Pet Shop Boys Claim Drake Used 'West End Girls' Without Their Permission On His New Album

Drake’s hotly awaited new album, For All The Dogs, has been released to the delight of his fans. The album features an all-star list of collaborators, including Bad Bunny, Nicki Minaj, J Cole, SZA and more, but there could be one more collaborator on that list.

According to UK pop duo Pet Shop Boys, the duo claims that Drake illegally interpolated their classic single, West End girls. The alleged instance occurs on All The Parties featuring Chief Keef, where Drake croons in the chorus, “And it’s 6, our town a dead end world / East End boys and West End girls”.

That’s pretty similar to the original, where Neil Tennant sings, “In a West End town, a dead-end world / The East End boys and West End girls.” Drake even uses his line in the same melody as the original track. Pet Shop Boys took to social media this morning (7 October) to express their displeasure with their song apparently being used without permission.

“Surprising to hear Drake singing the chorus of “West End girls” in the track “All the Parties” on his new album,” they wrote. “No credit given or permission requested.” A quick look at the songwriting credits lists Drake himself (A. Graham) and songwriters B. Saint Ford, H. Arsenault, M. Bidaye, and M. Samuels, while producers Coleman, Fierce, and J Dolla have pen names. Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe aren’t credited as co-writers.

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.#PetText #kobaltmusic #WestEndgirls #Drake #PetShopBoys pic.twitter.com/P5siIccTw9

— Pet Shop Boys (@petshopboys) October 6, 2023

For All The Dogs has gained further criticism from fans, with listeners coming for Drake for an apparent diss of his ex, Rihanna, on the song Fear Of Heights. Seemingly referencing her 2016 album, ANTI, Drake raps, “I’m anti, I’m anti / Yeah, and the sex was average with you / Yeah, I’m anti ’cause I had it with you … / And I had way badder bitches than you, TBH”.

One fan called Drake “so salty”, while another wrote on Twitter, “Drake rapping about Rihanna in 2023 and sounding as mature as he did in 2013 is as disappointing as it is predictable”.

In June, Pet Shop Boys released the comprehensive collection SMASH - The Singles 1985-2020, celebrating their biggest hits, including West End girls, It’s A Sin, Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money), Always On My Mind, Suburbia, Go West, and many more.

“As we start work on a new album, and later this year continue our ‘Dreamworld’ greatest hits tour, it seems like a good time to take stock and bring together every single we’ve released,” Pet Shop Boys commented in a press release. You can buy the album here.

Listen to West End girls and All The Parties below.