"In Private" was the third single in a row to be a charting success for British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 singer Dusty Springfield

Dusty Springfield

Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...

, after nearly two decades of little chart success. Both "In Private" and Springfield's previous single, "Nothing Has Been Proved

Nothing Has Been Proved

"Nothing Has Been Proved" is a song and a single release by British singer Dusty Springfield, produced by the Pet Shop Boys. The song was the second collaboration between Springfield and Pet Shop Boys, following their UK #2 and US #2 hit duet "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" in 1987...

" were produced by Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....

, who helped return Springfield to prominence with their 1987 hit collaboration "What Have I Done to Deserve This?". Both Springfield singles were included on her 1990 British album Reputation

Reputation (album)

Reputation is the thirteenth studio album by British singer Dusty Springfield, and twelfth released. Issued on the Parlophone Records label in the UK and the rest of Europe in June 1990, Reputation was not only Springfield's first studio album in eight years at the time but in fact also the first...

.

Releases and chart performances

"In Private" peaked at #14 in the British charts. Though not released as a single in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, it proved to be popular with club DJ

Disc jockey

A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...

s on both coasts, and charted on the Hot 100 Dance/Club Play charts, also at #14. A separate remix single with an orange cover - as opposed to the other formats' colours green (see right; also used for 12" and 7" versions) and purple (for the CD single) - was also released both on 12" and CD in certain territories, featuring three radically rearranged and remixed dance versions by Shep Pettibone

Shep Pettibone

Robert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...

.

Cover versions

The song was later re-recorded and released in 2006 on Fundamentalism, the limited edition second disc released with the Pet Shop Boys' own album Fundamental

Fundamental (Pet Shop Boys album)

Fundamental is the sixteenth album, the ninth of entirely new music, by the British band Pet Shop Boys. It was released in May 2006 in the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, and Canada, and was released in late June 2006 in the United States. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number five on 28...

. This version also appeared as the b-side to the single "Minimal

Minimal (song)

"Minimal" is a song by British synthpop band Pet Shop Boys and is featured on their 2006 album Fundamental. It was released 24 July 2006 as the second single from that album in the UK, entering the UK Singles Chart at #19 in the first week of its release . It was their 37th Top 20 hit in the UK...

" released the same year. It is performed as a duet between Neil Tennant

Neil Tennant

Neil Francis Tennant is an English musician, singer and songwriter, who, with bandmate Chris Lowe, makes up the successful electronic dance music duo Pet Shop Boys.-Childhood:...

 and Elton John

Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

. The fact that both of these are openly gay men makes the song's subject of a hidden relationship that one of the participants is ashamed to admit to all the more pointed, especially on the following lines:
Tennant: "What you gonna say when you run back to your wife?" /
John: "I guess it's just the story of my life...!" /
Both: "What are you gonna say...?"

This song was also recorded by the Swedish pop group, Nouveau Riche as a hidden track on their 2007 album "Pink Trash". In 2008, it was covered by another Swedish band, Sahara Hotnights

Sahara Hotnights

Sahara Hotnights is a rock band from Robertsfors, Sweden. Their style incorporates elements of garage rock, power pop and punk. While in Australia, Josephine Forsman bet on a horse named Sahara Hotnights and used the name for the band.-History:...

.

In 1996 a Dutch cover version of the song was a big comeback hit for Flemish singer Liliane Saint-Pierre.

Track listings

7" single / Cassette

1. "In Private" — 4:21
2. "In Private" (instrumental) — 4:21

12" maxi / CD maxi

1. "In Private" (12" version) — 7:12
2. "In Private" (7" version) — 4:24
3. "In Private" (instrumental version) — 4:24

12" maxi / CD maxi - Remixes

1. "In Private" (remix) — 8:53
2. "In Private" (dub) — 6:34
3. "In Private" (bonus beats) — 3:56

Personnel

• Written and produced by Pet Shop Boys
  Pet Shop Boys
  Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
  
  
• Backing vocals by Carol Kenyon and Katie Kassoon
• Co-produced and mixed and engineered by Julian Mendelsohn
• Assistant : Danton Supple
• Keyboards and programmations by Gary Maughan
• Remixes by Shep Pettibone
• Artwork by 3a
• Catalog# :
  • on spine : 20 3618 6
  • on back sleeve K : 060 20 3618 6
  • on labels : 060-20 3618 6

Charts

Chart (1989/90)	Peak position
Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	9
French SNEP Singles Chart	36
German Singles Chart	4
Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...	13
Swedish Singles Chart	7
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	14

End of year chart (1990)	Peak position
Dutch Top 40	67