P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller (1982). The song was written by James Ingram and Quincy Jones.

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
U.S. 7" vinyl
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Thriller
B-side
  • "This Place Hotel" (UK)
  • "Working Day and Night"
  • "Thriller" (instrumental)
ReleasedSeptember 19, 1983 (1983-09-19)
RecordedApril 14–November 8, 1982[1]
StudioWestlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California)[2]
Genre
Length3:59
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Quincy Jones
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Human Nature"
(1983)		 "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
(1983)		 "Say Say Say"
(1983)
Audio video
"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" on YouTube

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was released on September 19, 1983. The single charted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 46 on the Hot Black Singles chart, becoming the sixth top 10 hit from the album. In the UK, the song reached a peak position of 11. The single was most successful in Belgium, charting within the top 10 at number 6. The song has been covered and sampled by numerous artists, including Monica, Justin Guarini, and Kanye West. The original demo was also remixed by Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am for Thriller 25.

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was never performed live by Jackson. In a rehearsal for the Dangerous World Tour, however, Jackson sang a small part of the demo version, describing it as "something I wrote that I haven't recorded yet."

Background

Quincy Jones came up with the original title for the song after his wife, Peggy Lipton, brought lingerie with the words "pretty young thing" on it.[1] From there, Jones asked several songwriters to write a song around the title. Jackson and musician Greg Phillinganes co-wrote and recorded a demo, which was presented to Jones by Phillinganes. That version is featured on The Ultimate Collection (2004). Jackson recalls that his version with Phillinganes wasn't what Jones was looking for. "Quincy wanted a fast song. Mine was mid-tempo."[3] When James Ingram presented his demo, Jones said "that's it," and sent Ingram home to finish the lyrics. Jones then suggested they extend the bridge and add a chant section, resulting in Jones receiving a co-writer's credit. Jackson says he loved the version Ingram and Jones came up with, stating that he liked the "code" in the lyrics and the fact that words like "tenderoni" were fun rock 'n' roll-type words that couldn't be found in the dictionary.[4]

Recording

Producer Quincy Jones allowed his long-time sound engineer Bruce Swedien to choose a large-diaphragm Shure SM7 dynamic microphone for Jackson's voice. The choice was unusual, as the microphone was more often seen in radio stations. For backing vocals, Swedien positioned Jackson at different distances from the microphone to record each track, to get a thicker sound.[5]

James Ingram later described working with Jackson and Jones as being in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. "It's almost like I got the chance to go to Oz and Quincy was the Wizard of Oz and Michael Jackson was who he was dealing with in his world. Their work ethic is unbelievable."[6] He noted how Jones would fall asleep on the board, waking up to answer a question. "He works in the Alpha state a lot", Ingram added.[6] Two of Jackson's sisters, Janet and La Toya, provided backing vocals in the guise of the P.Y.T.s. The two sisters sang "na na na" back at their brother towards the end of the song.[7][8][9] According to the official sheet music at Musicnotes.com, "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" is in the key of B minor.[10] It has a tempo of 126 beats per minute, making it one of Jackson's fastest songs.[11]

Release and reception

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was released on September 19, 1983, as the sixth single from Thriller. The single charted at no. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 46 on the Hot Black Singles chart, becoming the sixth Top 10 hit from Thriller.[8][12] In the United Kingdom, the song reached a peak position of 11.[7] It was most successful in Belgium, charting within the Top 10 at no. 6.[7] The single was placed at no. 14 in the Netherlands.[7] "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" charted at number 24 in Canada and peaked at number 51 in Germany.[7]

Response to "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was mixed to positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic thought that it was "frizzy funk."[13] Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine believed that "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was a "lush disco paradise."[14] However, Rolling Stone reviewer Christopher Connelly, while discussing the album in a review, stated that the song "isn't up to the spunky character of the other tracks." Connelly mentioned that one of Jackson's weaknesses was "a tendency to go for the glitz," and cited the song as one example of this.[15] Davitt Sigerson, from the same magazine, also agreed with Connelly, calling it one of Thriller's "forgettables".[16] Jon Pareles of The New York Times called the song "fluff", and believed that the other songs from the album were what made Thriller such a hit.[17]

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008
"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008"
Song by Michael Jackson featuring will.i.am
from the album Thriller 25
Released2008
Length4:37
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
  • Michael Jackson
  • William Adams
  • Keith Harris
  • Greg Phillinganes
Producer(s)
  • Michael Jackson
  • will.i.am

For Thriller 25, The Black Eyed Peas frontman and producer will.i.am remixed the demo version of "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" which Michael Jackson and Greg Phillinganes had co-written.[18] The producer commented on Jackson and the project: "You always just dream of meeting him, let alone working with him. I wouldn't have believed it. I grew up in the projects in East Los Angeles and Thriller was filmed about two blocks from my house, but my mother was really strict and she wouldn't let me go to the factories—she didn't care who was filming a video there; but I'm on the 25th anniversary, 25 years later—that's pretty awesome."[6] Entitled "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008", the remix was well received by Rolling Stone. The publication described the track, along with "The Girl Is Mine 2008", as being one of the best songs on the album.[19] They noted that will.i.am "updates the songs' original sound to make them dancefloor-worthy 25 years after their release."[19]

Personnel
  • Written, composed and arranged by James Ingram and Quincy Jones
  • Produced by Quincy Jones
  • Michael Jackson – lead and backing vocals
  • Greg Phillinganes – synthesizer, synthesizer programming
  • Michael Boddicker – Roland VP-330 vocoder, E-mu Emulator
  • James Ingram – Portasound keyboard
  • Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars
  • Louis Johnson – electric bass
  • N'dugu Chancler – drums
  • Michael Jackson, Louis Johnson, Greg Phillinganes, James Ingram, Steven Ray – handclaps
  • P.Y.T.'s:
  • Additional background vocals:
    • James Ingram
    • Howard Hewett

Track listing

45 RPM
A-side

  1. "P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)" – 3:59

B-side

  1. "Workin' Day and Night" (Live-Jacksons) – 4:26

Disco single
A-side

  1. "P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)" – 3:59

B-side

  1. "This Place Hotel" – 4:41
  2. "Thriller" (Instrumental) – 5:56

Official versions
  • Album Version – 3:59
  • Demo Version – 3:47
  • 2008 Remix with will.i.am – 4:21

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[37] Gold 45,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[38] Gold 30,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[40] 4× Platinum 4,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions and references to the song
  • 2002: American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini sang "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" on the first season of the show.[41]
  • 2007: A part of the lyrics to Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." refer to Jackson's song, and are said to be in homage to the singer.[42][43]
  • 2011: The song is performed in the twelfth episode, "Silly Love Songs", of the second season of musical television series Glee, by character Artie Abrams (played by Kevin McHale).[44]
  • 2012: The Wood Brothers performed a version of the song for The A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series.[45]
  • 2017: John Gibbons covered and remixed "P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)".[46] It has so far charted at number 12 on the UK Dance Singles Chart[47] number 1 on the Indie Singles Chart[48] and number 22 on the Scottish Singles Chart.[49]

Sampling
  • 2002: "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was both sampled and interpolated on Monica's single "All Eyez on Me".[8][50] "We used vocals from the song that didn't make the Thriller album", stated producer Rodney Jerkins. "He [Jackson] had more vocals and ad-libs that were never heard, and we used the ones that were not heard."[8] Jackson hand-delivered his original masters to Monica, who, as a longtime Jackson fan, was touched by the move.[51][52]
  • 2003: The chorus of "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was sampled by rapper Memphis Bleek on "I Wanna Love U". The song, sung by Donell Jones, featured on Bleek's M.A.D.E. album.[8][53]
  • 2007: "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was also sampled on rapper Kanye West's "Good Life", the third single from his Graduation album.[54]

Notes

^ a: This demo, recorded between April and October 1982, was included on the compilation album Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection, issued in November 2004.[8][55][56]

References
  1. Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018). "Thriller". Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. ISBN 9781788400572.
  2. Roberts, Randall (August 29, 2012). "Michael Jackson's 'Human Nature': An NYC classic on his birthday". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  3. Jackson, Michael (1993). "Mexico Deposition". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  4. Jackson, Michael (1988). Moonwalk. USA: Doubleday. p. 196. ISBN 0-385-24712-5.
  5. Savona, Anthony (2005). Console Confessions: The Great Music Producers in Their Own Words. Hal Leonard. p. 194. ISBN 9780879308605.
  6. Bennett, Joy (December 24, 2007). "Thrills to come: King of Pop teams up with Kanye, Akon, will.i.am. for remix of world's' best-selling album: is new CD coming next?". Jet. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009.
  7. Halstead 2003, p. 42.
  8. Halstead 2007, p. 256.
  9. Lyle, Peter (November 25, 2007). "Michael Jackson's monster smash". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  10. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) by Michael Jackson – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes. 10 July 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  11. The Complete Michael Jackson. International Music Publications. 1997. p. 69. ISBN 1859094473.
  12. Yeany, Ron (February 10, 1984). "MJ breaks record with record and makes 25 million sales". The Daily Collegian. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  13. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Michael Jackson – Thriller". AllMusic. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  14. Henderson, Eric (October 18, 2003). "Michael Jackson: Thriller". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  15. Connelly, Christopher (January 28, 1983). "Michael Jackson: Thriller". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  16. Sigerson, Davitt (October 27, 1987). "Michael Jackson: Bad". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  17. Pareles, Jon (September 3, 1987). "Critic's Notebook; How Good Is Jackson's 'Bad'?". The New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  18. "Kanye West, Akon, will.i.am for 'Thriller' reissue". NME. November 30, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013.
  19. Kreps, Daniel (December 20, 2007). "The "Thriller" Remixes: Kanye, Akon, Will.i.am and Fergie Try to Top the Chipmunks' "Beat It"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007.
  20. Heigl, Alex (July 20, 2020). "'Facts of Life' star Mindy Cohn reveals she sang on Michael Jackson's 'P.Y.T.'". Page Six. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  21. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  22. "Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  23. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 4422." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  24. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4377." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  25. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 13, 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  26. "Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  27. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – P.Y.T.". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  29. "Thriller – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  30. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – December 3, 1983". Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012.
  31. "Offiziellecharts.de – Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)". GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  32. "50 Back Catalogue Singles – 04/07/2009". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  33. "Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  34. "Chart Log UK: Jessie J – JX". Zobbel.de. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  35. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1983". Cash Box. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012.
  36. "Jaaroverzichten 1984" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  37. "Danish single certifications – Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  38. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved April 22, 2022. Type Michael Jackson in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  39. "British single certifications – Michael Jackson – PYT (Pretty Young Thing)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  40. "American single certifications – Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  41. Blay, Ryan (September 2, 2002). "Two compete on 'American Idol' for a record deal with RCA". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014.
  42. Gamboa, Glenn (February 12, 2008). "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' turns 25". PopMatters. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  43. O'Neil, Luke (July 31, 2007). "If it fits in the mix, it works". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007.
  44. Idolator Staff (January 22, 2011). "'Glee' Covers Katy Perry and Michael Jackson for Valentine's Day". Idolator. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  45. Modell, Josh (August 21, 2012). "The Wood Brothers cover Michael Jackson". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  46. Kavanagh, Mark (April 11, 2017). "Watch: New single from Irish DJ John Gibbons". Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  47. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40: 26 May 2017 – 1 June 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  48. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50/: 26 May 2017 – 1 June 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  49. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100: 26 May 2017 – 1 June 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  50. Saraceno, Christina (December 11, 2002). "Monica Eyes the Spotlight". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007.
  51. Moss, Corey (July 3, 2002). "Monica's Next Album Showcases Her Newfound Potty Mouth". MTV. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  52. Reid, Shaheem (May 8, 2002). "Monica Brings New Perspective to Third Album". MTV. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  53. Reid, Shaheem (May 5, 2003). "Memphis Bleek Gets Past Bleak Period, Now Has It M.A.D.E." MTV. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  54. Pattison, Louis (September 13, 2007). "Kanye West – Graduation". NME. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  55. Rashbaum, Alyssa (September 9, 2004). "Michael Jackson's Ultimate Box Set Has Demos, Hits, Live DVD". MTV. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  56. "CDs". The Washington Post. December 10, 2004. Retrieved May 3, 2009.

Bibliography
  • Halstead, Craig (2003). Michael Jackson the Solo Years. Authors On Line. ISBN 0-7552-0091-8.
  • Halstead, Craig (2007). Michael Jackson: For the Record. Authors On Line. ISBN 978-0-7552-0267-6.
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