Additionally, the single topped the charts in Austria, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe, while reaching number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.

[11] In the lyrics, he describes some impressions he took from his time at the Catholic[5] St Cuthbert's Grammar School in Newcastle upon Tyne, in particular the teaching that sex is a sin except within marriage for the purpose of procreation.

[18] To add ambience to the track, Mendelsohn went with the duo to Brompton Oratory, a Catholic church in London, to record background sounds that can be heard during the bridge.

"[1] The first single from Actually was originally slated to be "Heart", but Pet Shop Boys manager Tom Watkins advised them that EMI considered "It's a Sin" to be the most commercial option.

[11] "It's a Sin" preceded the album's September release on 15 June 1987 and became the Pet Shop Boys' second number one hit in the UK after "West End Girls".

[23] It was number one in Austria, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, and in the top 10 in Belgium, Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands.

[33] It extended the lyrical themes of the song by showing Tennant under arrest by an inquisition with Lowe as his jailer and Ron Moody in the role of his judge, interspersed with brief clips of personifications of the seven deadly sins.

[36] They have performed the song combined with Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" at certain concerts, including the 1994 Discovery Tour accompanied by singer Katie Kissoon,[37] and at their 1997 Savoy Theatre residency and the 2000 Glastonbury Festival with Sylvia Mason-James.

[38][39] After "It's a Sin" was released, the Newcastle Evening Chronicle published a front-page article calling the song "a direct attack on the religious values preached by the teachers and priests" at the school Tennant had attended.

[40]In return, Tennant told Smash Hits that the article was embarrassing for his parents, who still lived in Newcastle, and that it was cowardly for school staff to speak anonymously about a former pupil.

[41] At the time of the single's release, British DJ Jonathan King accused the Pet Shop Boys of plagiarising the melody for "It's a Sin" from Cat Stevens' 1971 song "Wild World".

The single flopped and the Pet Shop Boys sued King, eventually winning out-of-court damages, which were donated to Jefferiss Research Trust to support the study of sexually transmitted diseases.

[96] The band had previously collaborated with the Pet Shop Boys on the 2019 single "Dreamland", and Alexander previewed his version for Neil Tennant prior to its release.

[104][105][106] A studio recording of the collaboration, produced by Stuart Price and the Pet Shop Boys, was released following the performance, with proceeds going to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.