Memory of the Future
| "Memory of the Future" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Pet Shop Boys | ||||
| from the album Elysium | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 31 December 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 4:31 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Pet Shop Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Memory of the Future" (lyric video) on YouTube | ||||
"Memory of the Future" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their eleventh studio album, Elysium (2012). It was released on 31 December 2012 as the album's third and final single.[1] The track reached number 68 in Germany and number 111 in the United Kingdom. The single version was remixed by Stuart Price and differs notably from the album version.
Background
[edit]"Memory of the Future" was composed during a song-writing session in Berlin in early 2011.[2] Lyricist Neil Tennant described it as a straightfoward love song about "something that hasn't happened seeming so inevitable that it already feels like a memory".[3] The line "I keep tasting that sweet madeleine" is a reference to the French novel Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust, in which the taste of a madeleine (a small cake) prompts an involuntary memory of the narrator's childhood.[3]
The single was promoted with a lyric video.[4] The cover photo, depicting the Pet Shop Boys with short white hair and blue eyes, was taken by Pelle Crépin and manipulated by Ashish Karora.[2]
Stuart Price was asked to make the single version more electronic. In addition to the differences in the arrangement, the single is approximately a minute shorter than the album version and has a faster tempo.[2] After the release of "Memory of the Future", Pet Shop Boys went on to work with Price on a trilogy of albums starting with Electric.
Track listings
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Memory of the Future" (new single mix) | 3:36 |
| 2. | "Listening" | 4:19 |
| 3. | "One Night" | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Inside" | 2:54 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Memory of the Future" (Stuart Price Extended Mix) | 5:23 |
| 2. | "Memory of the Future" (Ulrich Schnauss Remix) | 4:37 |
| 3. | "Memory of the Future" (DJ Waldo Squash Remix) | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Memory of the Future" (Digital Dog Club Remix) | 6:19 |
| 5. | "Memory of the Future" (Digital Dog Dub) | 5:35 |
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (GfK)[7] | 68 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 111 |
| US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
| US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[10] | 2 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Memory of the Future CD Single". petshopboysshop.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ^ a b c Heath, Chris (2017). Elysium: Further Listening 2011–2012 (booklet). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone Records. 0190295852788.
- ^ a b Tennant, Neil (2018). One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem: 1979–2016. London: Faber & Faber. p. 124. ISBN 9780571348916.
- ^ "Memory Of The Future lyric video". YouTube. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ^ "Memory of the Future single". discogs.org. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ^ "Memory of the Future Remixed single". discogs.org. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Memory of the Future" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ Chart Log UK: "CLUK Update 12.01.2013 (wk1)". UK Singles Chart. Zobbel.de. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Hot Singles Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
