Nightlife (Pet Shop Boys album)

Nightlife
Studio album by Pet Shop Boys
Released	8 October 1999
Recorded	1998–99
Studio	Metropolis Studios, Sarm West Studios, Swanyard Studios (London, England) Quad Studios (New York City, New York)
Genre	Synthpop dance-pop house trance
Length	52:02
Label	Parlophone
Producer	Craig Armstrong David Morales Pet Shop Boys Rollo
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Bilingual (1996) Nightlife (1999) Release (2002)
Singles from Nightlife
"I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More" Released: 19 July 1999 "New York City Boy" Released: 27 September 1999 "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk" Released: 3 January 2000

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Exclaim!	positive[2]
Pitchfork Media	3.2/10[3]
Release Magazine	8/10[4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
Salon.com	positive[6]
The Village Voice	A−[7]
NME	4/10[8]

Nightlife is the seventh studio album by English synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 8 October 1999 by Parlophone. After the release and promotion of their previous album, Bilingual, 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.

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.

The album was a moderate commercial success - reaching number 7 in the UK Album Chart (their first studio album not to reach the Top 5) and only spent 3 weeks in the chart. It also became their lowest charting studio album in the US, reaching number 84. It received mixed reviews from critics.

"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 year after 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 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.^[9] Now, the duo ubiquitously appeared wearing thick, dark eyebrows, inspired by Kabuki theatre;^[10] 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,^[11] inspired by the attire of samurai,^[10] 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.^[11] 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.^[12] 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, 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.^[13]

According to Tennant, the costumes helped him to distance himself from the songs, adding to the impersonal nature of Nightlife.^[9] In other interviews, he explained that they played into his belief in the need for pop stars to have "bigger than life" public images,^[14] and were a reaction against the "naturalistic" look of the 1990s.^[14][15]

Effort was also spent on designing the tour's visuals, with sets designed by deconstructivist architect Zaha Hadid.^[16] The stage was modular, and could fit in differently-sized venues^[15] and be rearranged by the backing singers throughout each concert.^[12]

Track listing

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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"For Your Own Good"		Rollo Pet Shop Boys	5:13
2.	"Closer to Heaven"		Craig Armstrong Pet Shop Boys	4:06
3.	"I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More"		David Morales Pet Shop Boys	5:09
4.	"Happiness Is an Option"	Tennant Lowe George Clinton	Pet Shop Boys	3:48
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
Track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Ghost of Myself"		4:04
2.	"Casting a Shadow"		4:38
3.	"Je t'aime... moi non plus" (with Sam Taylor-Wood)	Serge Gainsbourg	4:11
4.	"Silver Age"		3:33
5.	"Screaming"	Tennant Lowe Tom Stephan	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 More" (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

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Nightlife.^[17]

Pet Shop Boys – production (all tracks); arrangements (tracks 2, 8, 10, 12); mixing (track 11); design Steve Abrams – backing vocals (track 11) Craig Armstrong – orchestration, production (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12); additional keyboards (tracks 2, 5, 6, 10); piano (tracks 5, 6, 8, 10); vocoder (track 8); choir arrangements (tracks 10, 12); additional piano (track 12) Steven Barkan – engineering (tracks 3, 11) Mark Bates – additional keyboards (tracks 1, 7, 9) Andy Bradfield – engineering (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12) Billy Cliff – backing vocals (track 11) B. J. Cole – pedal steel guitar (track 5) Matt Dunkley – choir conducting (tracks 10, 12) Hugo Dwyer – string engineering (track 3) Farrow Design – design Keith Fluitt – backing vocals (track 11) Geoff Foster – string recording (tracks 5, 6, 8, 10, 12) Scott J. Fraser – bass guitar (tracks 5, 6, 8, 12) Andy Gangadeen – drums (track 9) Pete Gleadall – programming (tracks 1, 4, 7, 9); additional programming (track 3) Goetz – engineering (tracks 1, 7, 9); mixing (tracks 3–5, 10, 11) Carlos Gomez – percussion (track 11) Alexei Hay – cover photography JB Henry – additional vocals (tracks 6, 8, 12) Paul Herman – guitar (track 9) Stephen Hilton – additional keyboards, programming (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12) Malcom Hyde-Smith – percussion (track 9) Bill Importico, Jr. – assistant engineering (tracks 3, 11) John James – backing vocals (track 11) Kate St John – oboe (track 4)

Carol Kenyon – additional vocals (tracks 6, 12) Pete Lockett – percussion (track 8, 12) The London Session Orchestra – orchestra (tracks 2, 5, 6, 10, 12) Richard Lowe – engineering (track 4) Ali MacLeod – guitar (tracks 2, 5, 6, 12) Ian MacNeil – costume design Danny Madden – backing vocal arrangements and conduction (track 11) Sylvia Mason-James – additional vocals (track 4) Metro Voices – choir (tracks 10, 12) Kylie Minogue – vocals (track 10) Vincent Montana, Jr. – string and horn arrangements and conduction (track 11) David Morales – production (tracks 3, 11) Joey Mosk – keyboard programming (track 11) Tessa Niles – additional vocals (tracks 6, 12) Richard T. Norris – additional keyboards, programming (tracks 2, 6, 12) Jenny O'Grady – choir master (tracks 10, 12) Gene Perez – bass guitar (track 11) Rollo – mixing, production (tracks 1, 7, 9) Peter "Ski" Schwartz – additional keyboards (tracks 2, 12); keyboards, programming, string arrangements (track 3) Jon Smelz – string and horn engineering (track 11) Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (tracks 2, 6, 8, 12) Pauline Taylor – additional vocals (track 1) Eric Watson – inside photography Audrey Wheeler – additional vocals (track 3) Gavyn Wright – orchestra conductor Tim Young – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1999) Peak position Australian Albums Chart[18] 25 Austrian Albums Chart[19] 16 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[20] 29 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[21] 41 Canadian Albums Chart[22] 11 Danish Albums Chart[23] 9 Dutch Albums Chart[24] 61 European Top 100 Albums[25] 3 Finnish Albums Chart[26] 18 French Albums Chart[27] 36 German Albums Chart[28] 2 Hungarian Albums Chart[29] 22 Japanese Albums Chart[30] 12 Norwegian Albums Chart[31] 16 Scottish Albums Chart[32] 15 Spanish Albums Chart[33] 9 Swedish Albums Chart[34] 4 Swiss Albums Chart[35] 9 UK Albums Chart[36] 7 US Billboard 200[37] 84

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position Danish Albums Chart[38] 91 German Albums Chart[39] 99

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Germany (BVMI)[40]	Gold	150,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[41]	Gold	100,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Edition	Label	Ref.
Germany	8 October 1999	EMI	Standard	[42]
Japan				[43]
United Kingdom	11 October 1999	Parlophone		[44]
United States	2 November 1999	Sire		[45]
	16 November 1999		Limited	[46]

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Nightlife – Pet Shop Boys". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
2. Bolton, Rob (October 1999). "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife". Exclaim!. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
3. Cooper, Paul (2 November 1999). "Pet Shop Boys: Nightlife". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
4. Forsberg, Niklas (22 October 1999). "Pet Shop Boys: Nightlife". Release Magazine. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
5. Sheffield, Rob (11 November 2009). "Pet Shop Boys: Nightlife". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2005.
6. Taylor, Charles (17 November 1999). "The last days of disco". Salon.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
7. Christgau, Robert (9 November 1999). "African Connection II". The Village Voice. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
8. "Nightlife". New Musical Express. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
9. Forsberg, Niklas. "From West End Girls to New York City Boys". Release Magazine. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
10. Gdula, Steve (9 November 1999). "Happy together". The Advocate. FindArticles. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
11. Hoare, Philip (8 October 2006). "About the boys". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
12. Clerk, Carol (31 July 1999). "Straight Down the Line: Pet Shop Boys: Tennant's Super". Melody Maker. 76 (30): 7. ISSN 0025-9012.
13. "A Pedigree of Panache". Sleazenation. chrislowe.co.uk. August 1999. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
14. Silcott, Mireille (11 November 1999). "The Pet Shop Boys, obsessively". Montreal Mirror. Quebecor. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
15. Stevenson, Jane (14 November 1999). "Pet Shop Boys dance with architecture". Jam!. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
16. "The Pet Shop Boys interview". VOXOnline. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
17. Nightlife (CD liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1999. P3043912.
18. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
19. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
20. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
21. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
22. "Top 100 Albums". RPM. 70 (1). 25 October 1999. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
23. "Pet Shop Boys / Nightlife". TOP20.dk. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
24. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
25. "Hits of the World". Billboard. 111 (45): 57. 6 November 1999. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
26. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
27. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
28. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
29. "Top 40 album-, DVD- és válogatáslemez-lista – 1999. 43. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
30. ペット・ショップ・ボーイズのアルバム売り上げランキング [Pet Shop Boys album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
31. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
32. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 17–23 October 1999. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
33. "Hits of the World". Billboard. 111 (46): 51. 13 November 1999. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
34. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
35. "Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
36. "Pet Shop Boys" (select "Albums" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
37. "Pet Shop Boys – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
38. "Chart of the Year 1999". TOP20.dk. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
39. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1999" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
40. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Pet Shop Boys; 'Nightlife')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
41. "British album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife". British Phonographic Industry. 18 February 2000. Retrieved 18 September 2011. Enter Nightlife in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
42. "Pet Shop Boys // Nightlife" (in German). EMI Music Germany. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
43. ナイトライフ [Nightlife] (in Japanese). EMI Music Japan. Archived from the original on 28 July 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
44. "Nightlife". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
45. "Nightlife". Amazon.com. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
46. "Nightlife (Limited Edition, Extra tracks)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 22 December 2012.