Pretty Ballerina

Last updated
"Pretty Ballerina"
Pretty Ballerina - The Left Banke.jpg
Single by the Left Banke
from the album Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina
B-side "Lazy Day"
ReleasedDecember 1966
Studio World United Studios, New York City
Genre
Length2:41
Label Smash
Songwriter(s) Michael Brown
Producer(s)
The Left Banke singles chronology
"Walk Away Renée"
(1966)
"Pretty Ballerina"
(1966)
"Ivy Ivy"
(1967)

"Pretty Ballerina" is a song written by pianist Michael Brown that was released as a single by his band the Left Banke in December 1966. [4] It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 4 on the Canadian RPM chart.

Contents

Composition

"Pretty Ballerina" was one of the first pop songs to use the Lydian mode in its melody (more specifically the acoustic scale), predating the Beatles' Indian-inspired "Blue Jay Way" and Donovan's "Peregrine". [5] [6] The recording features an oboe over the instrumental portion of the track, joining the string quartet, before the music pauses, and goes back to the refrain of the song.

The original Left Banke version of the song was sung by Steve Martin Caro and it is one of several songs that Brown wrote about singer Renee Fladen, the girlfriend of Left Banke guitarist Tom Finn and the object of Brown's affections. Other songs written about her include the band's biggest hit, "Walk Away Renée", and "She May Call You Up Tonight".

Chart performance

Cover versions

The song has been covered by such artists as:

The song has appeared in the films: Apocalypse Now , Off Limits and Things Behind the Sun .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle (song)</span> 1965 song by the Beatles

"Michelle" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1965 album Rubber Soul. It was composed principally by Paul McCartney, with the middle eight co-written with John Lennon. The song is a love ballad with part of its lyrics sung in French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Left Banke</span> American rock band

The Left Banke was an American baroque pop band, formed in New York City in 1965. They are best remembered for their two U.S. hit singles, "Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina". The band often used what the music press referred to as "baroque" string arrangements, which led to their music being variously termed as "Bach-rock", "baroque rock" or "baroque pop". The band's vocal harmonies borrowed from contemporaries such as the Beatles, the Zombies and other British Invasion groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nowhere Man (song)</span> 1966 single by the Beatles

"Nowhere Man" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in December 1965 on their album Rubber Soul, except in the United States and Canada, where it was first issued as a single A-side in February 1966 before appearing on the album Yesterday and Today. The song was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. In the U.S., the single peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the chart compiled by Record World magazine, as it did the RPM 100 chart in Canada and in Australia. The song was also released as a single in some countries where it had been included on Rubber Soul, including Australia, where it topped the singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bus Stop (song)</span> 1966 single by The Hollies

"Bus Stop" is a song recorded and released as a single by the British rock band the Hollies in 1966. It reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. It was the Hollies' first US top ten hit, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard charts in September 1966. In Canada the song reached No. 1 and was their second top ten hit there.

"Temptation" is a popular song published in 1933, with music written by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fool on the Hill</span> 1967 song by the Beatles

"The Fool on the Hill" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 EP and album Magical Mystery Tour. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The lyrics describe the titular "fool", a solitary figure who is not understood by others, but is actually wise. McCartney said the idea for the song was inspired by the Dutch design collective the Fool, who derived their name from the tarot card of the same name, and possibly by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Please Mr. Postman</span> 1961 song by the Marvelettes

"Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well. "Please Mr. Postman" became a number-one hit again in early 1975 when The Carpenters' cover of the song reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100. "Please Mr. Postman" has been covered several times, including by the British rock group the Beatles in 1963. The 2017 song "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man draws on "Please Mr. Postman" and includes a credit for Brian Holland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roll Over Beethoven</span> Original song written and composed by Chuck Berry

"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 song written by Chuck Berry, originally released on Chess Records, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to be as respected as classical music. The song has been covered by many other artists, including the Beatles and the Electric Light Orchestra. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 97 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baroque pop</span> Music genre

Baroque pop is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid 1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropriation of Baroque compositional styles and dramatic or melancholic gestures. Harpsichords figure prominently, while oboes, French horns, and string quartets are also common.

"It's Magic" is a popular song written by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn, published in 1947. They wrote the song for Doris Day in her Warner Brothers film debut, Romance on the High Seas. In the autumn of 1948 Vic Damone, Tony Martin, Dick Haymes, Gordon MacRae and Sarah Vaughan all charted on Billboard magazine charts with versions of the song, but none as successfully as Day's recording. "It's Magic" received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song, but in March 1949 lost to "Buttons and Bows" by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Brown (rock musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

Michael Brown was an American keyboardist and songwriter, most notable for his work with the Left Banke. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of violinist and arranger Harry Lookofsky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk Away Renée</span> 1966 single by The Left Banke

"Walk Away Renée" is a song written by Steven Stolow, Michael Brown, Bob Calilli, Howie, and Tony Sansone for the band the Left Banke, released as a single in July 1966. Steve Martin Caro is featured on lead vocals. It spent 13 weeks on the US charts, with a top spot of No. 5. The song has been widely considered a quintessence of the baroque pop genre. As musician Marshall Crenshaw explained, "There's something about 'Walk Away Renee' that's one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard, just in terms of provoking an emotional reaction."

<i>The Left Banke Too</i> 1968 album by The Left Banke

The Left Banke Too is the second studio album by American baroque pop band The Left Banke, released by Smash Records in 1968. It would be the final album of the band's initial lifespan, with their next album not appearing until 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Martin Caro</span> American musician (1948–2020)

Carmelo Esteban "Steve" Martin Caro, originally known as Steve Martin, was an American rock musician. He is best known as the original lead singer of the 1960s baroque pop band The Left Banke. The son of flamenco guitarist and vocalist Sarita Heredia, he added his family surname, Caro, in the 1980s to avoid confusion with the comedian of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Finn (singer)</span> American musician and DJ (1948–2020)

Thomas Joseph Finn was an American musician and DJ. He was a founding member of the 1960s baroque pop group The Left Banke, on bass and vocals.

<i>Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina</i> 1967 album by The Left Banke

Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina is the debut studio album by the American baroque pop band the Left Banke, released in January 1967. Named after its two hit singles, "Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina", it peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Albums chart. Although the album was not widely popular upon its initial release, and fell into relative obscurity for a time, it is now viewed as a definitive example of baroque pop music.

Stories was an American early 1970s rock and pop music band based in New York. The band consisted of keyboardist Michael Brown, bassist/vocalist Ian Lloyd, guitarist Steve Love, and drummer Bryan Madey, and had a Number 1 hit with a cover of Hot Chocolate's "Brother Louie."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City (Leiber and Stoller song)</span> Song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Kansas City" is a rhythm and blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952. First recorded by Little Willie Littlefield the same year, as "K. C. Loving", the song later became a chart-topping hit when it was recorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959. "Kansas City" is one of Leiber and Stoller's "most recorded tunes, with more than three hundred versions", with several appearing in the R&B and pop record charts.

<i>Theres Gonna Be a Storm: The Complete Recordings 1966–1969</i> 1992 compilation album by The Left Banke

There's Gonna Be a Storm: The Complete Recordings 1966–1969 is a compilation album by American baroque pop band the Left Banke, released by Mercury Records in 1992. It contains the entirety of the band's two 1960s albums Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina and The Left Banke Too, with an additional four tracks having appeared on singles only and one previously unreleased track, as well as "Walk Away Renee" appearing as a slightly remixed version. It is currently out of print. The band enjoyed cult status in the 1990s and beyond as a definitive example of mid-1960s baroque pop.

Renée A. Fladen, also known as Renée Fladen-Kamm, is an American singer and vocal coach.

References

  1. "Steve Smith: Wyman and Taylor join the Rolling Stones onstage; Coldplay takes a break". Pasadena Star-News . 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  2. Lanza, Joesph (November 10, 2020). "Love and "The Internal Muzak Denial Move". Easy-Listening Acid Trip - An Elevator Ride Through '60s Psychedelic Pop. Port Townsend: Feral House. p. 124.
  3. Pollock, Bruce (2014). Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era. Routledge. p. 287. ISBN   978-1-135-46296-3.
  4. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 37 - The Rubberization of Soul: The great pop music renaissance. [Part 3] : UNT Digital Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles . Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  5. Everett, Walter (2009). The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"'. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 255–56. ISBN   978-0-19-531024-5.
  6. Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 340. ISBN   978-0-19-512941-0.
  7. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
  8. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN   0-89820-142-X.