It's a Sin

{{short description|1987 single by Pet Shop Boys}} {{For-multi|the song by Eddy Arnold|It's a Sin (Eddy Arnold song)|the album by Marty Robbins|It's a Sin (album)|the British television series|It's a Sin (TV series){{!}}''It's a Sin'' (TV series)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}} {{Use British English|date=June 2022}} {{Infobox song | name = It's a Sin | cover = It's a sin.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Pet Shop Boys | album = Actually | B-side = You Know Where You Went Wrong | written = 1982 | released = 15 June 1987 | recorded = 1987 | studio = | genre = {{hlist|Synth-pop<ref name="sound"/><ref name="Edwards & Elliott 2023">{{cite web|first1= Luke|last1= Edwards|first2= Mark|last2= Elliott|title= Best Pet Shop Boys Songs: 30 Synth-Pop Hits Always On Our Mind|website= Dig!|date= June 16, 2023|url= https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/best-pet-shop-boys-songs/|access-date= 24 September 2025|archive-date= 30 May 2025|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250530154410/https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/best-pet-shop-boys-songs/|url-status= bot: unknown}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last= Classic Pop Staff|title= Top 40 synth-pop songs|website= Classic Pop|date= 27 March 2025|url= https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/top-40-synth-pop-songs/}}</ref>|dance-pop<ref name= "1001 2015">{{cite book|first= Jim|last= Harrington|editor-first= Robert |editor-last= Dimery |year= 2015 |title= 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die|chapter= Pet Shop Boys - "It's a Sin|publisher= Universe|location= New York|page= 595}}</ref>|disco<ref name="Pafford">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stevepafford.com/30-years-ago-today-pet-shop-boys-sin/|title=Looking back upon a life: Pet Shop Boys say It's A Sin|website=stevepafford.com|last=Pafford|first=Steve|date=15 June 2017|access-date=6 June 2022}}</ref><ref name="Haider">{{cite news|url=https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/its-a-sin.html|title=It's a Sin — pure pop provocation from the Pet Shop Boys|last=Haider|first=Arwa|date=11 October 2021|work=Financial Times|access-date=11 January 2022}}</ref>|hi-NRG<ref name="Pafford" /><ref name="Haider" />|new wave<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/ph/playlist/pet-shop-boys-essentials/pl.c56fe38d6372462280321b79702ca392|title=Pet Shop Boys Essentials|website=Apple Music}}</ref>}} | length = 4:59 | label = Parlophone | writer = * Neil Tennant * Chris Lowe | producer = Julian Mendelsohn | prev_title = Suburbia | prev_year = 1986 | next_title = What Have I Done to Deserve This? | next_year = 1987 | misc = {{Audio sample | type = single | file = Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin.ogg | description = "It's a Sin" }} }}

"'''It's a Sin'''" (also stylised "'''It's a sin.'''") is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, ''Actually'' (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987<ref>{{cite journal |title=Pet Shop Boys Return |journal=Music Week |date=1987-06-06 |page=3 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1987/Music-Week-1987-06-06.pdf |access-date=27 June 2023 |publisher=Spotlight Publication Ltd. |location=London, England, United Kingdom |language=English |issn=0265-1548 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930114838/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1987/Music-Week-1987-06-06.pdf |archive-date=30 September 2021 |quote=Parlophone releases the first Pet Shop Boys single of the year June 15}}</ref> as the album's lead single.<ref>{{cite magazine |editor=Andy Strickland |date=13 June 1987 |title=Index |magazine=Record Mirror |page=3 |issn=0144-5804}}</ref> It became the duo's second number-one single on the UK singles chart, spending three weeks atop the chart. Additionally, the single topped the charts in over 15 other countries, including Austria, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe, while reaching number nine on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It remains one of Pet Shop Boys' most popular songs with 40 million streams in the UK.<ref name="streams">{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/pet-shop-boys-official-most-streamed-songs-in-the-uk/ |title=Pet Shop Boys' Official most-streamed songs in the UK | author=Griffiths, George |date=2 May 2024 |publisher=Official Charts Company }}</ref>

==Background== "It's a Sin" was written in 1982 at Ray Roberts' studio in Camden, where Lowe and Tennant worked on songs in their early years.<ref name="100lyrics">{{cite book |last=Tennant|first=Neil|date=2018|title=One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem: 1979–2016|location=London|publisher=Faber & Faber|pages=15, 97|isbn=9780571348916}}</ref><ref name="actuallyfurther">{{Cite AV media notes |title=Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988|title-link=Actually|last=Heath|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Heath|others=Pet Shop Boys|year=2018|pages=14–16|type=booklet|publisher=Parlophone Records|id=0190295826222}}</ref> Their original demo was one of the songs Tennant brought to his meeting with New York record producer Bobby Orlando.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.petshopboys.co.uk/product/single/its-a-sin |title=It's a Sin|website=petshopboys.co.uk |date=15 June 1987|access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref> Pet Shop Boys made another demo with Orlando in 1984, but it was never released. The song's basic structure from the 1984 demo remained intact in the 1987 version, although the released production is far more dramatic.<ref name="sound">{{cite web |last=Buskin |first=Richard |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/pet-shop-boys-its-sin |title=Pet Shop Boys 'It's A Sin' |work=Sound on Sound |date=December 2010 |access-date=4 June 2020 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604192502/https://www.soundonsound.com/people/pet-shop-boys-its-sin |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Writing and inspiration== Tennant came up with the phrase "It's a sin" when he heard Lowe play a piece of music that sounded to him like a hymn.<ref name="actuallyfurther"/> In the lyrics, he describes some impressions he took from his time at the Catholic<ref name="Haider"/> 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.<ref name="100lyrics"/><ref>{{cite podcast |url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/2y1Pi2Nzjd1aVseeo87pV4|title=How Pet Shop Boys wrote 'It's A Sin' - Neil Tennant|work=Queer the Music|publisher=Mercury|last=Shears|first=Jake|date=3 December 2024|time=7:45|access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref> Tennant has said that the song was not intended to be serious:

{{quote|People took it really seriously; the song was written in about 15 minutes, and was intended as a camp joke and it wasn't something I consciously took very seriously—sometimes I wonder if there was more to it than I thought at the time—but the local parish priest in Newcastle delivered a sermon on it, and reflected on how the Church changed from the promise of a ghastly hell to the message of love.<ref name="TennInterDD">{{cite web |last=Sullivan|first=Andrew|url=http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/for-hardcore-petheads-the-tennant-interview-in-full.html |title=For Hard-Core Petheads: The Tennant Interview in Full – The Daily Dish|work=The Atlantic|date=5 June 2009|access-date=27 December 2024|archive-date=10 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610072028/http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/for-hardcore-petheads-the-tennant-interview-in-full.html}}</ref>}}

In the coda, Tennant recites a part of the Confiteor in Latin,<ref name="actuallyfurther"/> which translated into English is "I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, act and omission, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault".

"It's a Sin" is in the key of C minor; the music for the bridge ("Father forgive me...") was taken from another song of theirs written in E-flat minor.{{sfn|Shears|2024|loc=9:25–10:00}} In Tennant's words, "'It's a Sin', at its heart, is a heavy metal record. There is a huge link between hi-NRG music and heavy metal: the urgency, the chords, the slightly histrionic melody."<ref name="Haider"/> The dramatic, overblown production style of the song, loaded with synthesizers, orchestra hits and bookended by a non sequitur sample of a NASA countdown, has come to exemplify the most theatrical extremes of the Pet Shop Boys' musical style.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |author=Raggett, Ned|url={{Allmusic|class=song|id=its-a-sin-t1915366|pure_url=yes}}|title=It's a Sin| publisher=AllMusic| access-date=10 September 2006}}</ref>

==Recording== Julian Mendelsohn was the primary producer of "It's a Sin".{{efn|In the liner notes of ''Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988'' (2001), Tennant said they had considered using the Stock Aitken Waterman production team for "It's a Sin" but Pete Waterman didn't like the song;<ref name="actuallyfurther"/> Tennant has since said he does not recall that happening.{{sfn|Shears|2024|loc=19:12–20:35}}<ref name="Haider"/>}} He had been selected to co-produce ''Actually'' based on his work on the previous Pet Shop Boys single "Suburbia".<ref name="making Actually">{{cite magazine|author=|date=3 June 2021|title=Making Pet Shop Boys - Actually |url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2021/06/classic-album-pet-shop-boys-actually/|magazine=Classic Pop|access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref>

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.<ref name="making Actually"/> At Westminster Cathedral, they recorded a sung Mass that happened to be in the right key, C minor; the amen response is heard at the end of the song. Keyboard programmer Andy Richards used a Fairlight to create the choir sound that opens the track.{{sfn|Shears|2024|loc=17:13–18:13}}

After Mendelsohn moved on to another project,<ref name="sound"/> Pet Shop Boys decided they weren't satisfied with the end result, particularly the vocals.<ref name="actuallyfurther"/> They asked Stephen Hague, the producer of ''Please'' (1986), to do another mix, which was the version used on the album and as the single. Mendelsohn commented that although he thought his version had better sound and dynamics, Hague's version was more interesting and the track benefitted from his "fresh ears."<ref name="sound"/>

==Release== 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.<ref name="actuallyfurther"/> "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". It held the top spot for three weeks during its six weeks in the top 10,<ref name="UKcharts">{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/pet-shop-boys-its-a-sin/|title=It's a Sin by Pet Shop Boys|website=Official Charts|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref> and it was the nation's eighth best-selling single of 1987.<ref name="chart uplift"/>

"It's a Sin" has sold at least 500,000 copies in the UK<ref name="chart uplift"/> and is certified Gold by BPI.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/3411-2148-1 |title=Brit Certified: Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin|author= |date=24 November 2023|website=BPI|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref> With 40 million streams as of May 2024, it is the duo's third most streamed song in the UK.<ref name="streams"/> It received a boost of nearly 250% in sales and streams after the 2021 premiere of ''It's a Sin'', a television series about the AIDS crisis of the 1980s that was named after the song.<ref name="chart uplift"/>

"It's a Sin" was a bestseller across Europe, reaching number two on the European Hot 100 Singles chart in 1987.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=|date=12 September 1987|title=European Hot 100 Singles|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-09-12.pdf |magazine=Music & Media|pages=14–15|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref> It was number one in Austria, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, and in the top 3 in Belgium, Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands. The song also reached number one in Israel, South Africa and Zimbabwe and the top 10 in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand (see Charts).

A 12-inch single of "It's a Sin" had a remix by Ian Levine,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/107879-Pet-Shop-Boys-Its-A-Sin-Remixed-By-Ian-Levine |title=Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin (12Rx 6158) |website=Discogs |date=6 July 1987 |access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref> and another featured a Disco Mix by Stephen Hague,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/77657-Pet-Shop-Boys-Its-A-Sin |title=Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin (12R 6158) |website=Discogs |date=15 June 1987 |access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref> which is included on the reissue ''Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988''. A US 12-inch edition included the Hague and Levine remixes along with a Vocal Mix and Dub Mix by Stock Aitken Waterman engineer Phil Harding.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1893662-Pet-Shop-Boys-Its-A-Sin|title=Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin (V-19256) |website=Discogs |date=1987 |access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref>

===Artwork=== The cover photo for the single (pictured) was taken by Eric Watson in the unused sacristy of Christ Church, Spitalfields.<ref>{{cite news |author=|date=23 March 2012|title=Pet Shop Boys: Photographs by Eric Watson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2012/mar/23/pet-shop-boys-eric-watson-photographs |work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref> Tennant compared the image to the painting ''Ennui'' by Walter Sickert,<ref>{{cite news |last=Teeman|first=Tim|date=24 October 2006|title=Interview: Pet Shop Boys|url=https://www.timteeman.com/2006/10/24/pet-shop-boys/ |work=The Times|location=London|access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref> depicting a couple looking bored and detached in a dimly lit room.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/camden-town-group/walter-richard-sickert-ennui-r1133434 |title=Walter Richard Sickert, Ennui|last=Moorby|first=Nicola|date=May 2004|website=Tate|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>

==Critical reception== In a review published in ''Smash Hits'', Tom Hibbert wrote that "It's a Sin" starts with "an enormous clap of thunder, horns winking in the distance and then an absolute huge slab of European disco drama", noted that it sounds like a song by Princess Stéphanie of Monaco and uses the same notes as Cat Stevens' "Wild World".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Smash-Hits/1987/Smash-Hits-1987-06-17.pdf |title=Singles reviewed by Tom Hibbert |magazine=Smash Hits |volume=9 |issue=12 |date=17–30 June 1987 |last=Hibbert |first=Tom |page=65  |issn=0260-3004 |via=World Radio History |access-date=21 November 2023}}</ref> ''Billboard'' deemed it "a lively and commercial hi-NRG track",<ref>{{cite magazine|author=|date=5 September 1987|title=Single Reviews |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1987/Billboard-1987-09-05.pdf|magazine=Billboard|page=69|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref> and Jerry Smith of ''Music Week'' called it "a slick new track, given their characteristic epic high-energy production, and sure to receive media overkill in the next few weeks".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Smith|first=Jerry|date=13 June 1987|title=Singles |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1987/Music-Week-1987-06-13-I.pdf |magazine=Music Week|page=17|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>

==Music video== Directed by Derek Jarman, the "It's a Sin" video marked the experimental director's first of several collaborations with the band.<ref>{{cite book |last=Heath|first=Chris|year=2020|title=Pet Shop Boys, Literally|location=London|publisher=William Heinemann|page=23|isbn=9781473575691}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Shaw|first=William|date=1–14 July 1987|title=Take: 1 Wasteland, 2 Pet Shop Boys, 7 Deadly Sins, 15 Monks |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Smash-Hits/1987/Smash-Hits-1987-07-01.pdf |magazine=Smash Hits|volume=9|issue=13|pages=12–13|access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref>

==Live performances== Pet Shop Boys played "It's a Sin" at a benefit opposing the anti-homosexuality law Section 28 at the Piccadilly Theatre on 5 June 1988.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Koffler|first=Kevin J.|date=17 December 1988|title=Pet Shop Boys Get Serious |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1988/CB-1988-12-17.pdf|magazine=Cash Box|page=8|access-date=25 December 2024}}</ref> "It's a Sin" remains a concert staple, being one of only two songs (alongside "West End Girls") that has been played during every Pet Shop Boys tour.<ref name="concerts">{{cite web |last=Studer|first=Wayne|url=http://www.geowayne.com/newDesign/extras/setlisttable.htm |title=Songs That the Pet Shop Boys Have Performed "Live"|website=Geowayne.com|access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> 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,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/pet-shop-boys-discovery-tour/ |title=Pet Shop Boys' Discovery Tour: A Revelation on the Road|last=Draper|first=Jason|date=28 April 2021|website=Dig! |access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref> and at their 1997 Savoy Theatre residency and the 2000 Glastonbury Festival with Sylvia Mason-James.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thornton|first=Anthony|date=8 June 1997|title=Pet Shop Boys Savoy Theatre, London|url=https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/pet-shop-boys-savoy-theatre-london-1255059.html|work=The Independent|location=London|access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hall|first=James|date=26 June 2020|title=Shotguns, drug dealers and elderly ladies: whatever happened to the good old days of Glastonbury?|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/concerts/glastonbury-history-over-years-what-happened/|work=The Telegraph|location=London|access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref>

==Controversy== ===Response from St. Cuthbert's=== 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. An unnamed spokesman for St. Cuthbert's Grammar School called it "a gross misrepresentation of life at the school and the Catholic faith", and an anonymous staff member, who claimed to have taught Tennant, said: {{quote|It is very unfortunate that Neil has painted this distorted picture of his school days and the things he was taught. It is very hurtful. It is a long time since he has been here and there have been a lot of changes since then in the Church. But even back in the Sixties when he came here we were quite open and forward-thinking. It certainly wasn't all hellfire and damnation.<ref>{{cite news |author=|date=27 July 1987|title=Pop Star's Song Hits a Sour Note|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000726/19870727/001/0001|work=Evening Chronicle|location=Newcastle, UK|page=1|access-date=31 December 2024|via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=limited}}</ref>}} 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.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hibbert|first=Tom|date=9–22 September 1987|title=And a Rather Good LP It Is, Too!|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Smash-Hits/1987/Smash-Hits-1987-09-09.pdf|magazine=Smash Hits|volume=9|issue=17|page=46|access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>

===Plagiarism accusation=== 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". He made the claims in ''The Sun'' newspaper, for which he wrote a regular column during the 1980s. King went so far as to release his own cover version of "Wild World" as a single, using a similar musical arrangement to "It's a Sin", in an effort to demonstrate his claims. 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hall|first=James|date=31 January 2021|title=It's a Sin… to steal: how Pet Shop Boys' hit single ignited the music industry's strangest feud|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/sinto-steal-pet-shop-boys-hit-single-ignited-music-industrys/|work=The Telegraph|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210131201300/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/sinto-steal-pet-shop-boys-hit-single-ignited-music-industrys/|archive-date=31 January 2021|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref>

==Track listings== * '''7": Parlophone / R 6158 (UK)''' # "It's a Sin" – 4:59 # "You Know Where You Went Wrong" – 5:51

* '''12": Parlophone / 12R 6158 (UK)''' # "It's a Sin" (Disco Mix) – 7:39 # "You Know Where You Went Wrong" – 5:51 # "It's a Sin" (7" version) – 4:59

* '''CD: Parlophone / CDR 6158 (UK)''' # "It's a Sin" (7" version) – 4:59 # "You Know Where You Went Wrong" – 5:51 # "It's a Sin" (Disco Mix) – 7:39

* '''12": Parlophone / 12RX 6158 (UK)''' # "It's a Sin" (Remix) (Ian Levine) – 8:15 # "You Know Where You Went Wrong" (Rough Mix) – 6:38

* '''12": EMI-Manhattan / V-19256 (US)''' # "It's a Sin" (Phil Harding Latin Vocal Mix) (aka Miami Mix) – 9:14 # "It's a Sin" (Phil Harding Latin Dub Mix) – 4:20 # "It's a Sin" (Remix) (Ian Levine) – 8:15 # "It's a Sin" (Disco Mix) – 7:39 # "You Know Where You Went Wrong" – 5:51 ==Personnel== Credits adapted from the liner notes for ''Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988''<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988|author=Pet Shop Boys|date=2018|type=liner notes|publisher=Parlophone|id=0190295826222}}</ref> and "It's a Sin".<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=It's a Sin|author=Pet Shop Boys|date=1987|type=liner notes|publisher=Parlophone|id=R 6158}}</ref>

'''Pet Shop Boys''' * Chris Lowe * Neil Tennant

'''Additional musicians''' * Andy Richards – Fairlight programming

'''Technical personnel''' * Julian Mendelsohn – production, engineering * Stephen Hague – mixing, additional production * David Jacob – mix engineering

'''Artwork''' * Mark Farrow and Pet Shop Boys – design * Eric Watson – photography

==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Weekly chart performance for "It's a Sin" ! scope="col"| Chart (1987) ! scope="col"| Peak<br>position |- ! scope="row"| Australia (Australian Music Report)<ref>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|publisher=Australian Chart Book|year=1993|page=232|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref> | 10 |- {{single chart|Austria|1|artist=Pet Shop Boys|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|Flanders|2|artist=Pet Shop Boys|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|8|chartid=0905|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- ! scope="row"| Canada (''The Record'')<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Hits of the World |magazine=Billboard |volume=99 |issue=50 |date=12 December 1987 |page=57 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> | 4 |- ! scope="row"| Denmark (IFPI)<ref name="M&M-1987-09-19">{{cite magazine |title=Top 3 in Europe |magazine=Music & Media |volume=4 |issue=37 |date=19 September 1987 |page=18 |oclc=29800226}}</ref> | 1 |- ! scope="row"| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=European Hot 100 Singles |magazine=Music & Media |volume=4 |issue=31 |date=8 August 1987 |page=16 |oclc=29800226}}</ref> | 2 |- ! scope="row"| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>{{cite book |last=Pennanen |first=Timo |section=Pet Shop Boys |url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf |title=Sisältää hitin – Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 |language=fi |edition=2nd |location=Helsinki |publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava |year=2021 |page=197 |isbn=978-952-7460-01-6}}</ref> | 1 |- {{single chart|France|12|artist=Pet Shop Boys|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- ! scope="row"| Greece (IFPI)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top 3 in Europe |magazine=Music & Media |volume=4 |issue=40 |date=10 October 1987 |page=22 |oclc=29800226}}</ref> | 3 |- {{single chart|Ireland2|1|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- ! scope="row"| Italy (''Musica e dischi'')<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php |title=Classifiche |magazine=Musica e dischi |language=it |access-date=30 May 2022}} ''Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "It's a sin" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".''</ref> | 3 |- ! scope="row"| Japan (Oricon)<ref>{{cite book |title=Oricon Chart Book: Artist Series 1968–1987 |location=Tokyo |publisher=Original Confidence |year=1988 |isbn=978-4-8713-1021-5}}</ref> | 64 |- {{single chart|Dutch40|3|artist=Pet Shop Boys|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|Dutch100|3|artist=Pet Shop Boys|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|New Zealand|8|artist=Pet Shop Boys|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|Norway|1|artist=Pet Shop Boys|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- ! scope="row"| Portugal (AFP)<ref name="M&M-1987-09-19"/> | 1 |- ! scope="row"| South Africa (Springbok Radio)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(P).html |title=SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts P |website=The South African Rock Encyclopedia |access-date=5 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505211137/http://rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(P).html |archive-date=5 May 2018}}</ref> | 1 |- ! scope="row"| Spain (AFYVE)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top 3 in Europe |magazine=Music & Media |volume=4 |issue=43 |date=31 October 1987 |page=24 |oclc=29800226}}</ref> | 1 |- {{single chart|Sweden|1|artist=Pet Shop Boys|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|Switzerland|1|artist=Pet Shop Boys|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|1|artist=Pet Shop Boys|artistid=26802|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|Billboardhot100|9|artist=Pet Shop Boys|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|3|artist=Pet Shop Boys|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- {{single chart|Billboarddancesales|18|artist=Pet Shop Boys|rowheader=true|access-date=1 May 2020}} |- ! scope="row"| US ''Cash Box'' Top 100 Singles<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19871114.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 14, 1987 |work=Cash Box |access-date=5 March 2020 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327101814/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19871114.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> | 12 |- {{single chart|West Germany|1|songid=1646|artist=Pet Shop Boys|song=It's a Sin|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2020}} |- ! scope="row"| Zimbabwe (ZIMA)<ref>{{cite book |last=Christopher |first=Kimberley |title=Zimbabwe: Singles Chart Book |location=Harare |year=2000}}</ref> | 1 |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Year-end chart performance for "It's a Sin" ! scope="col"| Chart (1987) ! scope="col"| Position |- ! scope="row"| Australia (Australian Music Report)<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://i.imgur.com/sPdqqRt.jpg |title=National Top 100 Singles for 1987 |magazine=Australian Music Report |issue=701 |date=28 December 1987 |via=Imgur}}</ref> | 50 |- ! scope="row"| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://austriancharts.at/year.asp?cat=s&id=1987 |title=Jahreshitparade Singles 1987 |website=austriancharts.at |language=de |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref> | 4 |- ! scope="row"| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1987&cat=s |title=Jaaroverzichten 1987 – Singles |language=nl |publisher=Ultratop |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref> | 28 |- ! scope="row"| Canada Top Singles (''RPM'')<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.0920&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.0920.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.0920 |title=Top 100 Singles of '87 |magazine=RPM |volume=47 |issue=12 |date=26 December 1987 |page=5 |issn=0033-7064 |via=Library and Archives Canada}}</ref> | 57 |- ! scope="row"| Denmark (IFPI)<ref name="M&M-1988-03-12">{{cite magazine |title=Top Sellers 1987 |magazine=Music & Media |volume=5 |issue=11 |date=12 March 1988 |page=25 |oclc=29800226}}</ref> | 8 |- ! scope="row"| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=European Charts of the Year 1987 – Singles |magazine=Music & Media |volume=4 |issue=51/52 |date=26 December 1987 |page=34 |oclc=29800226}}</ref> | 5 |- ! scope="row"| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1987 |title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987 |language=nl |publisher=Dutch Top 40 |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref> | 39 |- ! scope="row"| Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1987&cat=s |title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987 |language=nl |publisher=Dutch Charts |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref> | 27 |- ! scope="row"| South Africa (Springbok Radio)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/sahits_1987.html |title=Top 20 Hit Singles of 1987 |website=The South African Rock Encyclopedia |access-date=11 September 2018}}</ref> | 18 |- ! scope="row"| Spain (AFYVE)<ref name="M&M-1988-03-12"/> | 8 |- ! scope="row"| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hitparade.ch/charts/jahreshitparade/1987 |title=Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1987 |website=hitparade.ch |language=de |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref> | 5 |- ! scope="row"| UK Singles (Gallup)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Gallup Year End Charts 1987 – Singles |magazine=Record Mirror |date=23 January 1988 |page=36 |issn=0144-5804}}</ref> | 8 |- ! scope="row"| US Dance Club Play (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1987/dance-club-songs |title=Dance Club Songs – Year-End 1987 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=5 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217184357/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1987/dance-club-songs |archive-date=17 February 2020}}</ref> | 34 |- ! scope="row"| West Germany (Media Control)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1987 |title=Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1987 |language=de |publisher=GfK Entertainment |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref> | 3 |}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ 1985–1989 chart performance for "It's a Sin" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (1985–1989) ! scope="col"| Position |- ! scope="row"| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)<ref>{{cite news|work=Music & Media|volume=6|issue=11|date=18 March 1989|title=Eurochartbusters: The Hot 100 Singles Compiled from ''Music & Media''{{'}}s Five Year Chart Archives|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1989/M&M-1989-03-18-5-Years.pdf|pages=32–33 |oclc=29800226|edition=5 Years |via=World Radio History |access-date=9 July 2024}}</ref> |83 |} {{col-end}}

==Certifications and sales== {{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "It's a Sin"}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|artist=Pet Shop Boys|title=It's a Sin|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=1990|date=21 September 1990|access-date=5 March 2020}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Finland|artist=Pet Shop Boys|title=It's a Sin|nocert=yes|type=single|access-date=5 March 2020|salesamount=6,311}} {{Certification Table Entry|type=single|relyear=1986|region=Portugal|award=Gold|artist=Pet Shop Boys|title=It's a Sin|salesamount=30,000|salesref=<ref name="PortugalCert"/>|certref=<ref name="PortugalCert">{{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-12-26.pdf|title=European Gold & Platinum Awards 1987|work=Music and Media|publisher=worldradiohistory.com|pages=44–46|date=26 December 1987|access-date=8 February 2021}}</ref>}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|artist=Pet Shop Boys|title=It's a Sin|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=1987|certref=<ref name="Spanish certifications 1979-1990">{{cite web|url=http://www.mediafire.com/?x263f6daopkswo8|title=Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979–1990|publisher=Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano}}</ref>}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|artist=Pet Shop Boys|title=It's a Sin|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=1987|date=10 November 1987|access-date=5 March 2020}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Pet Shop Boys|title=It's a Sin|award=Silver|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=1987|note=1987 release|id=3411-2148-1|date=1 December 1987|certref=<ref>{{cite web |date=1 December 1987|title=British single certifications – Pet Shop Boys – It's a Sin|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/3411-2148-1 |website=British Phonographic Industry|url-status=deviated|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731164508/https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/3411-2148-1 |archive-date=31 July 2022|access-date=26 October 2025}}</ref>|salesamount=500,000|salesref=<ref name="chart uplift">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/it-s-a-sin-pet-shop-boys-classic-sees-huge-uplift-from-channel-4-series__32480/|title=It's A Sin: Pet Shop Boys classic sees huge uplift from Channel 4 series |magazine=Official Charts|first=Rob|last=Copsey|date=18 February 2021|access-date=21 February 2021}}</ref>|access-date=24 November 2023|refname=BPI}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Pet Shop Boys|title=It's a Sin|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2005|certyear=2023|id=3411-2148-1|note=2005 release|access-date=24 November 2023|refname=BPI1}} {{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

==Cover versions== === Years & Years version === {{Infobox song | name = It's a Sin | cover =  | type = single | artist = Years & Years | album = | B-side = | released = {{Start date|2021|01|22|df=y}} | recorded = | studio = | genre =  | length = 3:12 | label = * Polydor * Universal | writer = * Neil Tennant * Chris Lowe | producer = Mark Ralph | prev_title = Dreamland | prev_year = 2020 | next_title = Starstruck | next_year = 2021 }}

On 22 January 2021, British electronic group Years & Years covered the song to coincide with the release of the Channel 4 series ''It's a Sin'', which stars frontman Olly Alexander in the lead role.<ref>{{Cite web|date=23 January 2021|title=Years & Years release stripped back cover of 'It's a Sin'|url=https://celebmix.com/years-years-release-stripped-back-cover-of-its-a-sin/|access-date=2021-02-01|website=CelebMix|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/years-and-years-drop-new-song-its-a-sin-ahead-of-olly-alexanders-star-turn-in-new-drama/24369/|title=Years & Years drop new song It's a Sin|date=22 January 2021|first=Jamie|last=Tabberer|work=Attitude|access-date=19 May 2021|archive-date=19 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519195352/https://attitude.co.uk/article/years-and-years-drop-new-song-its-a-sin-ahead-of-olly-alexanders-star-turn-in-new-drama/24369/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The cover was produced by Mark Ralph,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/169622996/credits|title=Credits / It's A Sin / Years & Years|work=Tidal|date=22 January 2021 |access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref> with part of the proceeds going to the George House Trust.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/years-years-cover-pet-shop-boys-its-a-sin-as-tv-show-premieres-2863309|title=Years & Years cover Pet Shop Boys' 'It's A Sin' as TV show premieres|date=23 January 2021|first=Will|last=Richards|work=NME|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://planetradio.co.uk/hits-radio-pride/entertainment/music/olly-alexander-its-a-sin-cover/|title=EXCLUSIVE: Olly Alexander on covering 80s classics and It's A Sin|date=12 February 2021|first=Natalie|last=Rees|work=Hits Radio Pride |publisher=Greatest Hits Radio|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref> A slowed-down version of the song with only piano accompaniment, the cover is in C minor at a tempo of 126 beats per minute.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/years-years-pet-shop-boys-sin/|title=Listen To Years & Years' Cover Of The Pet Shop Boys' 'It's A Sin'|date=22 January 2021|first=Tim|last=Peacock|publisher=uDiscoverMusic|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0227283|title=Years & Years "It's a Sin" Sheet Music in C Minor|website=musicnotes.com|date=2 February 2021 |access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref> Pet Shop Boys praised the cover, calling it "beautiful".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2021/05/12/brit-awards-how-to-buy-olly-alexander-and-elton-john-its-a-sin-duet-14567626/|title=Brit Awards: Who sung the original It's A Sin and how to buy Olly Alexander and Elton John's duet?|date=12 May 2021|first=Sarah|last=Deen|work=Metro|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref> A music video was released, consisting of clips from "It's a Sin".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://entertainment.ie/music/years-years-share-video-for-their-cover-of-pet-shop-boys-hit-its-a-sin-475303/|title=Years & Years share video for their cover of Pet Shop Boys hit 'It's a Sin'|date=22 February 2021|first=Lauren|last=Murphy|website=Entertainment.ie|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref> Alexander performed the song as part of the setlist for his 2022 Night Call Tour.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/years-and-years/2022/brighton-centre-brighton-england-43b70f87.html | title=Years & Years Setlist at Brighton Centre, Brighton | website=setlist.fm }}</ref>

=== Elton John and Years and Years version === {{Infobox song | name = It's a Sin | cover =  | type = single | artist = Elton John and Years & Years | album = The Lockdown Sessions | B-side = | released = {{Start date|2021|05|11|df=y}} | recorded = | studio = | genre = Synth-pop | length = 4:44 | label = * EMI * Mercury | writer = * Neil Tennant * Chris Lowe | producer = * Stuart Price * Pet Shop Boys | chronology = Elton John | prev_title = Chosen Family | prev_year = 2021 | next_title = Cold Heart (Pnau remix) | next_year = 2021 }}

A pre-recorded performance of the song by English musicians Elton John and Years & Years aired as part of the 2021 Brit Awards on 11 May 2021.<ref name="didnot">{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/music/global/pet-shop-boys-brit-awards-no-show-elton-john-years-1234973257/|title=Pet Shop Boys Did Not Perform With Elton John and Years & Years at BRIT Awards as Planned: What Happened, Actually?|date=14 May 2021|first=Mark|last=Sutherland|work=Variety|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref> Pet Shop Boys were scheduled to be a part of the performance, but were unable to do so due to a "contractual issue".<ref name="didnot" /> The duet started as a slower piano track before transitioning into synth-pop with accompanying backup dancers and drag queens.<ref name="teamup" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/05/brit-awards-2021-elton-john-olly-alexander-its-a-sin-performance.html|title=Olly Alexander and Elton John Sexed Up 'It's a Sin' at the Brit Awards|date=11 May 2021|first=Justin|last=Curto|work=Vulture|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/awards/9570739/olly-alexander-elton-john-its-a-sin-2021-brit-awards/|title=Olly Alexander & Elton John Steal the 2021 Brit Awards With 'It's a Sin' Duet|date=11 May 2021|first=Stephen|last=Daw|magazine=Billboard|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref> 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.<ref name="teamup">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-elton-john-and-years-years-collaborate-its-a-sin-cover-2938377|title=BRITs 2021: Elton John and Years & Years team up for spectacular 'It's A Sin' cover|date=11 May 2021|first=Tom|last=Skinner|work=NME|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/elton-john-and-years-and-years-cover-pet-shop-boys-at-brit-awards-2021-watch/|title=Elton John and Years & Years Cover Pet Shop Boys at BRIT Awards 2021: Watch|date=11 May 2021|first=Jazz|last=Monroe|work=Pitchfork|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref> "It's a Sin" debuted at number 57 on the UK Singles Chart and at the top of ''The Official Big Top 40''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/60172/elton-john-years-and-years/|title=Elton John/Years & Years|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bigtop40.com/news/elton-john-years-and-years-its-a-sin/|title=Elton John and Years & Years go to Number 1 with 'It's A Sin'|date=16 May 2021|work=The Official Big Top 40|access-date=19 May 2021}}</ref>

===Other versions===

* Hong Kong singer Danny Chan covered the song on his 1987 album {{ill|Dream Person (album)|zh|夢裡人 (專輯)|lt=Dream Person|italic=yes}}. * Gamma Ray covered the song for their 1999 album ''Power Plant''. * Canadian/American singer Paul Anka covered the song as a slow jazz swing rendition on his 2005 album Rock Swings.

* American queer pop punk band Pansy Division covered the song on their 2016 album ''Quite Contrary.'' * Swedish rock band Ghost released a cover of the song on deluxe editions of the 2018 album ''Prequelle''. This version was used in the official gameplay trailer for ''Lords of the Fallen II'' (2026).<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ciNlCsDrEs |title=Lords of the Fallen II - Official Gameplay Trailer {{!}} Wishlist now on PC, PS5, Xbox X{{!}}S |date=2025-12-11 |last=CI Games |access-date=2025-12-22 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lords of the Fallen 2 |url=https://www.ign.com/games/lords-of-the-fallen-2 |access-date=2025-12-22 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> The band released the song as a single on January 16, 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Gregory |title=GHOST unearth old PET SHOP BOYS cover "It's a Sin" |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/news/ghost-unearth-old-pet-shop-boys-cover-its-a-sin/ |access-date=2026-03-11 |website=Revolver |language=en-US}}</ref> * Jonathan Davis, lead singer of Korn covered the song for the soundtrack of the 2021 TV Series Paradise City.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0Tl2wh8amM |title=JONATHAN DAVIS - It's A Sin (Paradise City Soundtrack) |date=2021-07-22 |last=SUMERIAN |access-date=2025-02-28 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

==Notes== {{Notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.petshopboys.co.uk/lyrics/its-a-sin Lyrics: It's a Sin] * {{cite web |author=Longmire, Ernie and Steffen Gärtner|year=1989–2006|title=Pet Shop Boys: It's a Sin|format=TXT |work=Gardner's Pet Shop Boys Discography|publisher=Gardner Publishing Ltd|url=https://www.psb-catalogue.com/iasinpic.php|access-date=2006-09-10}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:It's A Sin}} Category:1987 songs Category:1987 singles Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Austria Category:Number-one singles in Denmark Category:Number-one singles in Finland Category:Number-one singles in Germany Category:Number-one singles in Norway Category:Number-one singles in Portugal Category:Number-one singles in South Africa Category:Number-one singles in Spain Category:Number-one singles in Sweden Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland Category:Number-one singles in Zimbabwe Category:Parlophone singles Category:Pet Shop Boys songs Category:Song recordings produced by Julian Mendelsohn Category:LGBTQ-related songs Category:Songs critical of religion Category:Songs written by Chris Lowe Category:Songs written by Neil Tennant Category:Songs involved in plagiarism controversies Category:UK singles chart number-one singles Category:Years & Years songs Category:Song recordings produced by Mark Ralph (record producer) Category:Polydor Records singles Category:Elton John songs Category:Male vocal duets Category:Song recordings produced by Stuart Price Category:EMI Records singles Category:Universal Music Group singles Category:Mercury Records singles Category:Hi-NRG songs Category:Music videos directed by Derek Jarman