Pet Shop Boys – “Winner”

“Winner,” the new single from acid-tongued British synthpop lifers the Pet Shop Boys, is probably the first song that group has ever written that sounds like it was intended for some kind of sporting montage. But luckily, the video finds a truly fascinating context for the track. The video is an inspirational sports montage of sorts, but the inspiration doesn’t come from any athletic feats; it comes from the whole community-building side effect. It’s about a transgender woman and her initiation into roller derby, and it’s done with total affectionate sincerity.