How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?

"How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990). It was released in the United Kingdom on 11 March 1991 as a double A-side with "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)", serving as the third single from Behaviour. For the single, Brothers in Rhythm remixed the track.^[3] The track was subsequently released as a solo single in the United States and France; it peaked at number 93 on the US Billboard Hot 100. As "Being Boring" and "It's Alright" were not released in the US, tracks from these releases were used on a number of US releases. The accompanying music video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.^[4]

"How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?"
US CD single cover
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Behaviour
A-side	"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)"
B-side	"Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend"
Released	11 March 1991 (1991-03-11)^[1]
Genre	New jack swing^[2]
Length	3:55 (album version) 4:10 (single version)
Label	Parlophone
Songwriter(s)	Chris Lowe Neil Tennant
Producer(s)	Pet Shop Boys Harold Faltermeyer
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Being Boring" (1990) "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" / "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (1991) "Jealousy" (1991)

Neil Tennant later said that the track "was inspired by a female pop star from 1989". Of interest to collectors, EMI USA commissioned dance DJ David Morales to create five remixes that were released to clubs and DJs on a limited promotion 12-inch. Morales would later work with the duo co-writing and co-producing the 1999 single "New York City Boy".

Track listings

See also: Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) § Track listings

"How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" was heavily remixed for single release. The version used for the music video was also released on 7-inch vinyl and cassette-single. Due to its playing time of 4:10 minutes, it is often confused with the similar "Perfect Attitude mix",^[5] which has an identical playing time, but a different introduction.

• French 7-inch and cassette single^[6][7]

1. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" – 4:10
2. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" (7-inch edit) – 4:33

• French 12-inch single^[8]

A1. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (extended mix) – 6:05

B1. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" (extended mix) – 8:43

B2. "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend" – 4:27

• French CD single^[9]

1. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (extended mix)
2. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)"
3. "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend"
4. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (classical reprise)

• US CD single^[10]

1. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (original album version) – 3:54
2. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (7-inch Perfect Attitude mix) – 4:10
3. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (classical reprise) – 3:05
4. "It's Alright" (7-inch mix) – 4:18
5. "We All Feel Better in the Dark" – 3:59
6. "Being Boring" (Marshall Jefferson 12-inch mix) – 9:03

Note: Track 4 is mislabelled as the "Trevor Horn mix"

• US 12-inch single^[11]

1. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (12-inch mix) – 6:03
2. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (7-inch Perfect Attitude mix) – 4:10
3. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (classical reprise) – 3:05
4. "Being Boring" (12-inch mix) – 9:03
5. "We All Feel Better in the Dark" – 3:59

• US cassette single^[12]

1. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" – 3:54
2. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" – 4:17

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?"

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles)^[13] with "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)"	7
France (SNEP)^[14]	40
Ireland (IRMA)^[15] with "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)"	2
UK Singles (OCC)^[16] with "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)"	4
US Billboard Hot 100^[17]	93
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[18]	19
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)^[19] with "Being Boring"	10

References

1. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You). How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
2. Gerard, Chris (22 October 2015). "Pet Shop Boys' 'Behaviour' 25 Years Later". PopMatters. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
3. "Steve Anderson Pet Shop Boys Discography". Retrieved 15 February 2023.
4. "Station Reports > TV > MTV/London" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 March 1991. p. 28. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
5. . Archived from the original on 7 May 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
6. How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? (French 7-inch single vinyl disc). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone, EMI France. 1991. 2042917.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? (French cassette single sleeve). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone, EMI France. 1991. 2042544.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? (French 12-inch single vinyl disc). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone, EMI France. 1991. 2042546.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? (French CD single liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone, EMI France. 1991. 2042542.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? (US CD single liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. EMI USA. 1991. E2-56205.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? (US 12-inch single sleeve). Pet Shop Boys. EMI USA. 1991. V-56204.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? (US cassette single sleeve). Pet Shop Boys. EMI USA. 1991. 4JM-50343.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 15. 13 April 1991. p. 31. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
14. "Pet Shop Boys – How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Where the Streets Have No Name". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
16. "Pet Shop Boys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
17. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
18. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
19. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2020.