I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing - 2018 Remaster

In this upbeat dance-pop number, the normally reserved narrator openly shares his joy when he experiences the thrill of falling in love. Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant was inspired by a Jules Feiffer cartoon from London's Observer magazine that depicted a dancing lady. "I imagined myself as a Feiffer cartoon figure, going crazy with happiness," Tennant explained in his 2018 book, One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem. "Very mundane English expressions like, 'I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing,' are often a starting point for a lyric, in this song inspiring a contrast between high emotions and the reserved language used to express them."

Tennant came up with the title when he took an out-of-the-ordinary trip from London to Edinburgh and back again, all in one day. He thought, "I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing." When he couldn't get the phrase out of his mind, he brought the idea to Chris Lowe and they turned it into a song.

Tennant: "It's a funny song, but it's sincere. I'm so bored with people seeing us as ironic that I'm quite keen on being sincere at the moment."