By the middle of 1990, the Pet Shop Boys last mini-album had lost steam, the concert tour was over, and rumours were circulating in various pop music periodicals that the Pet Shop Boys were breaking up, and there would be no more produced by them--this is a rumour that resurfaces regularly, so regularly in fact that it may be a deliberate plant to generate publicity, for whenever the rumour mill begins, a new single, album, video, or show is introduced.

Thus it was in 1990, when the Pet Shop Boys had practically disappeared from the pop scene (after having produced an interesting but commercially less-than-successful album for Liza Minnelli the previous year) that they released a single from their upcoming album, Behaviour -- So Hard.

This song is a basic Pet Shop Boys song, with a dance-floor rhythm, understated lyrics, and a memorable melody line. The video for the song was shot in Newcastle (where Neil Tennant was born) by director Eric Watson, who has collaborated with the Pet Shop Boys on their more popular and successful videos. The song So Hard is about how hard it is to maintain a relationship, particularly when each member in the relationship is both unfaithful and suspicious of the other.

I double-cross you

Tell me why

As a precursor to Behaviour, this song was a good introduction to the style, more subtle and less over-the-top in regard to the disco style, but yet all songs are still classic Pet Shop Boys, danceable and electronic with a generous use of sampling that is a trademark of the Pet Shop Boys. (Neil Tennant said, in regard to the album, 'This record is basically just us. Just two people in the studio king of thing. You should say it's our best album but don't use the word "mellow".')

This extended-single contains three tracks of So Hard, the single/album version, an extended dance mix, and a dub mix. This single, and the album, was recorded in Munich with the assistance of Harold Faltermeyer, the electronic music wizard perhaps best know for his collaborations on 'Beverly Hills Cop' and 'Miami Vice'.

Two other songs on the single include It must be obvious, a b-side that puts together interesting lyrics of ambiguous meaning with an urban feel and simple but memorable melody, and Paninaro, a song first recorded on the Please-remix album Disco, and would resurface again as a single in support of Alternative.

The Pet Shop Boys show it is just too easy for them to keep producing good music.

The Pet Shop Boys have been one of those exceptions in pop music when it comes to releasing their music. They always include a B-side and rare and/or unavailable-on-another-release mixes of other hits. Hence the desire to own their complete CD collection including CD singles.

Such is the case with "So Hard." The extended mix is just OK. Nothing unique or to-be-celebrated about it. Just a much more simplistic approach to a single that probably neededn't be remixed in the first place. The plus-side of owning this cd single is the 12" mix of "Parinaro" which was unavailable on CD before. Thus the need for this "pethead" to have this CD single as part of his PSB collection!

Not a necessary purchase for the casual music lover. But definitely an essential part of any PSB collection. The original version is available on their "Behaviour" and "Pop Art" albums. Great lead single from a great PSB album that also features "Being Boring" and "How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously."