Nightlife (Pet Shop Boys album)

Nightlife is the seventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 8 October 1999 by Parlophone. After the release and promotion of their previous album, Bilingual (1996), Pet Shop Boys started work with playwright Jonathan Harvey on the stage musical that eventually became Closer to Heaven (at one stage during the writing process, the musical was given the name of Nightlife). Pet Shop Boys soon had an album's worth of tracks and decided to release the album Nightlife as a concept album and in order to showcase some of the songs that would eventually make it into the musical.

Nightlife
Two people wearing business clothing are seated while riding on the subway. A motion blur affect is shown at the heads of the individuals.
Studio album by
Pet Shop Boys
Released8 October 1999 (1999-10-08)
Recorded1996–1999
Studio
Genre
Length52:02
LabelParlophone
Producer
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Essential
(1998)		 Nightlife
(1999)		 Release
(2002)
Singles from Nightlife
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Exclaim!Positive[5]
NME4/10[6]
Pitchfork3.2/10[7]
Release Magazine8/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Salon.comPositive[10]
The Village VoiceA−[11]

The album incorporates a variety of musical influences, including hard trance on the Rollo-produced "For Your Own Good" and "Radiophonic"; dance-pop on "Closer to Heaven" and "I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More"; disco pastiche on "New York City Boy"; and country music on "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk". The track "Happiness Is an Option" is based on Sergei Rachmaninoff's classical piece Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14.

As of May 2001, the album had sold 1.2 million copies worldwide.[12] It reached number seven on the UK Albums Chart (their first studio album not to reach the top five) and spent three weeks on the chart at the time, but re-entered at number 29 in 2017 following the album's Further Listening 1996–2000 reissue. It also became the duo's lowest-charting studio album in the United States, reaching number 84 on the Billboard 200.

"In Denial" with Kylie Minogue

"In Denial" is a duet featuring Kylie Minogue. It was seen as a risk by critics because this project came at a time when Minogue was experiencing low record sales and did not have her own record contract. Pet Shop Boys had previously written a song titled "Falling" for Minogue's 1994 album Kylie Minogue. The same year as Nightlife's release, Minogue also signed to Parlophone and released her hugely successful Light Years album in 2000. Minogue would later sing "In Denial" on her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, with Neil Tennant's pre-recorded vocals being played as part of the duet while Minogue sang live.

Visuals

For the promotion of the album, the band adopted a stark new appearance, designed in consultation with theatre designer Ian McNeil.[13] Now, the duo ubiquitously appeared wearing thick, dark eyebrows, inspired by Kabuki theatre;[14] yellow or orange wigs in a variety of hairstyles, inspired by the punk subculture (especially several spiked wigs); and black sunglasses. This was supported by a series of outfits in dark, muted colours, the most deviant of which incorporated culottes,[15] inspired by the attire of samurai,[14] instead of trousers. Photographs involving the costumes were often set in urban environments; the Midland Grand Hotel in Kings Cross, London was used as the setting to debut the look.[15] The costumes were used for promotional photographs, the album cover and liner notes, all the single covers, as well as the Nightlife Tour.

The music video for "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore" showed Tennant and Lowe being transformed into their new appearances, though in a fantastical manner: they are operated on by medical laboratory machines, then covered in talcum powder and dressed by monks in a ritual-like manner. Finally, they are given dogs on leashes and released into a "different world", where everyone else is also dressed in exactly the same way.[16] Conceptualised among the band members, McNeil, and director Pedro Romhanyi, the video was created to showcase the costumes. It was visually influenced by the films THX 1138 (1971) in the initial transformation sequence (copying many of its shots and props precisely); Ridicule (1996), in the ritualistic dressing-up scene; 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), in the decor of the living room with an illuminated floor; and A Clockwork Orange (1971), in the outdoor urban setting.[17]

According to Tennant, the costumes helped him to distance himself from the songs, adding to the impersonal nature of Nightlife.[13] In other interviews, he explained that they played into his belief in the need for pop stars to have "bigger than life" public images,[18] and were a reaction against the "naturalistic" look of the 1990s.[18][19]

Effort was also spent on designing the tour's visuals, with sets designed by deconstructivist architect Zaha Hadid.[20] The stage was modular, and could fit in differently-sized venues[19] and be rearranged by the backing singers throughout each concert.[16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."For Your Own Good" 
5:13
2."Closer to Heaven" 
4:06
3."I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More" 
5:09
4."Happiness Is an Option"
Pet Shop Boys3:48
5."You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk" 
  • Armstrong
  • Pet Shop Boys
3:11
6."Vampires" 
  • Armstrong
  • Pet Shop Boys
4:43
7."Radiophonic" 
  • Rollo
  • Pet Shop Boys
3:31
8."The Only One" 
  • Armstrong
  • Pet Shop Boys
4:21
9."Boy Strange" 
  • Rollo
  • Pet Shop Boys
5:09
10."In Denial" (duet with Kylie Minogue) 
  • Armstrong
  • Pet Shop Boys
3:20
11."New York City Boy"
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Morales
  • Morales
  • Pet Shop Boys
5:15
12."Footsteps" 
  • Armstrong
  • Pet Shop Boys
4:16

US limited edition bonus CD

A limited-edition two-CD set of Nightlife was released in the United States. The bonus disc, titled Nightlife Extra, contained all the B-sides from the UK releases of the "I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More" and "New York City Boy" singles, as well as remixes of these singles, some of which were only available in the US on promotional releases.

Nightlife Extra
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Ghost of Myself" 4:04
2."Casting a Shadow" 4:38
3."Je t'aime... moi non plus" (with Sam Taylor-Wood)Serge Gainsbourg4:11
4."Silver Age" 3:33
5."Screaming"
4:55
6."I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More" (The Morales Remix) 7:46
7."I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any Moree" (Thee Maddkatt Courtship 80 Witness Mix) 7:38
8."New York City Boy" (The Superchumbo Uptown Mix)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Morales
9:44
9."New York City Boy" (The Almighty Definitive Mix)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Morales
6:31
10."New York City Boy" (The Thunderpuss 2000 Club Mix)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Morales
10:55
11."New York City Boy" (The Lange Mix)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Morales
7:06

Further Listening 1996–2000
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Vampires" (demo) 4:02
2."For All of Us" (demo) 4:20
3."Call Me Old-Fashioned" (demo) 3:58
4."Friendly Fire" 3:23
5."Believe/Song for Guy" (featuring Elton John)
2:59
6."Sail Away"Noël Coward4:33
7."It Doesn't Often Snow at Christmas" (fan club mix) 3:56
8."Nightlife" 3:54
9."Playing in the Streets" 3:23
10."Tall Thin Men" 2:14
11."Radiophonic" (demo) 5:15
Total length:41:57
Disc three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Somebody Else's Business" 3:30
2."Silver Age" 3:32
3."Screaming" 4:54
4."For All of Us" 4:23
5."The Ghost of Myself" 4:03
6."Casting a Shadow" 4:37
7."I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More" (The PSB Extension) 8:39
8."Was It Worth It?" (live) 3:05
9."Lies" 4:42
10."Paris City Boy" (Full French)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Morales
5:17
11."Positive Role Model"
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Barry White
  • Anthony Sepe
  • Peter Sterling Radcliffe
4:03
12."Somebody Else's Business" (extended mix) 5:33
Total length:56:18

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Nightlife.[21]

Additional musicians
  • Pete Gleadall – programming (tracks 1, 4, 7, 9); additional programming (track 3)
  • Mark Bates – additional keyboards (tracks 1, 7, 9)
  • Pauline Taylor – additional vocals (track 1)
  • Craig Armstrong – arrangement, orchestration (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12); additional keyboards (tracks 2, 5, 6, 10); piano (tracks 5, 6, 8, 10); vocoder (track 8); choir arrangement (tracks 10, 12); additional piano (track 12)
  • Stephen Hilton – programming, additional keyboards (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12)
  • Richard T. Norris – programming, additional keyboards (tracks 2, 6, 12)
  • Pete Lockett – percussion (tracks 2, 6, 8, 12)
  • Ali MacLeod – guitar (tracks 2, 5, 6, 12)
  • Peter "Ski" Schwartz – additional keyboards (tracks 2, 12); keyboards, programming, string arrangements (track 3)
  • Audrey Wheeler – additional vocals (track 3)
  • Sylvia Mason-James – additional vocals (track 4)
  • Kate St John – oboe (track 4)
  • B. J. Cole – pedal steel guitar (track 5)
  • Scott J. Fraser – bass guitar (tracks 5, 6, 8, 12)
  • JB Henry – additional vocals (tracks 6, 8, 12)
  • Tessa Niles – additional vocals (tracks 6, 12)
  • Carol Kenyon – additional vocals (tracks 6, 12)
  • Malcom Hyde-Smith – percussion (track 9)
  • Paul Herman – guitar (track 9)
  • Andy Gangadeen – drums (track 9)
  • Kylie Minogue – vocals (track 10)
  • Joey Mosk – keyboard programming (track 11)
  • Vincent Montana Jr. – string arrangements, horn arrangements, string conducting, horn conducting (track 11)
  • Gene Perez – bass guitar (track 11)
  • Carlos Gomez – percussion (track 11)
  • Danny Madden – backing vocals arrangement, backing vocals conducting (track 11)
  • Steve Abrams – backing vocals (track 11)
  • Billy Cliff – backing vocals (track 11)
  • Keith Fluitt – backing vocals (track 11)
  • John James – backing vocals (track 11)
  • The London Session Orchestra – orchestra (tracks 2, 5, 6, 10, 12)
  • Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader (tracks 2, 5, 6, 10, 12)
  • Metro Voices – choir (tracks 10, 12)
  • Jenny O'Grady – choir master (tracks 10, 12)
  • Matt Dunkley – choir conducting (tracks 10, 12)

Technical
  • Rollo – production, mixing (tracks 1, 7, 9)
  • Pet Shop Boys – production (all tracks); mixing (track 11)
  • Goetz – engineering (tracks 1, 7, 9); mixing (tracks 3–5, 10, 11)
  • Craig Armstrong – production (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12)
  • Andy Bradfield – engineering (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12)
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (tracks 2, 6, 8, 12)
  • Geoff Foster – strings recording (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12)
  • David Morales – production (tracks 3, 11)
  • Steven Barkan – engineering (tracks 3, 11)
  • Bill Importico Jr. – engineering assistance (tracks 3, 11)
  • Hugo Dwyer – strings engineering (track 3)
  • Richard Lowe – engineering (track 4)
  • Jon Smelz – string and horn engineering (track 11)
  • Tim Young – mastering

Artwork

Charts

Certifications and sales
Certifications and sales for Nightlife
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[44] Gold 150,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[45] Gold 100,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[46] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Gold 100,000^
United States — 139,000[48]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release history for Nightlife
Region Date Edition Label Ref.
Germany 8 October 1999 EMI Standard [49]
Japan [50]
United Kingdom 11 October 1999 Parlophone [51]
United States 2 November 1999 Sire [52]
16 November 1999 Limited [53]

Notes
  1. Tracks 1, 7 and 9
  2. Strings on tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12
  3. Tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12
  4. Tracks 3 and 11
  5. Track 4

References
  1. "New Releases – For Week Starting 19 July, 1999". Music Week. 17 July 1999. p. 23.
  2. "ニューヨーク・シティ・ボーイ | ペット・ショップ・ボーイズ" [New York City Boy | Pet Shop Boys] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  3. "Singles: Releases for Weeks Starting 3-1-2000 & 10-1-2000". Music Week. 25 December 1999. p. 20.
  4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Nightlife – Pet Shop Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  5. Bolton, Rob (October 1999). "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife". Exclaim!. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  6. "Nightlife". NME. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  7. Cooper, Paul (2 November 1999). "Pet Shop Boys: Nightlife". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  8. Forsberg, Niklas (22 October 1999). "Pet Shop Boys: Nightlife". Release Magazine. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  9. Sheffield, Rob (11 November 2009). "Pet Shop Boys: Nightlife". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2005.
  10. Taylor, Charles (17 November 1999). "The last days of disco". Salon.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  11. Christgau, Robert (9 November 1999). "African Connection II". The Village Voice. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  12. Delingpole, James (12 May 2001). "West End boys". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  13. Forsberg, Niklas. "From West End Girls to New York City Boys". Release Magazine. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
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