Pretty Flamingo
Encyclopedia
"Pretty Flamingo" is a song written by Mark Barkan
, which became a hit in 1966
when Manfred Mann
's recording of it was released as a single. The single reached number one in the UK singles chart
on 5 May 1966.. Manfred Mann's recording was a minor hit in the United States where it spent 8 weeks on Billboard
's Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 29 during the week of August 6, 1966.
The recording features future Cream
bassist Jack Bruce
, who briefly joined the band in 1965. On their Top Of The Pops appearance Paul Jones performed whilst standing on one leg.
The song has been covered by such notable artists as Gene Pitney
, Bruce Springsteen
, The Everly Brothers
, Rod Stewart
, Elvis Costello
with Glenn Tilbrook
, Chris Difford
and Nick Lowe
, Rolf Harris
, Elbow
, Dave Gregory of XTC
, Broken Dolls
, Les McCann
and Paul Weller
. The original demo of the song was recorded by noted New York City vocalist Jimmy Radcliffe
.
Mark Barkan
Mark Barkan is a songwriter and producer. He was also a musical director for the television show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. This prolific songwriter has written numerous songs including Lesley Gore's Top 5 hit "She's a Fool," the often covered "Pretty Flamingo," which was a hit single for...
, which became a hit in 1966
1966 in music
-Events:*January 3 – Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work it Out".*January 8 – Shindig! airs for the last time on ABC, with musical guests the Kinks and the Who...
when Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
's recording of it was released as a single. The single reached number one in the 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 ...
on 5 May 1966.. Manfred Mann's recording was a minor hit in the United States where it spent 8 weeks on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 29 during the week of August 6, 1966.
Song profile
The speaker describes a woman—whom "all of the guys call [...] 'Flamingo', 'cause her hair glows like the sun and her eyes can light the skies"—for whom the singer has fallen, and his plans to win her affection.The recording features future Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
bassist Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
, who briefly joined the band in 1965. On their Top Of The Pops appearance Paul Jones performed whilst standing on one leg.
The song has been covered by such notable artists as Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
with Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Martin Tilbrook is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid 1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the melody for Squeeze, while his writing partner, Chris Difford, wrote the lyrics...
, Chris Difford
Chris Difford
Chris Difford is a singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer....
and Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
, Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
, Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
, Dave Gregory of XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
, Broken Dolls
Broken Dolls
Broken Dolls are a British band from Coventry.They signed a five-album deal with Southern Fried Records in 2004, and toured extensively playing such events and shows as Get Loaded in the Park, Glastonbury, Hyde Park , Radio One Big weekend/ Live Lounge, NME awards, Radio 1, Radio 2 and 6Music.The...
, Les McCann
Les McCann
Les McCann is an American soul jazz piano player and vocalist whose biggest successes came as a crossover artist into R&B and soul.-Biography:...
and Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
. The original demo of the song was recorded by noted New York City vocalist Jimmy Radcliffe
Jimmy Radcliffe
James "Jimmy" Radcliffe was an American soul singer, composer, arranger, conductor and record producer.-Biography:James Radcliffe was born in New York City...
.
Charts
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... 100 |
2 |
| Sweden (Kvällstoppen) | 6 |