Pretty Good Year

"Pretty Good Year"
Single by Tori Amos
from the album Under the Pink
B-side	"Honey"
Released	March 7, 1994 (1994-03-07)
Studio	The Fishhouse (New Mexico, US)
Genre	Chamber pop alternative rock
Length	3:25
Label	EastWest
Songwriter(s)	Tori Amos
Producer(s)	Tori Amos Eric Rosse
Tori Amos singles chronology
"God" (1994) "Pretty Good Year" (1994) "Past the Mission" (1994)
Music video
"Pretty Good Year" on YouTube

"Pretty Good Year" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, taken from her second album, Under the Pink (1994). It was released by East West Records as the second single from the album in the United Kingdom on March 7, 1994, and as the fourth single in Australia on November 7, 1994. It was not released in the United States. "Pretty Good Year" became Amos's second single to reach the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number seven.

Critical reception

Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song three out of five, saying, "The second single from Amos's chart-topping Under the Pink album is an alluring, lyricai and lilting slab of introspection. With less appeal than 'Cornflake Girl', it offers a quartet of exclusive songs spread over two CDs by way of compensation." ^[1] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Never boring, Tori refuses to follow up the relatively "easy" single 'Cornflake Girl' with another one in the same vein. A sensitive piano ballad is her answer to such expectations." ^[2]

Track listings

• UK 7-inch vinyl ^[3]

A. "Pretty Good Year"

B. "Honey"

• UK CD1 ^[4]

1. "Pretty Good Year" – 3:26
2. "Home on the Range" (with Cherokee addition) – 5:24
3. "Daisy Dead Petals" – 3:02

• UK CD2 and Australian CD single ^[5]

1. "Pretty Good Year" – 3:25
2. "Honey" – 3:47
3. "Black Swan" – 4:04

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Under the Pink album booklet. ^[6]

Studios

• Recorded at The Fishhouse (New Mexico, US)
• Strings recorded at Westlake Studios (Los Angeles)
• Mixed at Olympic Studios (London, England)
• Mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine, US)

Personnel

Tori Amos – writing, vocals, piano, production John Philip Shenale – string arrangement Scott Smalley – conducting Ezra Kliger – violin Nancy Roth – violin John Wittenberg – violin Francine Walsh – violin Michael Harrison – violin Chris Reutinger – violin Jimbo Ross – viola Cynthia Morrow – viola

John Acevedo – viola Nancy Stein-Ross – cello Dane Little – cello Melissa Hasin – cello Dominic Genova – double bass George Porter Jr. – "hanging out" Carlo Nuccio – "hanging out" Eric Rosse – production, programming John Beverly Jones – recording Kevin Killen – mixing Bob Ludwig – mastering

Charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA) [7]	85
Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [8]	32
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [9]	23
Ireland (IRMA) [10]	26
Scotland (OCC) [11]	5
UK Singles (OCC) [12]	7

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	March 7, 1994	7-inch vinyl CD cassette	EastWest	[13]
Australia	November 7, 1994	CD cassette		[14]

References

1. Jones, Alan (March 12, 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week . p. 12. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
2. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 16. April 16, 1994. p. 8. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
3. Pretty Good Year (UK 7-inch vinyl sleeve). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1994. A7263.
4. Pretty Good Year (UK CD1 disc notes). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1994. 7567-85676-2, A7263CDX.
5. Pretty Good Year (UK CD2 & Australian CD single disc notes). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1994. 7567-85677-2, A7263CD.
6. Under the Pink (US CD album booklet). Tori Amos. Atlantic Records. 1994. 82567-2.
7. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 08 Jan 1995". ARIA. Retrieved March 12, 2016– via Imgur. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
8. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2649." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 13. March 26, 1994. p. 20. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pretty Good Year". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
11. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
13. "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week . March 5, 1994. p. 21. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
14. "New Release Summary – Product Available from: 07/11/1994 > Singles (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 247 – Week Ending 6th November 1994)". ARIA . Retrieved April 9, 2016– via Imgur.