Pretty Little Head

This article is about the album by Nellie McKay. For the single by Paul McCartney, see Pretty Little Head (song).

Pretty Little Head
Studio album by Nellie McKay
Released	October 31, 2006
Recorded	2005
Genre	Pop Rock
Label	Hungry Mouse, SpinArt Records, Rykodisc Records (2006-2007) Sony Records (2008-)
Producer	Robin Pappas/Nellie McKay
Nellie McKay chronology
Get Away from Me (2004) Pretty Little Head (2006) Obligatory Villagers (2007)
Columbia's cover version

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	78/100 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Being There Magazine	[3]
Pitchfork Media	7.4/10 [4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
Spin	B+ [6]

Pretty Little Head is the second studio album by singer Nellie McKay. It was released October 31, 2006, on Nellie's own Hungry Mouse label. It features duets with Cyndi Lauper ("Beecharmer") and k.d. lang ("We Had It Right"). Other songs include "Columbia Is Bleeding", "Cupcake" ("...about gay marriage..."), and "The Big One" ("...about a tenant's rights activist...").

Pretty Little Head was originally set to be released October 18, 2005. The release date was subsequently delayed until December 27, 2005 and finally January 3, 2006.

However, McKay announced on December 19, 2005, that she had left Columbia/Sony Records after a dispute over the length of the upcoming album. ^[7] Just over two weeks following this announcement, a New York Times article surfaced stating McKay said she had been dropped by Columbia Records. ^[8]

The album was being marketed and manufactured on the SpinArt Records label until the label's bankruptcy in 2007. Pretty Little Head is now being distributed by Sony in its original, 23-track 2-CD version, effectively bringing the album back to Columbia.

Track listing

Columbia version

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cupcake"	4:44
2.	"Pink Chandelier"	1:38
3.	"There You Are in Me"	2:46
4.	"The Big One"	4:02
5.	"G.E.S."	1:42
6.	"I Will Be There"	2:55
7.	"The Down Low"	3:36
8.	"Long & Lazy River"	3:47
9.	"Beecharmer" (featuring Cyndi Lauper)	4:02
10.	"Real Life"	2:49
11.	"I Am Nothing"	1:47
12.	"we had it right" (featuring k.d. lang)	2:20
13.	"Columbia Is Bleeding"	3:41
14.	"GLADD"	3:06
15.	"Happy Flower"	2:27
16.	"Tipperary"	2:56

spinArt/Hungry Mouse version Disc 1

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cupcake"	4:44
2.	"Pink Chandelier"	1:38
3.	"There You Are in Me"	2:46
4.	"Yodel"	1:36
5.	"The Big One"	4:02
6.	"G.E.S."	1:42
7.	"I Will Be There"	2:55
8.	"The Down Low"	3:36
9.	"Long & Lazy River"	3:47
10.	"I Am Nothing"	1:47
11.	"Beecharmer" (featuring Cyndi Lauper)	4:02
12.	"Swept Away"	1:53

spinArt/Hungry Mouse version Disc 2

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Real Life"	2:49
2.	"Tipperary"	2:56
3.	"Gladd"	3:06
4.	"Food"	3:00
5.	"We Had It Right" (featuring k.d. lang)	2:20
6.	"Columbia Is Bleeding"	3:41
7.	"Lali Est Paresseux"	2:33
8.	"Happy Flower"	2:27
9.	"Mama & Me"	4:11
10.	"Pounce"	0:56
11.	"Old Enough"	1:45

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [9]	10
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [10]	24

References

1. "Pretty Little Head by Nellie McKay". MetaCritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
2. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r856447
3. "Being There". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
4. "Nellie McKay: Pretty Little Head". Pitchfork .
5. Rollingstone
6. "SPIN". January 2006.
7. "Singer McKay Leaves Sony in Album Dispute". Los Angeles Times . December 20, 2005.
8. Light, Alan (January 3, 2006). "Songwriter Says Columbia Dropped Her in Fight over Album". The New York Times.
9. "Nellie McKay Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
10. "Nellie McKay Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2025.