Not Pretty Enough

"Not Pretty Enough" is a song by Australian country singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers, produced by her brother Nash Chambers for her second studio album, Barricades & Brickwalls (2001). It was released as the album's third single on 14 January 2002 in Australia as a CD single. It became a number-one hit in Australia the same year, and it also found success in New Zealand, where it reached number four. In the United States, it was serviced to adult album alternative radio in late January 2002.

"Not Pretty Enough"
Single by Kasey Chambers
from the album Barricades & Brickwalls
B-side	"These Days" "Tear Stained Eyes" "Too Long in the Wasteland"
Released	14 January 2002 (2002-01-14)
Length	3:20
Label	EMI Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Kasey Chambers
Producer(s)	Nash Chambers
Kasey Chambers singles chronology
"On a Bad Day" (2001) "Not Pretty Enough" (2002) "Million Tears" (2002)

The song was written by Chambers as a commentary on the reluctance of commercial radio stations towards playing her music, despite her being an established performer.^[1] However, the single prompted Chambers' commercial breakthrough and was most-added song to radio station playlists in 2002.^[1]

Reception

In 2017, the song was selected for the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia collection of historically and culturally important recordings.^[2]

Junkee said, "2009's The Loved Ones, a horror film about an obsessed stalker, put Kasey Chambers' hit in the mouth of its villain. But it wasn't subverting the song; it was just making the subtext into text. "Not Pretty Enough" is a ballad about over-stepping boundaries and weaponising self-hatred. The creepiness is already there. It’s a gloriously uncomfortable tilt into the painful things about love."^[3]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Not Pretty Enough"	Kasey Chambers	3:23
2.	"These Days"	Powderfinger	5:16
3.	"Tear Stained Eyes"	Jay Farrar	4:08
4.	"Too Long in the Wasteland"	James McMurtry	4:44

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2002) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[4] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[5] 4 Year-end charts Chart (2002) Position Australia (ARIA)[6] 7 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] 41

Decade-end charts Chart (2000–2009) Position Australia (ARIA) [8] 85 Australian Artist (ARIA)[8] 14

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[9]	2× Platinum	140,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Australia	14 January 2002	CD	EMI	[10]
United States	28 January 2002	Triple A radio	Warner Bros.	[11]
	12 August 2002	Contemporary hit hot adult contemporary radio		[12]

References

1. Griffin-Foley, Bridget (2006). "Radio". In Turner, G.; Cunningham, S. (eds.). The Media and Communications. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. p. 145.
2. Sounds of Australia 2017 | NFSA. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
3. Joseph Earp. "The 200 Greatest Australian Songs Of All Time, Part Two". Junkee.
4. "Kasey Chambers – Not Pretty Enough". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
5. "Kasey Chambers – Not Pretty Enough". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
6. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2002". ARIA. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
7. "End of Year Charts 2002". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
8. "2009 ARIA End of Decade Singles Chart". ARIA. January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
9. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
10. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 14/01/2002" (PDF). ARIA. 14 January 2002. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
11. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1437. 25 January 2002. p. 31. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
12. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1465. 9 August 2002. p. 33. Retrieved 26 April 2021.