| "Rent" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Pet Shop Boys | ||||
| from the album Actually | ||||
| B-side | "I Want a Dog" | |||
| Released | 12 October 1987 | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop [1] | |||
| Length | 5:08 (album version) 3:35 (single version) 7:06 (extended version) | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Julian Mendelsohn | |||
| Pet Shop Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Rent" on YouTube | ||||
"Rent" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, Actually (1987). It was released as the album's third single on 12 October 1987. [2]
"Rent" was written in 1984. [3] The song is about a transactional relationship between two people. According to lyricist Neil Tennant, the title was chosen for its association with rent boys with the intention of being provocative, [4] but the story he envisioned for the song was about a mistress of a powerful man.
I've always imagined it's about a kept woman, and I always imagined it set in America. I vaguely thought of one of the Kennedys, for some reason, and imagined that this politician keeps this woman in a smart flat in Manhattan, and he's still got this family, and the two of them have some sort of relationship and they do love each other but it's all kind of secret... [5]
The original inspiration for the music was the Italo disco song "I Like Chopin" by Gazebo. According to Chris Lowe, an earlier version of "Rent" was a Hi-NRG track, which they recorded with Bobby Orlando. [5] For the album version, producer Julian Mendelsohn decided that they already had enough uptempo songs for Actually, so keyboard programmer Andy Richards reduced the tempo by half. [6]
"Rent" was remixed in a shortened version by producer Stephen Hague for release as a single on 12 October 1987; [5] it reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. [7] The song was not released as a single in the United States.
The photograph on the single sleeve (pictured) is of Tennant and Lowe on a train platform at King's Cross station, taken by Eric Watson. [8] The music video was also filmed in that location. [9]
The video for the song was directed by Derek Jarman. It features two intercut storylines. One, filmed in black and white, shows Chris Lowe arriving at King's Cross station by train and walking past various low-life characters. The other, filmed in colour, features Margi Clarke as the partner of a wealthy man (played by Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath), who is hosting a dinner party. The lyrics are sung by Tennant, who plays her chauffeur. The woman becomes annoyed when the man pays her no attention. She then gets Tennant to drive her to King's Cross railway station where she embraces Lowe on the platform. [10]
Pet Shop Boys performed "Rent" on Sunday Night at the London Palladium on ITV on 11 October 1987, with Lowe wearing an Issey Miyake inflatable rubber jacket. [11] [12] On their first tour in 1989 to Hong Kong, Japan, and the UK, "Rent" was staged with Tennant interacting with backing singer Juliet Roberts as the characters from the song. [13] During the Performance Tour in 1991, "Rent" was sung by ensemble members Sylvia Mason-James and Derek Green. [14] [15] Subsequent tours have also featured "Rent", including Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live in 2022–2024. [16]
Credits adapted from the liner notes for Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988 [17] and "Rent". [18]
Pet Shop Boys
Additional personnel
Artwork
| Chart (1987–1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Australian Music Report) [19] | 81 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [20] | 27 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [21] | 17 |
| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) [22] | 11 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [23] | 12 |
| Ireland (IRMA) [24] | 5 |
| Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [25] | 11 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [26] | 28 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) [27] | 25 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [28] | 23 |
| Spain (AFYVE) [29] | 21 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [30] | 19 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [31] | 10 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [32] | 8 |
| West Germany (GfK) [33] | 10 |
Liza Minnelli performed "Rent" on her 1989 album Results , which was produced by Pet Shop Boys and included additional songs written by them for her. [34] [35]
"Rent" was covered by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine and was included as a B-side for their single "R.u.b.b.i.s.h", and was later included in their compilation album This is the Sound of an Electric Guitar . [36] The song is also featured as a live version by Suede, as a B-side on their single "Filmstar" (1997), with vocals by Neil Tennant. [37]
The song plays during a karaoke scene in the 2023 film Saltburn . [38] Neil Tennant commented on the use of the song: "...we've had songs in these two films recently, Saltburn and All of Us Strangers , and that's given us a bit of attention. In Saltburn, they sing "Rent" and it's a karaoke scene, but it's actually part of the plot. That's very rare. The song makes such a sardonic point about his relationship, with the guy in the house. [9]
Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London, in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of The Guinness Book of Records.
Neil Francis Tennant is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for Smash Hits, and assistant editor for the magazine in the mid-1980s.
Please is the debut studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 24 March 1986 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI America Records in the United States. According to the duo, the album's title was chosen so that people could go into a record shop and say "Can I have the Pet Shop Boys album, please?" Please featured the number one hit "West End Girls" and nine other songs, including the singles "Opportunities ", "Love Comes Quickly", and "Suburbia".
Actually is the second studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in North America. The album features two number one singles, "It's a Sin" and "Heart", and a duet with Dusty Springfield, "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" Actually is the Pet Shop Boys' top-selling album in the UK, certified triple platinum with over one million sales; worldwide it has sold over four million copies.
"Being Boring" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in November 1990 by Parlophone as the second single from their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990). The song was written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, and produced by them with German producer Harold Faltermeyer. It reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart, marking the duo's first single to miss the top 10 since "Opportunities " in 1986. Its music video was directed by fashion photographer Bruce Weber.
"Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their debut studio album, Please (1986). It was released as a single in 1985 and re-recorded and reissued in 1986, gaining greater popularity in both the United Kingdom and United States with its second release, reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. After the song was featured in a Super Bowl ad in February 2021, it re-entered the charts, claiming the number one spot on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales.
"Love Comes Quickly" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as the second single from their debut studio album, Please (1986). It peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1986.
"Suburbia" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their debut album, Please (1986). It was re-recorded with producer Julian Mendelsohn for release as the fourth single from the album. Peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, "Suburbia" was the band's second top 10 hit after "West End Girls", and in their view it saved them from becoming a one-hit wonder.
"It's a Sin" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, Actually (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became the duo's second number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks atop the chart. Additionally, the single topped the charts in Austria, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe, while reaching number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100. It remains one of Pet Shop Boys' most popular songs with 40 million streams in the UK.
"Numb" is a song by Diane Warren recorded by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys on their ninth studio album, Fundamental (2006). It was released on 16 October 2006 as the album's third and final single, peaking at number 23 on the UK Singles Chart. Up to that point, it was only the duo's second single in 39 releases to miss the UK top 20.
"Heart" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, Actually (1987). It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 21 March 1988 by Parlophone. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in April 1988, becoming the duo's fourth and final number one single to date in the United Kingdom. The music video was filmed in Slovenia; it was directed by Jack Bond and starred Ian McKellen as a vampire.
"Jealousy" is a song originally written in 1982 by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, recorded for their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990). It was released on 28 May 1991 as the album's fourth and final single in a slightly remixed form, which appears on the Pet Shop Boys' greatest hits albums. It reached number 12 on the UK singles chart. The song was performed by Robbie Williams at the Pet Shop Boys' 2006 BBC Radio 2 concert at the Mermaid Theatre, a recording of which was released on the Pet Shop Boys' live album Concrete.
"Domino Dancing" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in September 1988 by Parlophone as the lead single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). The song reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and topped the charts in Finland and Spain. Its music video was directed by Eric Watson and filmed in Puerto Rico.
"What Have I Done to Deserve This?" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys and soul singer Dusty Springfield, taken from the duo's second studio album, Actually (1987). The song was released as the second single from the album on 10 August 1987.
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When we started, we would deliberately try to think up provocative, pointed titles. So Rent was a good word because of the association with the expression 'rent boy'.
