I Feel Pretty

"I Feel Pretty" is a song from the 1957 musical West Side Story.

Production

The New York Times explained that "Mr. Sondheim...has said he was never particularly fond of his lyrics in “West Side Story,” especially “I Feel Pretty”", later expressing that “The idea of the song is so simple”.^[1]

Synopsis

Maria sings about being happy and feeling beautiful because she's in love.

Critical reception

Birmingham Mail described the song as "delightful",^[2] while The Tab deemed it a "classic".^[3] Applause Meter called it "sweetly charming"^[4] and VCOnStage called it "operatic".^[5]

Cover versions

The song was mashed up with the song Unpretty by TLC in a Glee episode to create I Feel Pretty/Unpretty, a duet between Rachel and Quinn. It attempts to show the irony is people feeling pretty on the outside but unpretty on the inside.

The song was also covered by Little Richard as part of the 1996 RCA Victor tribute album The Songs of West Side Story.

References