"Rent" is a song by English

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

duo

Pet Shop Boys The 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 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

from their second studio album, ''

Actually ''Actually'' (stylised as ''Pet Shop Boys, 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. According to Nei ...

'' (1987). It was released as the album's third single on 12 October 1987.

Song information

The lyric is commonly thought to deal with a financially one-sided relationship, i.e. that of a kept man, the title implying more specifically the lot of a

rent boy Male prostitution is the act or practice of men providing sexual services in return for payment. It is a form of sex work. Although clients can be of any gender, the vast majority are older males looking to fulfill their sexual needs. Male pro ...

. Neil Tennant, however, stated in the ''Actually: Further Listening'' liner notes: It peaked at number 8 in the

British charts The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

. Producer

Stephen Hague Stephen Hague (born 1960) is an American record producer most active with various British acts since the 1980s. Early life Hague was born in Portland, Maine in 1960. Early career Hague started his musical career in the mid-1970s as a session ...

remixed the song for single release.

Video

The

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

for the song was directed by

Derek Jarman Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, gardener and gay rights activist. Biography Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing Home ...

. It features two intercut storylines. One, filmed in black and white, shows

Chris Lowe Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981. Biography Lowe attended Arnold School, an independen ...

arriving at King's Cross station by train and walking past various low-life characters. The other, filmed in colour, features

Margi Clarke Margi Clarke (born 25 May 1954) is an English actress and radio and television presenter. She had a leading role in the film ''Letter to Brezhnev'' (1985), a low-budget film which had an international release. Later, Clarke played Jackie Dobbs ...

as the partner of a wealthy man (played by

Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath Alexander George Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath (6 May 1932 – 4 April 2020), styled Viscount Weymouth between 1946 and 1992, was an English peer and landowner, owner of the Longleat estate, who sat in the House of Lords from 1992 until 1999, an ...

), 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. There, she meets Lowe on the platform and they embrace.

Track listing

* 7": Parlophone / R 6168 (UK) # "Rent" – 3:35 # "I Want a Dog" – 4:57 * 12": Parlophone / 12R 6168 (UK) # "Rent" (Extended Mix) – 7:06 # "Rent" (Dub) – 6:06 # "I Want a Dog" – 4:57 * also available on CD (Parlophone / CD R 6168)

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rent (Song) 1987 singles 1987 songs Liza Minnelli songs Parlophone singles Pet Shop Boys songs Song recordings produced by Julian Mendelsohn Songs written by Chris Lowe Songs written by Neil Tennant