Bedsit

In the UK, a growing desire for personal independence after World War II led to a reduced demand for traditional boarding houses with communal dining.

Justin Hayward, the song's composer and singer, wrote it in his own bed-sit at the age of 19, although the quoted line was penned by the band's drummer, Graeme Edge.

In "I Fought in a War" by Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian, mention is made of the "bedsit infamy of the decade gone before".

The subject is also referenced for a similar purpose in "Legend in My Living Room" by Annie Lennox ["...Bright lights and trains and bedsit stains"] as well as the Soft Cell song "Bedsitter", about club life.

David Bowie in "Song for Bob Dylan" from Hunky Dory (1971) sings: "You gave your heart to every bedsit room".

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds refer to a bedsit in their 2024 song "Wild God" from the album of the same name, with the lyric: "He went searching for the girl down on Jubilee Street.