Brit synth-pop legends Pet Shop Boys have some thoughts about the state of the world today, which they’ve expressed in two new songs: “Give Stupidity a Chance,” about Donald Trump and the English politician Michael Gove, and “On Social Media,” about, um, being on social media.
Neither tune gets high marks for subtlety, but to be fair to the Boys, that’s probably not the point. “Give Stupidity a Chance” is mock-jubilant, adopting the voice of a Brexiteer or Trump supporter: “Forget political correctness, let’s talk to man / Chicks are always up for it, you gotta grab whatever you can,” “Instead of governing with thoughtful sensitivity / Let’s shock and awe the world with idiotic bigotry.” “On Social Media” is clubby and minor-key, poking fun at the way Twitter and Facebook have coddled people in self-absorption as the world around them melts down: “While democracy is losing its way, and greed is getting greedier / Console yourself with a selfie or two, and post them on social media.” (The video for the latter, which displays its lyrics as tweets in one long Twitter argument, is pretty clever.)
The two songs come from a forthcoming Pet Shop Boys EP called Agenda, their first release since the 2016 album Super. “It contains three satirical songs and one rather sad song,” said frontman Neil Tennant of the new release in a statement. “I think it’s because of the times we’re living through.”
Watch the lyric videos for “Give Stupidity a Chance” and “On Social Media” below.
