Pretty Ballerina

"Pretty Ballerina"
"Pretty Ballerina"
Single by the Left Banke
from the album Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina
B-side	"Lazy Day"
Released	December 1966
Recorded	November 1966
Studio	World United, New York City
Genre	Baroque pop; art pop;
Length	2:41
Label	Smash
Songwriter	Michael Brown
Producers	Harry Lookofsky; Steve Jerome; Bill Jerome;
The Left Banke singles chronology

"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.

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,^[8] 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".

Personnel

Personnel courtesy of band biographer Scott Schinder.^[9]

Musicians

Steve Martin-Caro – lead vocals
Michael Brown – piano
John Abbott – bass guitar
Seymour Barab – bass guitar, cello
Buddy Saltzman – drums
Harry Lookofsky – violin
George Marge – oboe

Technical

Harry Lookofsky – producer
Steve Jerome – producer, engineer
Bill Jerome – producer
John Abbott – arranger

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1967)	Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles	4
New Zealand (Listener)^[10]	13
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[11]	15
U.S. Cash Box Top 100	12

Year-end charts

Chart (1967)	Rank
U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) ^[12]	149

Cover versions

Popular culture

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

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c Hyde, Bob (1985). The History Of The Left Banke. Rhino. RNLP 123.
^ "Steve Smith: Wyman and Taylor join the Rolling Stones onstage; Coldplay takes a break". Pasadena Star-News. November 29, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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 April 29, 2011.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Schinder 2011, p. 10.
^ Schinder 2011, p. 15.
^ https://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=1449#n_view_location search pretty ballerina
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

Sources

Schinder, Scott (2011). Walk Away Renée / Pretty Ballerina (CD). United States: Sundazed Music. SC 6276. Retrieved November 29, 2025 – via MusicBrainz.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

External links

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

[:0-1] 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. November 29, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2016.

[Psychedelic_2020-3] 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.

[pc37-5] 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 April 29, 2011.

[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.

[FOOTNOTESchinder201110-8] Schinder 2011, p. 10.

[FOOTNOTESchinder201115-9] Schinder 2011, p. 15.

[10] ttps://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=1449#n_view_location search pretty ballerina

[11] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002

[12] Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

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