- Source: Actually
- Source: Actually...
Actually (stylised as Pet Shop Boys, actually.) is the second studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in North America. According to Neil Tennant and music historian Wayne Studer, Actually loosely critiques Thatcherism, the political zeitgeist of the 1980s, and was recorded in anticipation of Margaret Thatcher's re-election.
Recording
Actually was recorded at Sarm Studios. On the album Pet Shop Boys worked with several producers, including Julian Mendelsohn and Stephen Hague. Mendelsohn produced and engineered half of the album's ten tracks, including the lead single and UK number one "It's a Sin" , while Hague who had produced the duo's previous album Please this time only produced a few tracks, including "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", and mixed "It's a Sin". "Heart", which went on to became a UK number one single, was produced by Andy Richards and mixed by Mendelsohn. Wanting to keep everything fresh and not lose perspective, the production method was usually to work only a few hours at the time on each track and then switch to another.
Album cover
The album cover was originally going to feature a painting by Scottish artist Alison Watt, who had just won the National Portrait Gallery-supported John Player Portrait Award. The group traveled to Glasgow, along with photographer Eric Watson and designer Mark Farrow, to meet her. Sittings for the painting would have taken three weeks, so instead photos were taken of the duo in different poses. After a few weeks, Watt submitted the painting, but Lowe was unhappy with how he looked in it. The painting was reworked and although Tennant was pleased with it, Lowe still had reservations. It was decided that the painting wasn’t right for the album and it was shelved. The painting was bought by Tennant.
While shooting the video for What Have I Done to Deserve This?, photographer Cindy Palmano was commissioned to take photographs of them for a Smash Hits cover. She placed them in front of a waist-high piece of reflective metal, with a similar sheet behind them. The photo where Neil is yawning was the favourite and Smash Hits were keen to use it as a front cover. Eric Watson then took some photos. However, it was thought these weren’t strong enough for the album cover, band so they were used for the inner sleeve. The group then decided that Palmano’s photo for Smash Hits was the best choice. The edition of Smash Hits was due to go to press the following day. They persuaded Smash Hits to release Palmano’s photograph and agreed to do a hastily arranged photo session for them.
Inspired by Jean-Paul Goude’s design for Grace Jones album Slave to the Rhythm, Mark Farrow tightly cropped the photo to remove the reflective background and just have the duo on a plain white background. Chris Lowe was, and remains, unhappy with the cover. However it has come to be seen as the defining image of them.
Release and promotion
Actually was released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in the United States and Canada. In television commercials for the release, Lowe and Tennant were shown in black tie, blank-faced against a white background. The former seems unimpressed by a radio DJ-style Alan 'Fluff' Freeman voiceover listing their previous hits and new singles from Actually, while the latter eventually "gets bored" and yawns, with the image then freezing to create, roughly, the album's cover shot. Actually has one of only two Pet Shop Boys album covers (the other being Please) where Lowe's face is shown completely unobscured—and not wearing either his trademark baseball cap or sunglasses.
Actually spawned four UK top 10 singles: the number-one single "It's a Sin", "Rent", "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"—a duet with fellow Parlophone artist Dusty Springfield, which peaked at number two in both the UK and US and led to a resurgence of interest in Springfield's earlier work—and another UK number one in April 1988 with a remixed version of the song "Heart".
During this period Pet Shop Boys also completed a full-length motion picture called It Couldn't Happen Here. Featuring songs by the duo, it was most famous for containing the video for "Always on My Mind" (starring Joss Ackland as a blind priest), which—while not on Actually—was released as a single during this period.
Actually was re-released in 2001 (as were most of the duo's albums up to that point) as Actually/Further Listening 1987–1988. The reissue was digitally remastered and included a second disc of B-sides, remixes done by Pet Shop Boys and previously unreleased material from around the time of the album's original release. Another re-release followed on 9 February 2009 under the title of Actually: Remastered, containing only the 10 tracks of the original release. With the 2009 re-release, the 2001 two-disc reissue was discontinued. On 2 March 2018, a new remastered two-disc Actually/Further Listening edition was released; the content remains the same as the 2001 edition.
Critical reception
Actually was well received by critics. In December 1987, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice praised it as "actual pop music with something actual to say—pure commodity, and proud of it." In his retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that Actually is the album where "the Pet Shop Boys perfected their melodic, detached dance-pop."
Actually is featured in the 2005 musical reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and has been recognised in various other "must-listen" lists. In 2006, Q magazine included Actually in its list of the "40 Best Albums of the '80s" at number 22. In 2012, Slant Magazine ranked the record at number 88 on its list of the "100 Best Albums of the 1980s". In 2020, Rolling Stone placed Actually at number 435 on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
In popular culture
Although not released as a single, the track "Shopping" is frequently featured as background music in British television news and current affairs programmes dealing with retail business issues and as bumper music on home shopping shows. This is despite the fact that the song is actually a critique of privatisation in 1980s Britain, and has little to do with actual shopping. "Shopping" was also used in a season 1 episode of the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. "King's Cross" served in the Japanese media as a commercial song to the Aurex's (owned by Toshiba) cassette tape recorder model XDR.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Actually.
= Pet Shop Boys
=Neil Tennant
Chris Lowe
= Additional musicians
=Andy Richards – Fairlight and keyboard programming
Blue Weaver – Fairlight and keyboard programming
Gary Maughan – Fairlight and keyboard programming
Adrian Cook – Fairlight and keyboard programming
J. J. Jeczalik – Fairlight and keyboard programming
Dusty Springfield – guest vocals (track 2)
Angelo Badalamenti – orchestra arrangement (track 6)
= Technical
=Julian Mendelsohn – production, engineering (tracks 1, 3–5, 7); mixing (tracks 2, 9)
Stephen Hague – production (tracks 2, 10); mixing (track 7)
David Jacob – engineering (tracks 2, 6, 10); production (track 6); mix engineering (track 7)
Pet Shop Boys – production (tracks 6, 8, 9)
Shep Pettibone – production (track 8)
Dave Meegan – engineering (track 8)
Andy Richards – production (track 9)
Tony Phillips – engineering (track 9)
= Artwork
=Mark Farrow – design
Pet Shop Boys – design
Cindy Palmano – cover photograph
Eric Watson – inner sleeve photograph
Charts
Certifications and sales
References
= Bibliography
=External links
Studer, Wayne. "Actually". Retrieved 9 February 2018.
"Actually..." is a song recorded by Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46. It was released as the group's twenty-ninth single on March 23, 2022, through N46Div. and Sony Music Records. The song was written by Yasushi Akimoto and Namito. Commercially, the single peaked atop both Oricon Singles Chart, and Billboard Japan Hot 100.
Aruno Nakanishi originally served as the center position of the single, becoming the first fifth generation member to be in the center position and appear on a title track. However, due to the resurfacing of some of her past controversial statements, she announced that she would refrain from activities. Instead, during promotions for the single, Asuka Saito and Mizuki Yamashita performed as double centers for the song.
Background and release
On January 31, 2022, at end of the group's television show Nogizaka Under Construction, Nogizaka46 announced their twenty-ninth single, which would be released on March 23, six months after its predecessor, twenty-eighth single "Kimi ni Shikarareta", and three months after the greatest hit album, Time Flies. Pre-orders for the CD single began on the same day in five editions: four limited (A, B, C, D), and a regular. The special edition digital EP was released on March 16, a week before the CD single release.
On February 1, it was announced that Hinako Kitano, a second generation member, would graduate from the group in late April and would not participate as both a senbatsu and under member.
On the same day, Nogizaka46 announced eleven members joined the group as the fifth generation, from the audition of 87,852 applicants that began in July 2021. Eight members were introduced in February, while the other three after March due to academic reasons. The first eight members were officially introduced on the group's official YouTube channel: Nagi Inoue, Miku Ichinose, Satsuki Sugawara, Aya Ogawa, Nao Tomisato, Iroha Okuda, Aruno Nakanishi, and Mao Ioki. On March 18, unannounced fifth generation member Hina Okamoto announced that she would refrain from activities and went on hiatus after violating the group's activity rules. The next day, another fifth generation member was unveiled: Teresa Ikeda. On March 31, the final fifth generation member, Sakura Kawasaki, was introduced.
The participating members (senbatsu) was announced in the group's television show on February 20. On February 23, the song's title and the center position were announced on their special livestream program Nogizaka46 Hours TV, with the center being fifth generation member Aruno Nakanishi. The complete track listing was revealed on the next day. On March 3, center Nakanishi announced a period of "self-restraint" and took a hiatus from group activities after she confirmed that some past controversial posts on social media came from her. Asuka Saitō and Mizuki Yamashita served in the center position instead for music show performances, and for the music video that was officially released on the YouTube channel.
= Cover artworks
=The cover artworks for all editions of "Actually..." were revealed on February 28. Ofby for Tokyo's Yukari handled the art direction, while the photographs are taken by Hayato Takahashi. Described by the group as a "unique world view", "mysterious feeling", and "hope for the future", the covers depict the Nogizaka46 standing dignified in the world that the nature has been transformed into metal, to express two contradictory worlds of "transience" and "strength" at the same time.
Commercial performance
For Oricon, "Actually..." entered the Digital Singles Chart at number 13 with 3,142 units. The special edition topped the Digital Albums Chart, selling 3,040 units on its first week. A week later, after the CD single release, the song debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart with 463,439 CD sales, becoming the highest first week sales of 2022, and the group's 28 consecutive number-one single since "Oide Shampoo". "Actually..." also debuted at number 80 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, and peaked atop the chart on the next week. It also topped the Top Single Sales, selling 561,071 copies.
Music video
There are two versions of accompanying music videos for "Actually...". The first version, a twenty minute long drama directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, featuring Aruno Nakanishi as center, was shot in January and was included on the CD single only. The second version, featuring Asuka Saitō and Mizuki Yamashita in the center position, was released on March 20, 2022. This version was directed by Atsunori Tōshi, and was shot at Sankaku Hiroba, located at Shinjuku Sumitomo Building in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
= B-sides
=The music video for "Kachi Aru Mono" was uploaded on March 11. Shot in late January, it was directed by Atsunori Tōshi, who also directed the group's music video "Gomen ne Fingers Crossed". With "travel" concept, it shows "the members traveling around the world and space although it is not possible now".
The music video for "Todokanakutatte...", directed by Hiroya "Brian" Nakano, was released on March 17. Shot in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, it depicts the duality of the members by shooting in two completely different locations, the museum and the factory.
Hinako Kitano's graduation song "Wasurenaito Ii no", had its music video released on March 18. Directed by Shūto Itō, it was shot in late January at Kitano's hometown, Chiba, with the theme "A message from the present Kitano to the younger Kitano".
Live performances
Nogizaka46 gave the debut performance of "Actually..." at their special livestream program Nogizaka46 Hours TV and at TV Tokyo's music program TV Tokyo Music Festival 2022 Spring on February 23, 2022. They performed the song at NHK's Shibuya Note on March 5, as well as Nippon TV's Buzz Rhythm 02 on March 25. TBS's CDTV Live! Live! on March 28. TV Asahi's Music Station on April 1, and Fuji TV's Music Fair on April 2.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Yasushi Akimoto, except the off-vocal tracks.
= Limited editions
== Regular edition
== Special edition
=Participating members
The eighteen members were selected to be participating members (senbatsu) for "Actually...", and ten members for fukujin (first and second-row members). Yuna Shibata and Aruno Nakanishi were selected to participate for the first time. Nakanishi also serves as the center position. The twenty-ninth single senbatsu also performed "Fuyokami", and "Suki ni Nattemita".
Third row: Mayu Tamura, Sayaka Kakehashi, Rei Seimiya, Ayane Suzuki, Higuchi Hina, Renka Iwamoto, Yuna Shibata, Hayakawa Seira
Second row: Shiori Kubo, Haruka Kaki, Yūki Yoda, Sakura Endō, Ayame Tsutsui
First row: Minami Umezawa, Mizuki Yamashita, Aruno Nakanishi (center), Asuka Saitō, Manatsu Akimoto
For other tracks, "Kachi Aru Mono" is performed by members who reached their legal age in 2022 (Shiori Kubo, Tamami Sakaguchi, Reno Nakamura, Sakura Endō, Haruka Kaki, Saya Kanagawa, Yuri Kitakawa, Rika Satō). "Wasurenaito Ii na" is sung by Hinako Kitano, as her solo graduation song. "Todokanakutatte..." is recorded by the under members, while "Zetsubō no Ichi-byō Mae" by the fifth generation members.
Reception
Aruno Nakanishi's decision to refrain from activities after her past photos and remarks surfaced came as a shock to fans. Many criticized the group's management for not screening the members thoroughly, especially after fellow Hina Okamoto was revealed to be leaking unreleased content pertaining to the group. However, both members resumed activities with the group after their period of "self-restraint" in April 27.
Charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
List of Oricon number-one singles of 2022
List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2022 (Japan)
References
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
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Vina: Before 7 Days (2024)
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