Pretty Ballerina

Not to be confused with Nina, Pretty Ballerina.

"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.^[5] It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 4 on the Canadian RPM chart.

"Pretty Ballerina"
Single by the Left Banke
from the album Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina
B-side	"Lazy Day"
Released	December 1966 (1966-12)[1]
Recorded	November 1966[1]
Studio	World United, New York City[1]
Genre	Baroque pop[2][3] art pop[4]
Length	2:41
Label	Smash
Songwriter(s)	Michael Brown
Producer(s)	Harry Lookofsky Steve Jerome Bill Jerome
The Left Banke singles chronology
"Walk Away Renée" (1966) "Pretty Ballerina" (1966) "Ivy Ivy" (1967)

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".^[6][7] 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

Weekly charts Chart (1967) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles 4 New Zealand 13 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8] 15 U.S. Cash Box Top 100 12

Year-end charts Chart (1967) Rank U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) [9] 149

Cover versions

The song has been covered by such artists as:

• Alice Cooper
• John Mellencamp
• Jason Falkner
• Peter Kingsbery
• Eels
• Argentine rock star, Charly García
• Alan Merrill
• the Bluetones
• the Dickies.

Popular culture

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

References

1. Hyde, Bob (1985). The History Of The Left Banke. Rhino. RNLP 123.
2. "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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
9. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

External links

• LeftBanke.nu
• DJ Tom Finn
• Alice Cooper
• Pretty Ballerina at Discogs (list of releases)