfect community. The track dares to reveal the dystopian undertones behind the picket fences and meticulously mowed lawns.
The Feral Cry of Suburban Boys – Restlessness Amongst Routine
‘Roaming suburban boys’ and the visual of a mother insisting that her kids are ‘too old for toys’ cuts to the heart of adolescent restlessness, trapped in a world of outdated expectations and fading childhood innocence.
There’s a sense of resistance bubbling under the surface, a rebellion manufactured within the confines of mundane rituals. The ‘felt pen’ and the ‘police car’ represent the tagging of personal identity, however marginalized, and the imminent, watchful order of society.
Crashing Through the Picture-Perfect Façade – The Song’s Hidden Message
‘Break a window by the town hall / Listen, the siren screams.’ These lines are a call to action, urging a break from the stifling safety of the suburban bubble. The Pet Shop Boys aren’t just creating a tune to nod along to; they’re igniting a discussion about political apathy and social confinement.
By drawing attention to the ‘siren screams’ amidst the ‘suburban dreams’, the group points to an underlying violence and disorder, a reminder that even in the most carefully planned communities, chaos is only a stone’s throw away.
Escaping the Monotonous Loop – Symbolism in Repetition
The repetition of ‘I only wanted something else to do but hang around’ is a mantra of the suburban plight. Even the repetition in the music mirrors the cyclical nature of suburban life, with its looping synthesizer lines and steady beat—a metaphor for the repetitive and sometimes suffocating rhythm of day-to-day existence.
This lyrical echo emphasizes a deep-set craving for purpose and the universal human desire for something more than just existing in the spaces we’re given.
TV Screens and the Obsession with Need – A Socio-Cultural Critique
In a powerful juxtaposition, ‘Suburbia’ casts the colour TV – once seen as a symbol of middle-class success and comfort – as a player in the drama unfolding in the suburbs. ‘Where’s a policeman when you need one / To blame the colour TV?’ raises questions about the scapegoating of media for societal issues.
It’s a critique of both consumer culture and the reactionary tendency to attribute complex social problems to simplistic causes. The Pet Shop Boys subtly comment on the irony of seeking simplistic answers for the deep-rooted troubles of suburban life.
