10 Best Pete Shelley Songs: remembering the Buzzcocks frontman who brought romanticism and heartache to punk rock.

Last week saw the untimely passing of musician Pete Shelley, who died at the age of 63.

Shelley (born Peter McNeish) was a founding member and leader of The Buzzcocks, an English punk band that challenged the notion of how a punk band should sound–or what subjects they could sing about.

Where so many punk musicians espoused discontent, nihilism and apathy, Shelley was a romantic troubled and touched by the ways of love, and his heart bled freely into his songs, many of which became hit singles in his native country.

His work with that band, and his solo career, focused on relationships and sexuality (he identified as bisexual, and avoided personal pronouns in his lyrics), all topped off with his subversive sense of humor.

In addition to essentially creating the pop-punk sub genre with his Buzzcocks output, Shelley was equally innovative with his solo work, being one of the first punk rockers to make the switch to synth-pop.

Shelley’s aesthetic inspired many musicians, and has influenced bands including Joy Division, The Cure, The Smiths, R.E.M, Nirvana, Green Day and countless more. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine alternative and indie rock existing as we know it without his contributions.

So in honor of his legacy, here are some of his best tracks from the Buzzcocks and beyond, from the most iconic to the underrated.

10. Do Anything (1987)

It’s odd that a Buzzcocks song never popped up in a John Hughes film soundtrack, given how both the musician and filmmaker were masters at chronicling heartsick adolescent angst in their respective mediums.

But Shelley did contribute a solo song to Some Kind of Wonderful, a teen romantic drama that Hughes wrote and produced. The song is better than the film it was written for, full of classic Shelley lines like wish everybody, could be like me/But if we’re all the same, who would variety be/We’re only after, peace of mind/All the good friends, they’re so hard to find they’re so hard to find.

Like the film, Do Anything has been largely forgotten, but it’s an earworm worth rediscovering.

9. On Your Own (1986)

Another late 80s solo Shelley song that has faded from view, On Your Own actually charted as high as #10 on the US dance charts. With a goth atmosphere and relentless synth-riff, it features some of Shelley’s most assured vocals, and of course, his acidic wit: Life’s a disaster with a heart of stone/You need some affection but you’re all alone.

8. Noise Annoys (1979)

Pretty girls, pretty boys
Have you ever heard your mommy shout
Noise annoys

Those are the entire lyrics to this fuzz fueled track, likely mocking how the older generation felt about the nascent punk movement. It’s a snot nosed ramshackle delight.

7. Telephone Operator (1983)

This 1983 club hit was yet another obsessive and witty Shelley lament about the sense of frustration of wanting someone you can’t have, let alone meet in the first place.

6. Everybody’s Happy Nowadays (1979)

Inspired by Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, this Buzzcocks’ banger sees Shelley’s apply that book’s bleak dystopian view towards his troubled love life, trying to convince himself true love isn’t purely an illusion, no matter how bad the heartache gets.

5. Orgasm Addict (1978) 

One of the earliest examples of Shelley’s knack for crafting tunes unafraid to examine sexuality, Orgasm Addict is a sugar rush paean to masturbation: (Well, you tried it just for once found it all right for kicks). It was so controversial upon its release that it was banned by the BBC.

4. Homosapien (1981) 

Banned by the BBC (again!) for its sly sexual innuendo (Homosuperior in my interior), Homosapien was a queer anthem off his 1981 solo début album of the same name. It was also a dance club smash, and one of the first videos to gain high rotation on MTV.

3. Why Can’t I Touch It (1979)

Yet another song full of suggestive sexuality, Why Can’t I Touch It also bucks the punk rock sonic template, using a prominent bass-line and stop start dynamics. In many ways, it’s a sonic blueprint for upcoming college rock and alternative movement.

2. What Do I Get? (1977)

I just want a lover like any other, what do I get? I only want a friend who will stay to the end, what do I get?

Shelley’s lyrics dovetail perfectly with the roaring guitar and frantic beat, showing that self-pity can turn into anger if left unchecked, making for the perfect punk anthem.

1.Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) (1978)

The Buzzcocks’ best known track has been covered by Fine Young Cannibals, Pete Yorn, and even a rendition featuring the likes of David Gilmour, Elton John and Roger Daltrey.

So why is it so beloved, and has crossed over so many generational lines? It’s all about that melancholic melody and Shelley’s lyrics of young heartbreak. It hits upon something universally human, and the band’s choppy delivery hits you square in the chest.

So that wraps up our list of favorite Pete Shelley songs. We know we’ve just scratched the surface of the best of the Buzzcocks and his solo material, so what songs would you add to the list? Tell us in the comments. I’ve included some Amazon links to his work below.

RIP Pete Shelley 1955-2018