"Nightlife" is the seventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on October 8, 1999, by Parlophone. Following the promotion of their previous album, Bilingual (1996), the duo began collaborating with playwright Jonathan Harvey on a stage musical that would eventually become Closer to Heaven. Initially, this project was to be titled Nightlife, and as they developed the musical, they also amassed a collection of tracks suitable for an album, leading to the release of Nightlife as a concept album.
The album showcases a diverse range of musical styles, including hard trance on tracks like "For Your Own Good" and "Radiophonic," produced by Rollo, 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 influences in "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk." Additionally, "Happiness Is an Option" is notably based on Sergei Rachmaninoff's Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14.
As of May 2001, Nightlife had sold around 1.2 million copies worldwide. The album peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart, marking a departure from their trend of top-five entries, and it became their lowest-charting studio album in the US, reaching number 84 on the Billboard 200.
One standout track is "In Denial," a duet with Kylie Minogue, which was seen as a risk due to her then-low record sales. Despite this, the collaboration paid off, as Minogue later found success with her album Light Years in 2000. She performed "In Denial" on her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, featuring pre-recorded vocals by Neil Tennant.
To promote Nightlife, Pet Shop Boys adopted a striking new aesthetic designed in collaboration with theatre designer Ian McNeil. This included thick, dark eyebrows inspired by Kabuki theatre, bright yellow or orange wigs reflecting punk subculture, black sunglasses, and outfits in dark, muted colors, often featuring culottes reminiscent of samurai attire. The visuals were prominent in promotional photographs, album artwork, and during the Nightlife Tour.
The music video for "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore" depicted the duo undergoing a fantastical transformation, influenced by various films including THX 1138 and A Clockwork Orange. According to Tennant, the album's visual presentation helped create a sense of distance from the songs, emphasizing an impersonal quality in the music. The bold costumes were a deliberate move away from the naturalistic styles prevalent in the 1990s, embodying the duo's belief in the necessity for pop stars to maintain larger-than-life public personas. The tour's design also reflected this vision, with innovative set designs by architect Zaha Hadid, allowing for a versatile performance experience across different venues.
