Pretty in Pink (song)
Encyclopedia
"Pretty in Pink" is a song by the English rock
band The Psychedelic Furs, originally released in 1981 as a single from the band's second album, Talk Talk Talk
. The song inspired the 1986 film of the same name
and a re-recorded version of the song was included on the film's soundtrack
.
in July 1981.
Allmusic writer Bill Janovitz credits producer Steve Lillywhite
for finding "the ideal sound for the band, with a perfect blend of classic pop, punk, and art rock elements".
Janovitz called it "the definitive take" of the song.
The 1986 version reached number 18 in the UK
and number 41 on the United States
Billboard Hot 100
chart.
Janovitz described this version as "ho-hum, streamlined, (and) radio-ready".
alternates between dancing throughout the room and singing while sitting on a pink couch. Other band members appear outside the windows or in the room with their respective instruments, but they are not played. Various busts
and statues
are placed throughout the room, along with a guitar and drum set. A blond
female appears at certain parts of the video, along with a male with a top hat and fan. Their clothes appear to be inspired by Victorian fashion
.
A second video for the re-recorded version of the song primary features close-up shots of Richard Butler in front of a screen showing pictures from the film with colorized and black and white special effects. Certain scenes are replaced by full screen clips of the film. The version of the song featured in the video is shorter in length, running 4:03, and does not feature the same fade out
ending, providing a full version of the end section of the soundtrack version.
12" Vinyl (1981)
7" Vinyl (1986) [UK, Japan]
7" Vinyl (1986) [U.S., Europe]
12" Vinyl (1986)
. It is performed by Automatic 7
and is featured on the Before You Were Punk
compilation album
.
The Dresden Dolls
covered the song for the 2005 compilation "High School Reunion", a compilation of covers of popular songs featured in "Brat Pack" movies. It also features covers of "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" and "Bring on the Dancing Horses
", which also featured on the Pretty in Pink
soundtrack
. It also features a cover of "Love My Way
", another single by The Psychedelic Furs.
The Killers performed the song (in the style of the re-recorded version) with the band at their concert at the Hollywood Bowl
on September 16, 2009. The Killers' Brandon Flowers
sang the second verse and certain lines of the third verse, while providing backing vocals on the rest of the song.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Psychedelic Furs, originally released in 1981 as a single from the band's second album, Talk Talk Talk
Talk Talk Talk
Talk Talk Talk is the second studio album by the English rock band The Psychedelic Furs. It was released in 1981 on Columbia Records. It was reissued with bonus tracks in 2002 by Columbia/Legacy....
. The song inspired the 1986 film of the same name
Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...
and a re-recorded version of the song was included on the film's soundtrack
Pretty in Pink (soundtrack)
The Pretty in Pink soundtrack album was released in 1986 for the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink, a now classic coming-of-age film about teenage love and social cliques in a 1980s American high school....
.
Release and reception
The original version of "Pretty in Pink" peaked at number 43 on the UK Singles ChartUK 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 ...
in July 1981.
Allmusic writer Bill Janovitz credits producer Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
for finding "the ideal sound for the band, with a perfect blend of classic pop, punk, and art rock elements".
Janovitz called it "the definitive take" of the song.
The 1986 version reached number 18 in the UK
and number 41 on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart.
Janovitz described this version as "ho-hum, streamlined, (and) radio-ready".
Music video
The video for the song features the band in a room similar to that shown on the cover of the single. Singer Richard ButlerRichard Butler
- Military :*Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Arran , 1st Earl of Arran, marshal of the army in Ireland, lord deputy of Ireland*Richard Butler , American Revolutionary War General, later killed fighting Native Americans in Ohio...
alternates between dancing throughout the room and singing while sitting on a pink couch. Other band members appear outside the windows or in the room with their respective instruments, but they are not played. Various busts
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
and statues
Statues
Statues is a popular children's game, often played in Australia but with versions throughout the world.-General rules:# A person starts out as the "Curator" and stands at the end of a field. Everyone else playing stands at the far end...
are placed throughout the room, along with a guitar and drum set. A blond
Blond
Blond or blonde or fair-hair is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some sort of yellowish color...
female appears at certain parts of the video, along with a male with a top hat and fan. Their clothes appear to be inspired by Victorian fashion
Victorian fashion
Victorian fashion comprises the various fashions and trends in British culture that emerged and grew in province throughout the Victorian era and the reign of Queen Victoria, a period which would last from June 1837 to January 1901. Covering nearly two thirds of the 19th century, the 63 year reign...
.
A second video for the re-recorded version of the song primary features close-up shots of Richard Butler in front of a screen showing pictures from the film with colorized and black and white special effects. Certain scenes are replaced by full screen clips of the film. The version of the song featured in the video is shorter in length, running 4:03, and does not feature the same fade out
Fade (audio engineering)
In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way ....
ending, providing a full version of the end section of the soundtrack version.
Track listing
7" Vinyl (1981)- "Pretty in Pink" - 3:57
- "Mack the KnifeMack the Knife"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife", originally "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928 at the...
" - 4:18
12" Vinyl (1981)
- "Pretty in Pink" - 3:57
- "Mack the Knife" - 4:18
- "Soap Commercial" - 2:55
7" Vinyl (1986) [UK, Japan]
- "Pretty in Pink" - 3:53
- "Love My WayLove My Way (song)"Love My Way" is a 1982 song by English band The Psychedelic Furs from their third studio album, Forever Now. Written by the four members of the group and produced by Todd Rundgren, the song reached the top 10 of the charts in New Zealand and the top 50 in the United Kingdom and United...
" (U.S. remix) - 3:38
7" Vinyl (1986) [U.S., Europe]
- "Pretty in Pink" - 4:01
- "Pretty in Pink" (dub version) - 3:21
12" Vinyl (1986)
- "Pretty in Pink" - 4:01
- "Pretty in Pink" - 3:21
- "Love My Way" (U.S. remix) - 3:38
Chart performance
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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 ... |
43 |
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
| UK Singles Chart | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
41 |
Covers
A cover of the song is often incorrectly credited to Social DistortionSocial Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
. It is performed by Automatic 7
Automatic 7
-Beggar's Life:-At Funeral Speed:-Musical style:Automatic 7's style has been compared to Social Distortion, Jawbreaker and Face to Face. John Hulett cites Jawbreaker as Automatic 7's greatest influence, and says that the band are Jawbreaker fans....
and is featured on the Before You Were Punk
Before You Were Punk
- Album information :* Record label: Vagrant Records* Art direction by Andrew Lenoski, Rich Egan and Jon Cohen* Recording and mixing:** Tracks 1 and 2 recorded and mixed by Ryan Greene at Razor's Edge Studios in San Francisco, California...
compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
.
The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione...
covered the song for the 2005 compilation "High School Reunion", a compilation of covers of popular songs featured in "Brat Pack" movies. It also features covers of "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" and "Bring on the Dancing Horses
Bring On the Dancing Horses
"Bring On the Dancing Horses" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 14 November 1985. It was the only new single to be included on their 1985 compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing...
", which also featured on the Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...
soundtrack
Pretty in Pink (soundtrack)
The Pretty in Pink soundtrack album was released in 1986 for the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink, a now classic coming-of-age film about teenage love and social cliques in a 1980s American high school....
. It also features a cover of "Love My Way
Love My Way
Love My Way was a Logie Award winning and critically acclaimed Australian television drama series. It won the AFI award for Best Television Drama Series for each of its three seasons ....
", another single by The Psychedelic Furs.
The Killers performed the song (in the style of the re-recorded version) with the band at their concert at the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
on September 16, 2009. The Killers' Brandon Flowers
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. He has also released a solo album titled Flamingo.-Early life:...
sang the second verse and certain lines of the third verse, while providing backing vocals on the rest of the song.