'Rent' was the third single from 'Actually', released just after the album.
Production and recording[]
The song was meant to sound like a record called "I Like Chopin" by Gazebo.
Originally recorded with Bobby Orlando, it was more of a Hi-NRG track, but Julian Mendelsohn mellowed it out for the 'Actually' album, as they felt they already had enough energy on the record.
In 1989, Pet Shop Boys produced an orchestral version of this for Liza Minnelli's 'Results' album, arranged by Angelo Badalamenti.
Subsequently, the band used the Badalamenti arrangement for their own live performance during the Performance tour.
Creation and meaning[]
'Rent' was written in 1984, and the first line to be written was 'I love you / you pay my rent".
Popular Pet Shop Boys lore is that that this song is about a rent-boy, but according to Neil, it's really about a kept woman; a female prostitute.
I've always thought that it was about a politician's mistress. It takes place in New York, and it's a long-standing affair and they are in love but he's made no other commitment to her than taking her to restaurants and buying her furs and paying for an apartment for her off Madison Avenue or somewhere...and he's still got his family, and the two of them have some of relationship and they do love each other but it's all kind of secret. 'I love you/You pay my rent' is about compromise. It's really saying, it could be worse, this relationship isn't that bad, really. It's not perfect but then nothing is.
Lyrics[]
You dress me up
I'm your puppet
You buy me things
I love it
You bring me food
I need it
You give me love
I feed it
And look at the two of us in sympathy
with everything we see
I never want anything, it's easy
you buy whatever I need
But look at my hopes, look at my dreams
the currency we've spent
I love you, you pay my rent
I love you, you pay my rent
You phoned me in the evening on hearsay
and bought me caviar
You took me to a restaurant off Broadway
to tell me who you are
We never, ever argue, we never calculate
the currency we've spent
I love you, you pay my rent
I love you, you pay my rent
I'm your puppet
I love it
And look at the two of us in sympathy
and sometimes ecstasy
Words mean so little and money less
when you're lying next to me
But look at my hopes, look at my dreams
the currency we've spent
I love you, you pay my rent
I love you, you pay my rent
It's easy, it's so easy