"Go West" is a song by American disco group Village People, released in June 1979 by Casablanca Records as the second single from their fourth studio album of the same name (1979).
[21] Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "Nothing better captures the tone of bittersweet joy and drama that permeates Very than PSB's cover of the Village People nugget, 'Go West'.
Covered with thick layers of pillowy synths, the track swaps the male-bonding vibe of the original with a wistful demeanor that's lined with a pensive subtext of loss".
[22] In the single review, he described it as a "gorgeous reading", adding that Neil Tennant "gives the happy, male-bonding lyrics a wistful, almost melancholy edge—an odd but successful contrast to the fist-waving chants at the chorus".
[26] Liverpool Echo felt it's the "funniest thing they've done for ages", noting that it "comes complete with butch male chorus contrasting with the Pet Shop Boys' sweet and innocent vocals.
"[27] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton remarked that the duo's cover "is affectionate rather than mocking but no less brilliant for it with Male Voice Choirs and Gospel Singers adding to what has to be one of the singles of the year.
"[28] Everett True from Melody Maker named it Single of the Week, saying, "'Go West' is pure essence of Pet Shop Boys; an astoundingly immoderate cover [...] which manages the almost unbelievable feat of being camper than the original.
Blue helmets replace the Indian head dress and stetson, worn by the original singers of the song, the Village People.
"[30] John Harris of NME named it "Complete Genius Single of the Week", and considered it a song that "combines the ostentatious playfulness last mastered by the KLF with the Pet Shop Boys' velvet-lined sumptuousness and an immeasurable poignancy".
[32] Stuart Maconie from Select wrote, "Even 'Go West' succeeds by sheer force of personality when it could have been a camp bridge too far — PSBs in silly hats singing an old Village People song.
"[35] David Petrilla from The Weekender said it "sounds like the Village People meet Al Stewart", adding, "expect to start marching in place and finding your arms up in the air when you hear it.
Troops of identical Soviet men march up a staircase stretching into the clouds, seemingly toward a Western society, with the Statue of Liberty, now appearing as a black diva looming in the distance (played by backing-vocalist Sylvia Mason-James).
Austrian baritone singer Patrizio Buanne used the notes and changed its lyrics in the song "Stand Up (Champions Theme)", which was included in some versions of his 2006 album Forever Begins Tonight.
German pop singer Mickie Krause covered the song on his 2008 album 10 Jahre – Gute Unterhaltung entitled "Orange trägt nur die Müllabfuhr".
[97] Osem, the Israeli food giant, created a commercial for its ketchup based on the Pet Shop Boys video clip and song version a short time after the single was released.
[108] [109] The Pet Shop Boys version of the song is plays in the first and last scenes of Chinese director Jia Zhangke's film Mountains May Depart (2015).
Also, the song serves as a unifying element: it connects the first part of the film (set in 1999) to the final scene (set in 2025), creating a poignant effect which several critics have praised; David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter called the ending "a beautiful concluding sequence that reaffirms the film's aching depth of feeling and extraordinary sense of place".