(Debuted May 31, 1986, Peaked #10, 16 Weeks on the Chart)
Yesterday, I featured a song in this blog that was a surprising disappointment when compared to the success of the hit it followed. Today's song didn't do so poorly (it went Top 10 here in the U.S.), but it underperformed by comparison. In fact, to my ears, "Opportunities" was an even better song than "West End Girls," which hit #1 in the Spring of 1986.
With "Opportunities (Let's Make a Lot of Money)," the two members of the group, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, focused on a subject that was really big during the 1980s: money, and acquiring lots of it. Despite the forward-looking lyrics, it's hinted that the schemes in the lines are doomed for failure. The mix of irony and cynicism is often lost on listeners. The song was written in 1983 and recorded along with the duo's earlier material. When they were signed to a larger label, they re-recorded it and released it as their first single. It stiffed.
However, their next single was "West End Girls," a surprise smash in several countries. As a result, "Opportunities" was once again re-recorded and issued as a single again. It ended up being the duo's only single to do better in the U.S. than in their native U.K. (where it reached #11).
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