Pretty Flamingo
| "Pretty Flamingo" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 HMV POP 1523 picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Manfred Mann | ||||
| B-side | "You're Standing By" | |||
| Released | 15 April 1966 | |||
| Format | 7" 45 RPM | |||
| Recorded | 1966 at EMI Studios in Abbey Road, London, England | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:31 | |||
| Label | His Master's Voice | |||
| Writer(s) | Mark Barkan | |||
| Producer(s) | John Burgess | |||
| Manfred Mann singles chronology | ||||
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"Pretty Flamingo" is a song written by Mark Barkan, which became a hit in 1966 when Manfred Mann's recording of it was released as a single. The single reached number one in the UK singles chart on 5 May 1966.[1] Manfred Mann's recording was a minor hit in the United States where it spent 8 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 29 during the week of August 6, 1966.[2] It was also successful in Ireland, and was number one there for four weeks, keeping the Rolling Stones' Paint It Black at number two.
Song profile
The speaker describes a woman—whom "all of the guys call [...] 'Flamingo', 'cause her hair glows like the sun and her eyes can light the sky"—for whom the singer has fallen, and his plans to win her affection.
The recording features future Cream bassist Jack Bruce, who briefly joined the band in 1965. On their Top Of The Pops appearance Paul Jones performed whilst standing on one leg.
The song has been covered by such notable artists as Gene Pitney, Tommy Roe,The Everly Brothers, Rod Stewart, Elvis Costello with Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford and Nick Lowe, Rolf Harris, Bruce Springsteen, Elbow, Dave Gregory of XTC, Broken Dolls, The Queers, Les McCann and Paul Weller. The original demo of the song was recorded by noted New York City vocalist Jimmy Radcliffe. Season 6 of TV Series Heartbeat, called Snapped covered the song.
Charts
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM 100[3] | 2 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[ 1] | 12 |
| Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[ 1] | 15 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[4] | 3 |
| Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[5] | 6 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[ 1] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[ 1] | 29 |
| Preceded by "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" by Dusty Springfield |
UK number one single 5 May 1966 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Paint It, Black" by Rolling Stones |
References
- ↑ No.1 in UK charts, the band's second number one. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/all_the_no1_songs.php?show=2 Official UK Chart Website retrieved 08/07/07
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/1966-08-06/hot-100
- ↑ "100" (PHP). RPM 5 (23). 1 August 1966. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
- ↑ "Topp 20 Single uke 22, 1966 – VG-lista. Offisielle hitlister fra og med 1958" (in Norwegian). VG-lista.
- ↑ Hallberg, Eric (1993). Kvällstoppen i P3 (1st ed.). Sweden: Drift Musik. ISBN 91-630-2140-4.
External links
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