Pet Shop Boys first appeared on a Billboard year-end Top 100 single in 1986.
Their entry was “West End Girls,” the duo’s breakthrough hit. The song was originally recorded in 1984 with producer Bobby Orlando, but Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe later re-recorded it with producer Stephen Hague. The revised version became a major international success and reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1986.
On Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 for 1986, “West End Girls” ranked number 15. That placement made 1986 the first year the Pet Shop Boys appeared on the publication’s annual list of the year’s 100 most popular singles. The track’s success helped establish the duo as major figures in synth-pop and electronic pop.
The song is sometimes confused with later Pet Shop Boys hits such as “Suburbia,” “It’s a Sin,” or “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” Those songs became important chart records too, but “West End Girls” was the first year-end Billboard Top 100 entry. It remains one of the group’s signature recordings.