albums » nightlifeback
Nightlife
Nightlife - cover artwork
7th studio album
release date: 11th October 1999
chart: UK #7, US #84
studio: Swanyard (London), Air (London), Sarm West (London), Quad (New York City), Metropolis (London)
length: 52:02
label: Parlophone
producer: Craig Armstrong, David Morales, Pet Shop Boys, Rollo

"We'd written a song called 'Nightlife', a real disco song, which has not ended up on the album, but we thought the title was good, and in writing and sequencing the songs we've chosen ones that fit into the concept of an album called Nightlife," Neil explains. "So in the first song, 'For Your Own Good", someone is hoping their boyfriend or girlfriend is going to 'for your own good, call me tonight' - that they are going to come home instead of going out and getting wrecked. And at he end of the album is a song called "Footsteps" where the narrator is still waiting for their lover to return home, because he obviously has gone clubbing. and that kind of links the album together. All the songs take place at night. People's perceptions of life are different at night, people's needs are different, people's fears are greater, people's need for love or sex is greater, people are maybe off their head on drink or drugs, people want to dance. The night is also scary. It's dark. Vampires come out at night. People exploit each other. And nowadays the night, in clubbing terms, extends into day - you can find people in clubs still dancing at midday, so, although it's light outside, for them it's still the night. All of these themes come into the album. It represents the good and bad sides of nightclubbing, and maybe the good and bad sides of human nature." The album sleeve was photographed by Alexei Hay. They had met him months before and seen a photograph in his portfolio of a girl on the New York subway, and he suggested photographing the Pet Shop Boys in the same location. "We spent spent three and half hours being photographed on the New York subway," says Neil, "which is illegal, with lights taped to the hanging rail. We were meant to be going to Coney Island..." "...but we got the wrong train..." says Chris. "...as, needless to say, the jolly know-all English all said," Neil laughs. Their head were subsequently blurred in the photographs at the instigation of designer Mark Farrow "to give movement to the shots, like you're on the subway at night," Neil says. "The photo relates to the idea of nightlife because you're going out..." "The most exciting time for going out is when you actually do live slightly out of town," says Chris. "When I was living in South Ealing, the exciting thing about going out was getting the underground train into town - you're all a bit drunk already anyway so you're acting a bit badly, and you get that real sense of adventure that you're going to do something great. Whereas if you actually live in the centre of town you don't have that feeling. And in those days you never paid for the ticket, because you'd be really naughty. Happy days..."

For the promotion of the album, the band adopted a stark new appearance, designed in consultation with fashion and theatre designer Ian McNeil. Now, the duo ubiquitously appeared wearing thick, dark eyebrows, inspired by Kabuki theatre; 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, inspired by the attire of samurai, instead of pants. Photographs involving the costumes were often set in urban environments; the Midland Hotel at Kings Cross, London was used as the setting to debut the look. The costumes were used for promotional photographs, the album cover and liner notes, all the single covers, as well as the Nightlife Tour.
related pictures
tracklist
  1. For Your Own Good
  2. Closer To Heaven
  3. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More*
  4. Happines Is An Option
  5. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk*
  6. Vampires
  7. Radiophonic
  8. The Only One
  9. Boy Strange
  10. In Denial
  11. New York City Boy*
  12. Footsteps
    US Nightlife Extra CD2
  1. The Ghost Of Myself
  2. Casting A Shadow
  3. Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus
  4. Silver Age
  5. Screaming
  6. I Don't Know What You Want... (morales remix)
  7. I Don't Know What You Want... (thee maddkatt courtship 80 witness mix)
  8. New York City Boy (superchumbo's uptown mix)
  9. New York City Boy (the almighty definitive mix - edit)
  10. New York City Boy (thunderpuss 2000 club mix)
  11. New York City Boy (the lange mix)
* single release
releases
CS: 1999 UK
(Parlophone;-)[promo;card sleeve]
CS: 1999 UK
(Parlophone;-)[promo;plastic case]
CD: 1999 UK
(Parlophone;CDIN126)[interview]
CD: 1999 UK
(Parlophone;NIGHT01)[promo]
LP: 1999 UK
(Parlophone;72435-21857-19)
CS: 1999 UK
(Parlophone;72435-21857-40)
MD: 1999 UK
(Parlophone;72435-21857-88)
CD: 1999 UK
(Parlophone;72435-21857-26)
CD: 1999 NL
(Parlophone;2306428)[ltd edn]
CD: 1999 US
(Sire;31086-2P)[promo]
CD: 1999 US
(Sire;6434-4-3108621)
2xCD: 1999 US
(Sire;6344-3501224)[ltd x20000]
CD: 1999 CA
(EMI;DPRO 1894)[promo;x50]
CD: 1999 CA
(EMI;7243-5-21875-2 6)
CS: 1999 JP
(EMI;?)[promo;silver slv]
CD: 1999 JP
(EMI/Toshiba;TOCP-65207)
CD: 1999 JP
(EMI/Toshiba;TOCP-65333)[ltd]
CS: 1999 AR
(Parlophone;7243-5-21857-4 0)
CD: 1999 AR
(Parlophone;7243-5-21857-2 6)
CS: 1999 HU
(EMI;72435-21857-40)
CD: 1999 TW
(EMI;72435-23064-28)[OBI]
CD: 1999 TW
(EMI;72435-21857-26)[ltd;OBI]
CS: 1999 MY
(EMI;72435-21857-40)
CD: 1999 SP
(EMI;2185726)[ltd]
CD: 1999 BR
(EMI;?)
CD: 1999 HK
(Sony Music/BMG;70025)[Nightlfe]
CD: 1999 SK
(?;EKPD 0817) [South Korea]
CD+VCD: 1999 HK
(EMI;21857-2-6) [ltd]