Before Heart became the fourth single to be released from Pet Shop
Boys' Actually album (it reached No 1 in 1998), they'd toyed with idea of giving it to Madonna. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the band decided to keep it for themselves, despite later professing bafflement at the song's success and dismissing it as not being "in the same league as Being Boring", which says more about their discography than the song itself. We'll never know what Madonna's taken version of Heart would have sounded like but by way of compensation we can exclusively premiere Field Music's slowed-down and distinctly more jangly reinterpretation. Released as a 7in for Record Store Day called actually, nearly (Pitchfork premiered the B-side, Rent, last week), their version replaces the electronic thrum of the original with a more percussive and organic sound that brings out the emotional simplicity of the lyrics. Thankfully they've not tried to completely reinvent the song, as the band's David Brewis says: "I feel like we've been pretty respectful – if it ain't broke, etc – I just hope we haven't ruined them." Not at all, Dave.
• actually, nearly is released via Memphis Industries on 21 April.
