Pretty Flamingo

{{Infobox song

| name = Pretty Flamingo

| cover = Manfred man pretty flamingo.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Norwegian picture sleeve

| type = single

| artist = Manfred Mann

| album =

| B-side = You're Standing By

| released = {{Start date|1966|04|15|df=y}}

| recorded = 18 March 1966

| studio = EMI, London{{Cite web|url=http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2018/06/manfred-mann-down-road-apiece-their-emi.html|title = Old Melodies ...: Manfred Mann - Down the Road Apiece: Their EMI Recordings 1963-1966|date = 5 June 2018}}

| venue =

| genre = Sunshine pop

| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=31}}

| label = His Master's Voice POP 1523{{cite book

| first= Jo

| last= Rice

| year= 1982

| title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits

| edition= 1st

| publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd

| location= Enfield, Middlesex

| pages= 100–1

| isbn= 0-85112-250-7}}

| writer = Mark Barkan

| producer = John Burgess

| prev_title = If You Gotta Go, Go Now

| prev_year = 1965

| next_title = You Gave Me Somebody to Love

| next_year = 1966

}}

"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.{{cite web|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/all_the_no1_songs.php?show=2 |title=Official Singles Chart UK Top 100 |publisher=Theofficialcharts.com |date= |access-date=2014-04-06}} Manfred Mann's recording was a minor hit in the United States where it spent eight weeks on Billboard{{'}}s Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 29 during the week of August 6, 1966.{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/1966-08-06/hot-100 |title=The Hot 100 : August 06, 1966 | Billboard Chart Archive |publisher=Billboard.com |date= |access-date=2014-04-06}} 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. Mark Barkan's daughter said that it was based on a girl who lived above a parking lot in his neighborhood: Barkan and his friends used to call out to her.{{cite web |last1=Barkan |first1=Bridget |title=The Last Word |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000j9km |website=BBC Radio Four}}

The recording featured future Cream bassist Jack Bruce, who briefly joined the band in 1965. The recording was engineered by Geoff Emerick, then only 20 years old, who became far better known for his work with the Beatles. The original demo of the song was recorded by the American, New York City based vocalist Jimmy Radcliffe, stylized for The Drifters, but songwriter Mark Barkan was dissatisfied with the overly produced results and had Radcliffe recut the song with a pared-down arrangement.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

After Barkan's death in 2020, Paul Jones of Manfred Mann said: "I'm a little bit ashamed to admit that not only did I never meet him, but I never even got in touch to say thank you for the song. But I would like to thank him posthumously.{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Paul |title=The Last Word |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000j9km |website=BBC Radio Four}}

Cash Box described the song as an "easy-going, teen-angled item about a rather fickle young gal".{{cite magazine |title=CashBox Record Reviews |date=June 11, 1966 |page=18 |access-date=2022-01-12 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1966/CB-1966-06-11.pdf |magazine=Cash Box}} In their review of Tommy Vann's earlier single release of the song, they described it as a "romantic ode all about a fella who aspires to one day snare a real special gal".{{cite magazine |title=CashBox Record Reviews |date=June 4, 1966 |page=8 |access-date=2022-01-12 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1966/CB-1966-06-04.pdf |magazine=Cash Box}}

Charts

scope="col"\|Chart (1966) !scope="col"\|Peak position
class="wikitable sortable"
Canada RPM 100{{cite journal \|date=1 August 1966 \|title=100 \|journal=RPM \|volume= 5 \|issue= 23 \|format=PHP \|access-date=7 June 2011 \|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5792&type=2&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3}} \|style="text-align:center;"\|2
align="left" \|Finland (Soumen Virallinen){{cite book \|last=Nyman \|first=Jake \|title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja \|publisher=Tammi \|year=2005 \|isbn=951-31-2503-3 \|edition=1st \|location=Helsinki \|page=201\|language=fi}} \|style="text-align:center;"\|28
{{single chart\|Ireland2\|1\|song=Pretty Flamingo\|artist-Manfred Mann}}
{{single chart \|West Germany\|12\|song=Pretty Flamingo\|artist=Mann, Manfred\|songid=15313\|year=1966}}
{{single chart \|Dutch100\|15\|song=Pretty Flamingo\|artist=Manfred Mann}}
{{single chart \|Norway\|3\|song=Pretty Flamingo\|artist=Manfred Mann\|year=1966\|week=22}}
Rhodesia (Lyons Maid Hits of the Week) \|style="text-align:center;"\|1
Sweden (Kvällstoppen){{cite book \| first= Eric \| last= Hallberg \| year= 1993 \| title= Kvällstoppen i P3 \| edition= 1st \| publisher= Drift Musik \| location= Sweden \| isbn= 91-630-2140-4}} \|style="text-align:center;"\|6
{{single chart \|UK\|1\|song=Pretty Flamingo\|artist=Manfred Mann\|date=1966-05-07}}
{{single chart \|Billboardhot100\|29\|artist=Manfred Mann\|artistid=5135}}

References

External links

[http://www.theofficialcharts.com/all_the_no1_songs.php?show=2 Official UK Chart website]
[http://www.manfredmann.co.uk/ Official Manfred Mann website]

Category:1966 singles

Category:Manfred Mann songs

Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles

Category:UK singles chart number-one singles

Category:Songs written by Mark Barkan

Category:His Master's Voice singles

Category:Song recordings produced by John Burgess