There is nothing special to mark this track out from any other slow PSB track (ie – Chris Lowe had let the drum machine go down the pub). It marks the end of the Actually album like any other piece of introspective Neil Tennant nonsense. And I certainly do not think that Tennant is stupid – anyone who can survive those years on Smash Hits must be some form of evil mastermind (peddling pop – to the kids). Nope, I just have one teensy problem with Kings Cross.
“Dead and wounded on either side – You know its only a matter of time”
Now Tennant, and Lowe when he’s not reading the news, released and recorded this record before the Kings Cross Rail Disaster. Presience of thought, astral conjunction? No, its obvious that somewhere along the line the massive brain of Tennant noticed the fixtures and fittings of the tube station and realised that with a heavy build up of sweet wrappers and a misplaced cigarette – the whole place could go up in smoke. So – you would think – off to the Health And Safety Executive with him toot sweet? A few hours out of your ironic pop star lifestyle to show the flashpoint situation under escalator two. How hard would it be to get the London Transport Safety Officers to accept that whilst you have no formal training in H&S matters, you are well aware of the basic theory behind fire training – and in particular British Standard 04365 on flameproofing of wooden mechanical structures? As long as they weren’t wearing those silly stick on eyebrows and the ripped of of Devo dunce hats I reckon a major inspection could have saved lives.
Alternatively you could just write a song about it.
The Pet Shop Boys – how do they sleep at night?