"Love Comes Quickly" is a song by English

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

duo

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

, released as the second single from their debut studio album, ''

Please ''Please'' is a word used in the English language to indicate politeness and respect while making a request. Derived from shortening the phrase "if you please" or "if it please(s) you", the term has taken on substantial nuance based on its in ...

'' (1986). It peaked at number 19 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in March 1986.

Writing and production

''Love Comes Quickly'' was the first song written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe after they first met. Producer

Stephen Hague Stephen Hague (born 1960) is an American record producer most active with various British acts since the 1980s. Early life Hague was born in Portland, Maine in 1960. Early career Hague started his musical career in the mid-1970s as a session k ...

receives a co-

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credit for writing the first two chords of the middle section of the song. Heath, Chris (2001).
Love Comes Quickly
". In ''Please / Further Listening 1984–1986'' D liner notes London: Pet Shop Boys Partnership.

Andy Mackay Andrew Mackay (born 23 July 1946) is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member (playing oboe and saxophone) of the art rock group Roxy Music. In addition, he has taught music and provided scores for television, while his ...

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

plays the

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parts towards the end of the song.

Release

As with " Opportunities", the 12-version of the single contains

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es by 1980s producer

Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...

. The remixes of "Love Comes Quickly" and "That's My Impression" reached the top ten on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart in October 1986. Later, in 2003, new remixes by

Blank & Jones Blank & Jones are a German electronic music duo, consisting of the members Jan Pieter Blank (born June 15, 1971), known as Piet Blank; René Runge (born June 27, 1968), better known as DJ Jaspa Jones; and the producer Andy Kaufhold (N*D*K) (born ...

were produced for the promotion of the singles collection ''

PopArt ''PopArt: The Hits'' is a greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 24 November 2003 by Parlophone. The album consists of Pet Shop Boys' top 20 UK singles along with two new tracks, "Miracles" and "Flamboya ...

''.

Cover

The cover, featuring

Chris Lowe Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981. Biography Lowe attended Arnold School, an independent ...

in a baseball cap emblazoned with "BOY" in block letters, has become an iconic Pet Shop Boys image.

Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for ''Smash Hits'', and a ...

of the duo later recollected that he had expected the image of the cap to be the group's

coming out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

moment, calling it "incredibly gay".

Music video

Directed by

Andy Morahan Andrew Douglas Morahan (born 11 August 1958) is a British commercial, film and music video director. He is the son of director Christopher Morahan and the half-brother of actress Hattie Morahan. Married to Joanna Lewis, he has two children. Vi ...

and Eric Watson, the

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

to the song is very simple, utilising facial shots of Tennant singing, interposed with blurry montages of the faces of various other people; at points, shots of Lowe, lying on top of a construction of a square grid, are superimposed over these shots. Watson would later call it a "complete disaster".

Track listings

7": Parlophone / R 6116 (UK)

* A. "Love Comes Quickly" – 4:18 * B. "That's My Impression" – 4:45

12": Parlophone / 12 R 6116 (UK)

* A. "Love Comes Quickly" (Dance Mix) – 6:50 * B. "That's My Impression" (Disco Mix) – 5:18 **also released on 10" (10 R 6116)

12": EMI America / V-19218 (US)

* A1. "Love Comes Quickly" (Shep Pettibone Mastermix) – 7:34 * A2. "Love Comes Quickly" (Dub Mix) – 6:55 * B1. "Love Comes Quickly" (Dance Mix) – 6:50 * B2. "That's My Impression" (Disco Mix) – 5:18

Charts

Cover versions

As early as 1986, a Japanese-language cover version of the song was recorded by pop singer Hidemi Ishikawa.Hidemi Ishikawa discography page

References

{{authority control 1986 songs 1986 singles Music videos directed by Andy Morahan Music videos directed by Eric Watson (photographer) Parlophone singles Pet Shop Boys songs Song recordings produced by Stephen Hague Songs written by Chris Lowe Songs written by Neil Tennant Songs written by Stephen Hague Synth-pop ballads