"Pretty in Pink" is a song by the English band

the Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler (singer), Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from ...

, originally released in 1981 as a single from the band's second album, ''

Talk Talk Talk ''Talk Talk Talk'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Psychedelic Furs. It was released on 15 May 1981 by Columbia Records. It was reissued with bonus tracks in 2002 by Columbia/Legacy and on vinyl in the UK in 2011 withou ...

''. The 1986 film was named after the song and a re-recorded version of the song was included on its soundtrack.

Composition

Lead singer Richard Butler said "Pretty in Pink" is about two women he knew while living in

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, London, Highgate, Hampstead Garden ...

in north London. One was a friend of his ex-girlfriend, and the other went to a pub he frequented. However, the Caroline mentioned in the lyrics is a made-up name, and the girls are not high-school age, despite the

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

that was named after it causing some people to think so. "The song is about a girl who sleeps around a lot and thinks that she's popular because of it. It makes her feel empowered somehow and popular, and in fact, the people that she's sleeping with are laughing about her behind her back and talking about her," said Butler.

Release and reception

The original version of "Pretty in Pink" peaked at No. 43 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1981.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

writer Bill Janovitz credited producer

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite (born 15 March 1955) is an English record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts The Alarm ...

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 No. 18 in the UK and narrowly missed the Top 40 on the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 41.

Track listing

7" vinyl (1981) #"Pretty in Pink" – 3:57 #"

Mack the Knife "Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" () is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama ''The Threepenny Opera'' (). The song tells of a knife-wielding criminal of the London underworld n ...

" – 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 Way ''Love My Way'' is an Australian television drama series created by John Edwards and Claudia Karvan, which premiered on Fox8 on 22 November 2004, before moving to W. for its second season, and Showtime for its third and final season, conclu ...

" (US remix) – 3:38 7" vinyl (1986) – US, Europe #"Pretty in Pink" – 4:01 #"Pretty in Pink" (dub) – 3:21 12" vinyl (1986) #"Pretty in Pink" – 4:01 #"Pretty in Pink" – 3:21 #"Love My Way" (US remix) – 3:38

Chart performance

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pretty In Pink (Song) 1981 songs 1981 singles 1986 singles The Psychedelic Furs songs Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite Columbia Records singles Songs written by Tim Butler Songs written by John Ashton (musician) Songs written by Richard Butler (singer) Music videos directed by Wayne Isham Songs about bullying