| Love Is a Bourgeois Construct | |
| Cover: | Pet Shop Boys - Love Is a Bourgeois Construct.png |
| Border: | yes |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Pet Shop Boys |
| Album: | Electric |
| Released: | 2 September 2013 |
| Genre: | Hi-NRG[1] [2] |
| Length: | 6:41 |
| Label: | x2 |
| Producer: | Stuart Price |
| Prev Title: | Vocal |
| Prev Year: | 2013 |
| Next Title: | Thursday |
| Next Year: | 2013 |
"Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their twelfth studio album, Electric (2013). It was released on 2 September 2013 as the album's third single. The song is based on the instrumental "Chasing Sheep Is Best Left to Shepherds" (1982), a minimalist piece by Michael Nyman,[3] which in turn is based on the Prelude to Act III, Scene 2 of the opera King Arthur (1691) by Henry Purcell.[4]
The Guardian named "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" the fourth best track of the year,[5] and Slant Magazine listed the song at number 18 on its "25 Best Singles of 2013" list.[6]
"Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" was written in 2012[7] in Berlin after the completion of the Pet Shop Boys' album Elysium earlier that year.[8] Chris Lowe had the idea to write music inspired by "Chasing Sheep Is Best Left to Shepherds".[9] Neil Tennant came up with the title based on a passage from the novel Nice Work by David Lodge, about a plant manager who falls in love with a feminist university lecturer.[7] For the song, Tennant imagined a middle-class man who was living a comfortable life, until his partner left him and his bourgeois lifestyle became meaningless.[9] The lyrics make reference to the writings of Karl Marx, from the narrator's university days,[9] and to Labour Party politician Tony Benn, who was known for his tea-drinking habit.[10] [11]
The songs on Electric were recorded and sequenced in alphabetical order; the demo was originally called Bourgeois, so it followed Bolshy.[12] When the song was recorded for the album, producer Stuart Price used the sheet music from Purcell's work.[13]
The single was released digitally on 2 September 2013 in two bundles, followed by a CD single on 30 September. Both the physical and digital formats include remixes by Little Boots, The Penelopes and Dave Audé, as well as two previously unreleased B-sides, "Entschuldigung!" and "Get It Online".[14] The twelve-inch single was released on 9 December 2013.[15]
"Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" was performed on select dates of the Electric Tour,[16] with scenes of the Goldhawk Road in London, mentioned in the lyrics, as a backdrop.[17] The song was played regularly during the Super Tour,[18] and it is included on the live album Inner Sanctum, which was recorded during the Pet Shop Boys' residency at the Royal Opera House in July 2018.[19]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Electric[20] and "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct".[21]
On the album, a songwriting credit for "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" is given to Henry Purcell in addition to Tennant and Lowe; whereas on the single, Michael Nyman is credited instead of Purcell, and his music publisher, Chester Music, is also listed.
Pet Shop Boys
Additional vocals
| Peak position | ||
| UK Singles (OCC)[22] | 105 | |
|---|---|---|
| US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[23] | 4 |
Lyrics: Love is a bourgeois construct