"The Night I Fell in Love" is a song on the Pet Shop Boys' 2002 album Release. The lyrics were written by Neil Tennant and the music co-written with Chris Lowe.
The song describes a homosexual encounter between a teenage boy (who is telling the story) and his rap music idol after a concert. The idol is never named, but references in the lyrics to Dr. Dre and homophobia in rap music make it possible to identify him as music superstar Eminem. The most obvious reference is when the musician refers to Eminem's song "Stan":
- Then he joked "hey man,
your name isn't Stan, is it?
We should be together!"
Tennant wrote the song after hearing Eminem defending his often homophobic lyrics saying he was representing other people's opinions, such as homophobia in society or rap music. Tennant saw a double meaning in this, and also took it to mean that there are gay rap stars. Eminem has not publicly commented on the song, although Dr. Dre said he was amused by hearing it, and that there might be a backlash.
Eminem responded to the track in his song "Canibitch", in which Eminem and Dr. Dre run over the Pet Shop Boys with their car:
(What was that?) Pet Shop Boys
The reference to "Stan" makes "The Night I Fell in Love" a double answer song, as Eminem's original song refers to "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins.
Famous quotes containing the words night, fell and/or love:
“Lady Utterword: What a lovely night! It seems made for us. Hector: The night takes no interest in us. What are we to the night?”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“I have almost forgot the taste of fears.
The time has been, my senses would have cooled
To hear a night-shriek, and my fell of hair
Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir
As life were in’t. I have supped full with horrors;
Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts,
Cannot once start me.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Let those possess the land, and only those,
Who love it with a love so strong and stupid
That they may be abused and taken advantage of
And made fun of by business, law, and art....”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)