Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Pet Shop Boys accuse Drake of singing West End Girls on his new album without their permission

Drake’s song ‘All the Parties’ includes the lyrics: ‘East End boys and West End girls’

Tom Murray
Friday 06 October 2023 19:13 EDT
Comments
Drake says he will give fan $50,000 after reading their poster at his concert

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Pet Shop boys have accused Drake of singing the lyrics to their 1983 hit “West End Girls” in his new track, “All the Parties”, without permission.

In the song, which features on Drake’s new album, For All The Dogs, the “One Dance” rapper sings: “East End boys and West End girls, yeah/ East End boys and West End girls.”

The lyrics mirror the famous refrain to the Pet Shop Boys track, which goes: “In a West End town, a dead end world/ The East End boys and West End girls.”

On Friday (6 October), the day of the album’s release, the Pet Shop Boys tweeted: “Surprising to hear @Drake singing the chorus of ‘West End Girls’ in the track ‘All the Parties’ on his new album. No credit given or permission requested.”

The Independent has contacted Drake’s representatives for comment.

For All The Dogs features artists including SZA, Bad Bunny, 21 Savage, Sexxy Red, Chief keef and many more across its 23-song setlist.

In The Independent’s two-star review, Nadine Smith found that Drake’s eighth studio album “borders on sinister” due to his “outright contempt for women”.

“Drake constantly reminds you of his age by directing his fragilities at women significantly younger than himself,” Smith writes.

“Of course, none of this is really all that surprising – what else can you expect from an adult man who showed off his collection of hundreds of bras thrown to him during live shows?”

Elsewhere on the album, Drake (original name Aubrey Drake Graham), 36, addressed his controversial friendship with Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown for the first time.

In 2018, the “God’s Plan” artist raised eyebrows when the then-14-year-old Netflix star revealed that Drake texted her “boy advice”.

On his new track “Another Late Night”, Drake raps the lyrics: “Weirdos in my comments talkin’ ‘bout some Millie Bobby, look / Bring them jokes up to the gang, we get to really flockin’.”

Following the album’s release, Drake made the surprise announcement that he would be taking a one-year hiatus from music.

He revealed that he’s been dealing with the “craziest problems” with his stomach for years and needs time to focus on his health.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in