"Actually" (stylized as Pet Shop Boys, actually.) is the second studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on September 7, 1987, by Parlophone in the UK and by EMI Manhattan in North America. The album is noted for its loose critique of Thatcherism and the political climate of the 1980s, reflecting the political context leading up to Margaret Thatcher's re-election.
"Actually" was recorded at Sarm Studios with multiple producers involved. Julian Mendelsohn produced and engineered half of the album's tracks, including the lead single "It's a Sin," which topped the UK charts. Stephen Hague, who produced the duo's previous album Please, produced a few tracks on this album, including "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" and mixed "It's a Sin." The track "Heart," which also reached number one in the UK, was produced by Andy Richards and mixed by Mendelsohn. To maintain a fresh perspective, the production approach involved working on each track for only a few hours at a time before moving on to another.
The original plan for the Actually album cover was to feature a painting by Scottish artist Alison Watt, who had recently won the National Portrait Gallery's John Player Portrait Award. Pet Shop Boys traveled to Glasgow with photographer Eric Watson and designer Mark Farrow to meet Watt. Although Watt's painting was eventually submitted, Chris Lowe was dissatisfied with his depiction, leading to its shelving. The painting was purchased by Neil Tennant.
While filming the video for "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", photographer Cindy Palmano took a photo of the duo for a Smash Hits cover, which featured a memorable image of Neil Tennant yawning. Though Eric Watson also took photos for the album, they were deemed less suitable for the cover and used for the inner sleeve instead. Ultimately, the photo from Palmano’s Smash Hits session was selected for the album cover.
Mark Farrow, inspired by Jean-Paul Goude’s design for Grace Jones's Slave to the Rhythm, cropped Palmano’s photo to a plain white background. Despite Chris Lowe's ongoing dissatisfaction with the cover, it has become a defining image for the duo.
