Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you). How can you expect to be taken seriously?
11 March 1991
The plan is to release ‘How can you expect to be taken seriously?’, a sharp dig at “the aspirations and pomposities of pop stars” as the first Pet Shop Boys single of 1991. They drastically remix it in conjunction with British dance duo Brothers In Rhythm and film a video in which they parody a number of stars. Meanwhile they have recorded another track, initially to release much later in the year: a hi-energy version of U2’s “Where the streets have no name’ segued with the Frankie Valli standard ’Can't take my eyes off you’. Eventually they resolve to release both songs as a double A-side on March 11th, and make a complementary video for ‘Where the streets have no name (I can’t take my eyes off you)’. “It worked as a concept: one song is about rock stars so to have a U2 song with it serves as a further comment”. (Pressed for comment on this new cover version, U2 issued the wry statement “What have we done to deserve this?”).