Pretty Ballerina

Not to be confused with Nina, Pretty Ballerina.

"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.

"Pretty Ballerina"
Single by the Left Banke
from the album Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina
B-side	"Lazy Day"
Released	December 1966 (1966-12)[1]
Recorded	November 1966[1]
Studio	World United, New York City[1]
Genre	Baroque pop[2][3] art pop[4]
Length	2:41
Label	Smash
Songwriter(s)	Michael Brown
Producer(s)	Harry Lookofsky Steve Jerome Bill Jerome
The Left Banke singles chronology
"Walk Away Renée" (1966) "Pretty Ballerina" (1966) "Ivy Ivy" (1967)

Composition

"Pretty Ballerina" was one of the first pop songs to use the acoustic scale. 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, 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".

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1967) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles 4 New Zealand 13 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[6] 15 U.S. Cash Box Top 100 12

Year-end charts Chart (1967) Rank U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) [7] 149

Cover versions

• Alice Cooper
• John Mellencamp
• Jason Falkner
• Peter Kingsbery
• Eels
• Charly García
• Alan Merrill
• the Bluetones
• the Dickies
• Elio e le Storie Tese

Popular culture

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