Produced by Pet Shop Boys & Phil Ha… Read Full Bio ↴Written by Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe
Produced by Pet Shop Boys & Phil Harding
Engineered by Phil Harding
Programmed by Ian Curnow
Recorded at PWL Studios, 1985
Released May 1985 on the first release of Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
The B-side of the 1985 release of Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money), "In the Night", is about the subculture known as the Zazous that appeared in France during the German occupation of France in World War II; concerned with fashion and music, and allied with neither the Nazis and Vichy France nor the French Resistance, they were distrusted by both sides. Tennant, having read about the movement in a book by David Pryce-Jones, asks, in the song, the question of whether this apathy essentially amounted to collaborationism.
An instrumental version of "In the Night" became the opening theme music of the BBC fashion program The Clothes Show when it first aired in 1986. This continued for a decade until 1995 saw a fully instrumental re-recording of the song, "In the Night '95", for the purpose of replacing the old theme.
In The Night
Pet Shop Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a lot of people coming for you
Zazou, comment allez-vous?
A knock on the door in the night
That Zazou, he don't care
Dark glasses, long hair
Takes his time, sneers at men
Zazou, comment allez-vous?
A knock on the door in the night (In the night)
In the night (In the night)
That Zazou, he sleeps all day
Then down to Select or Le Collisee
Sips his drinks, orders more
Says what he thinks and it's a crazy war
Zazou, what you're gonna do?
A knock on the door in the night
(In the night In the night ...)
Zazou, comment allez-vous?
A knock on the door in the night (the night the night)
And when the soldiers strut, all he cares about
Is love
When the flags are out, all he cares about
Is love
Well, there's a thin line between love and crime
And in this situation
A thin line between love and crime and -
Collaboration (-ration)
In the night
(In the night In the night In the night In the night ...)
(Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime
Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime Crime
Crime Crime Crime Crime ...)
In the night (In the night In the night)
In the night (In the night In the night)
Zazou, what you're gonna do?
There's a lot of people coming for you
Zazou, comment allez-vous?
A knock on the door in the night
Now everybody's under somebody's spell
Unless they've already gone to hell
In the streets you can hear the people say
That, Zazou, he should be locked away!
When the soldiers strut, all he cares about
Is love
Oh, when the flags are out, all he cares about
Is love
And there's a thin line between love and crime
And in this situation
A thin line between love and crime and collaboration
The song "In The Night" by Pet Shop Boys is a story about a man named Zazou. The lyricist, Neil Tennant, tells the story of a man who is somewhat of a rebel, but he is not violent or aggressive. He is carefree and lives his life as he wants. Zazou is being hunted by people who he may have gotten on the wrong side of, but he doesn't care. He has his own style, wearing dark glasses and having long hair. He is not afraid to sneer at men who he feels are beneath him.
The song has a catchy melody and the lyrics are open to interpretation. The chorus "In the night" is repeated throughout the song and it creates an air of mystery and intrigue. The lyric "a knock on the door in the night" brings a sense of foreboding and the listener is left wondering who is knocking and why.
The bridge of the song talks about the thin line between love and crime. Zazou is carefree and doesn't care about politics, war or the soldiers who are marching. All he cares about is love. In a political climate where people are being arrested and punished for collaborating with the enemy, Zazou is living his life as he wants to. The song ends with "everyone's under somebody's spell, unless they've already gone to hell". It seems that Zazou has not gone to hell, but he is living his life as he wants, free from the control of others.
Line by Line Meaning
Zazou, what you're gonna do?
Asks Zazou what he plans to do as a lot of people plan to get him.
There's a lot of people coming for you
Indicates that many people seek revenge from Zazou.
Zazou, comment allez-vous?
Asks Zazou how he is doing.
A knock on the door in the night
Refers to someone knocking Zazou's door during the night.
That Zazou, he don't care
Zazou is indifferent to the situation and doesn't care.
Dark glasses, long hair
Describes Zazou's physical appearance.
Takes his time, sneers at men
Zazou doesn't rush and mocks others in a disrespectful way.
Some ugly people want revenge
Ugly here means unpleasant, and some people want to seek revenge from Zazou.
That Zazou, he sleeps all day
Zazou sleeps throughout the day.
Then down to Select or Le Collisee
Zazou goes to Select or Le Collisee regularly.
Sips his drinks, orders more
Zazou enjoys his drinks and orders more.
Says what he thinks and it's a crazy war
Zazou speaks his mind, and it leads to a chaotic situation.
And when the soldiers strut, all he cares about
Is love
Zazou prioritizes love over the military's display of power.
When the flags are out, all he cares about
Is love
Zazou prioritizes love over patriotism.
Well, there's a thin line between love and crime
There is a thin dividing line between love and criminal activity.
And in this situation
A thin line between love and crime and -
Collaboration (-ration)
The situation requires people to collaborate despite the thin border between love and criminal effort.
Now everybody's under somebody's spell
Unless they've already gone to hell
Everyone is under someone's control unless they have completely ruined their lives.
In the streets you can hear the people say
That, Zazou, he should be locked away!
The people in the streets think that Zazou needs to be imprisoned.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DANIEL GASTON ASH, KEVIN HASKINS, DAVID JAY, PETER JOHN MURPHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
luis Torres
Love 3:13 “And when the soldiers strut
all he cares about is love
And when the flags are out
all he cares about is love
Well there's a thin line
between love and crime
and in this situation
a thin line between love and crime
and collaboration
in the night”
Paul Anthony Hoeflich
This is DECADES ahead of its time.
"The Pet Shop Boys are revolutionary "
- Pete Burns.
80s Synth Fan
Strongly influenced by Italo Disco
Adrian Williams
This song was so ahead of it's time 36 years on and still so amazing CLASSIC.
Adrian Williams
@80s Synth Fan it was an influence for the UK artists and stuff
80s Synth Fan
Not totally, it's strongly influenced by Italo Disco that was around for a couple of years already.
KS
Good party
KS
Amen
Max Robinson
trust me one of my fave psb tracks
eric viper
This album Disco is one of the best albums I've ever heard in all genres of music
Паша 1973
Pet Shop Boys-одна из лучших групп в стиле syntpop!!!