Domino Dancing
Pet Shop Boys' Latin-influenced single from the album Introspective.
The song was the first single released from their album Introspective.[1] It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 5 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.[2]
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Pet Shop Boys
- Album
- Introspective
- B-side
- Don Juan
- Released
- 12 September 1988
- Recorded
- March 1988
- Studio
- International Sound (Miami, Florida)
- Genre
- Synth-pop
- Latin pop
- dance-pop
- freestyle
- Length
- 7:40 (album version); 4:18 (7-inch)
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
The duo wrote the song in a Wandsworth studio a year and a half before its release but struggled to find a chorus.[1] Tennant also considered referencing Che Guevara in the lyrics.[1] The duo flew to Miami to record the track after becoming excited by it.[1] The single entered the UK charts at number nine, which Tennant saw as a sign that their run of number-one hits was over.[3]
In the United States, it became the duo's sixth top-20 entry on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] A cover version by producer Lewis Martinée (as DJ Martinee) was released on 17 April 2025.[4] The phrase "domino dance" originated from a friend's celebratory movement after winning a dominoes game in Antigua.[1] Puerto Rican actors David Boira, Adalberto Martinez Mojica, and Donna Bottman were selected by the Pet Shop Boys to appear in the music video.[5]
What the cited sources add
Tennant stated that the song's "sad sinister quality" is brought out by its rhythm track.[1] The duo returned to the studio in autumn 1988 to improve the track.[1] Tennant expressed disappointment that the single only reached number seven in the British charts.[1] John Wilde of Melody Maker praised the song as "their most exquisite offering for many a moon".[6]
References
- "Between the Lines: Introspective" PetShopBoysatDeadofNight. Retrieved 6 August 2009.. facts only, no text reused. psb-atdeadofnight.net
- Wikipedia, "Domino Dancing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 489.; Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco 1974-2003, (Record Research Inc.), page 202. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Domino Dancing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Between the Lines: Introspective" PetShopBoysatDeadofNight. Retrieved 6 August 2009. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Domino Dancing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Domino Dancing (feat. Ray Guell & London Exchange)", GT Digital / SGR / Drag & Drop Music, 16 April 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Domino Dancing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Studer, "Who's the girl in the "Domino Dancing" video, and what can you tell me about her?", Commentary: Interpretation and Analysis of Songs Written by Pet Shop Boys (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Domino Dancing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wilde, "Singles", 17 September 1988, p. 35 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Domino Dancing (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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