Oh! You Pretty Things
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"Oh! You Pretty Things" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 for the album Hunky Dory. It is a pop tune opening with only Rick Wakeman's piano and Bowie's vocal, before entering the catchy refrain. The simple piano style is often compared to Paul McCartney's "Martha My Dear".[1] Thematically, the song has been seen as heralding "the impending obsolescence of the human race in favour of an alliance between arriving aliens and the youth of the present society".[2]
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[edit] Live versions
- Bowie played the song at the BBC show Johnny Walker Lunchtime Show on May 22, 1972. This was broadcast in early June the same year and in 2000 was released on the album Bowie at the Beeb; it was also released as a promo single in France in 2000.
- A live version recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, on July 3, 1973 was released on the album Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture. This version of the song was a part of a medley with "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud" and "All the Young Dudes".
[edit] Other releases
- It appeared on the compilations The Best of David Bowie (Japan 1974), ChangesTwoBowie (1981), Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993) and The Best of 1969/1974 (1997).
- It was also recorded for a whistle test on the BBC, but released over 10 years later. An outtake, in which Bowie stumbles over the lines and gets them wrong on several occasions, is hidden on the Best of Bowie DVD.
[edit] Cover versions
- Alan Caddy
- Harvey Danger – Live version released on their 2006 EP Little Round Mirrors.
- Seu Jorge – Portuguese version for the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
- Peter Noone – Single on which Bowie played piano. It become a #12 hit in mid-1971. Noone replaced Bowie's line "The Earth is a bitch" with "The Earth is a beast".[3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story: p.115
- ^ Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: p.41
- ^ Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Ibid: p.117
| David Bowie |
|---|
| Discography |
| Studio albums |
| David Bowie | Space Oddity | The Man Who Sold the World | Hunky Dory | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars | Aladdin Sane | Pin Ups | Diamond Dogs | Young Americans | Station to Station | Low | "Heroes" | Lodger | Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) | Let's Dance | Tonight | Never Let Me Down | Black Tie White Noise | Outside | Earthling | 'hours...' | Heathen | Reality |
| With Tin Machine |
| Tin Machine | Tin Machine II |
| Live albums |
| David Live | Stage | Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture | Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby | Santa Monica '72 | Bowie at the Beeb | LiveAndWell.com |
| Soundtracks |
| Christiane F. | Labyrinth | The Buddha of Suburbia | Lost Highway | |
| Related articles |
| Tony Visconti | Brian Eno | Mick Ronson | Iggy Pop | Mike Garson | Reeves Gabrels |
