It's Alright

"It's Alright" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 26 June 1989 as the third and final single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. Originally performed by Sterling Void and Paris Brightledge, the song came to the attention of Pet Shop Boys on a house compilation issued by DJ International Records in 1987. The lyrics list a wide variety of serious political issues in the headlines at the time ("Dictation enforced in Afghanistan, revolution in South Africa taking a stand…"), and then offers the positive message of the title—that on its "timeless wavelength", "music is our life's foundation", it "shall last" and ultimately "succeed all the nations to come". Versions "It's Alright" was the last song on the Introspective album and with a length of nine minutes and 26 seconds, it is the longest track on the album and thought to be the Pet Shop Boys' longest track across all albums the band has produced. After significant remixing including the addition of extra synthesizer melodies, the song was released as a single. An additional verse in the single version expands the song's concerns beyond the purely political into environmental issues. On the 10-inch single there, are additional lyrics with Tennant saying "there's a boy standing by a river, there's a girl lying with her lover, there's a statesman standing at a crossroads, there's a soldier polishing his gun". In February 1989, following the song's inclusion on Introspective but before its release as a single, the original version by Sterling Void was re-issued and reached number 53 in the UK singles chart. Void remixed the Pet Shop Boys recording on the second 12-inch single, titled the "DJ International Mixes". Hercules and Love Affair covered the track on their 2011 album Blue Songs.