Released: June 15, 1987
Songwriter: Chris Lowe Neil Tennant
Producer: Shep Pettibone Pet Shop Boys
[Verse 1: Neil Tennant]
Two men up the street
Drinking something cheap
No home, no family
It's cold, nowhere to sleep
Passers-by never catch their eye
Anywhere, one man drinks, the other swears
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Verse 2: Neil Tennant]
The old man can understand
No one will shake his hand
I gave security, bonds and colour TV
It cost a few a lives
Someone's son always dies
No one shakes his hand, he will understand
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Post-Chorus: Neil Tennant & Helena Springs]
This is the history of the world
Of every boy and every girl
Who don't understand what's going on anymore
The history of the world
Of every boy and every girl
Who don't understand what's going on anymore
(What's going on?)
[Interlude]
[Verse 3: Neil Tennant]
Two girls have a photograph
One looks, the other laughs
He could have been mine
Why did I change my mind?
Their hands on hips
The other girl says, "Admit! Admit!"
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Post-Chorus: Neil Tennant & Helena Springs]
This is the history of the world
(Of the world)
Of every boy and every girl
Who don't understand what's going on anymore
(Who don't understand what's going on)
The history of the world
Of every boy and every girl
(Every boy and every girl)
Who don't understand what's going on anymore
(Who don't understand what's going on)
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Interlude]
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
Two men up the street
Drinking something cheap
No home, no family
It's cold, nowhere to sleep
Passers-by never catch their eye
Anywhere, one man drinks, the other swears
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Verse 2: Neil Tennant]
The old man can understand
No one will shake his hand
I gave security, bonds and colour TV
It cost a few a lives
Someone's son always dies
No one shakes his hand, he will understand
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Post-Chorus: Neil Tennant & Helena Springs]
This is the history of the world
Of every boy and every girl
Who don't understand what's going on anymore
The history of the world
Of every boy and every girl
Who don't understand what's going on anymore
(What's going on?)
[Interlude]
[Verse 3: Neil Tennant]
Two girls have a photograph
One looks, the other laughs
He could have been mine
Why did I change my mind?
Their hands on hips
The other girl says, "Admit! Admit!"
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Post-Chorus: Neil Tennant & Helena Springs]
This is the history of the world
(Of the world)
Of every boy and every girl
Who don't understand what's going on anymore
(Who don't understand what's going on)
The history of the world
Of every boy and every girl
(Every boy and every girl)
Who don't understand what's going on anymore
(Who don't understand what's going on)
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
[Interlude]
[Chorus: Neil Tennant]
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
You know where you went wrong
You know where you went wrong
You know
more tracks from the album
Alternative
- Decadence
- Was That What It Was?
- In the Night
- Some Speculation
- A New Life
- Your Funny Uncle
- One of the Crowd
- What Keeps Mankind Alive?
- Girls & Boys (Live in Rio)
- I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)
- Miserablism
- Do I Have To?
- I Want a Dog (B-Side Version)
- The Sound of the Atom Splitting (Extended Mix) [7" Version]
- Losing My Mind
- Paninaro
- Jack the Lad
- We All Feel Better in the Dark
- If Love Were All (Bitter Sweet)
- Violence (Haçienda Version)
- Music for Boys
- Too Many People
- Hey, Headmaster
- That’s My Impression (Disco Mix)
- Don Juan
- Euroboy
- Bet She’s Not Your Girlfriend
- You Know Where You Went Wrong
- It Must Be Obvious
- Shameless
- A Man Could Get Arrested (Bobby Orlando Version)
From the albums
- Alternative (1995)
- Actually: Further Listening 1987 – 1988 (2001)
Pet Shop Boys popular songs
- West End Girls
- It’s a Sin
- Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)
- Go West
- Always On My Mind
- Being Boring
- Suburbia
- What Have I Done to Deserve This?
- Domino Dancing
- The Pop Kids
- Left to My Own Devices
- Rent
- New York City Boy
- Love etc.
- Love is a Bourgeois Construct
- Burning the heather
- Dreamland
- All Over the World (This Is A Dub)
- After All
- Fugitive (Richard X Extended Mix)
- So Hard
- Breathing Space
- Radiophonic
- Memory of the Future