| "Pretty Vacant" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Sex Pistols | ||||
| from the album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols | ||||
| B-side | "No Fun" | |||
| Released | 1 July 1977 (UK) October 27, 1977 (US) 15 October 2007 (30th anniversary re-issue) |
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| Format | Vinyl single | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 3:15 | |||
| Label | Virgin Records (UK) Warner Bros. (US) | |||
| Writer(s) | Sex Pistols | |||
| Producer | Chris Thomas, Bill Price | |||
| Sex Pistols singles chronology | ||||
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"Pretty Vacant" was the third single released by the punk rock band Sex Pistols. This ode to apathy[citation needed] was released on 1 July 1977. The song marked the band's only appearance on the British music show Top of the Pops. The song is infamous for vocalist John Lydon's phrasing of the word "vacant", emphasizing the last syllable making it sound like the swear word "cunt".[1][2] According to Glen Matlock the riff was inspired by "S.O.S." by ABBA after hearing it on the radio.
The song was featured in the 1981 Ralph Bakshi movie American Pop.
The B-side is a cover of The Stooges' "No Fun" which they played on the spot without a proper rehearsal.
"Pretty Vacant" was used as the theme song to a short-lived 1994 television sketch comedy show called The Vacant Lot.
The New Musical Express magazine made it their Single of the Year in 1977[3]. In March 2005, Q magazine placed the song at number 26 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
Joey Ramone used the lead riff in his cover of "What a Wonderful World".
South African pop group Shikisha released a cover version of the song in 1996[4].
The French band Les Négresses Vertes as well as grime MC Lady Sovereign have both covered "Pretty Vacant" and performed live versions of the song. Lady Sovereign's version features in the popular TV show, The OC and the cover version is one of the six OC soundtracks called Music from the OC: Mix 6.
A version of this song entitled "Pretty Vacant (Guitar Hero Version)" was released on iTunes for download on 16 October 2007. The song is included in Guitar Hero World Tour.
This song is on the soundtrack to the video game skate.
Chris Miles, an important character of Skins (TV series), has a t-shirt that says "pretty vacant" in various episodes.[5]
References
- ^ John Lydon with Keith and Kent Zimmerman, Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs, Hodder and Stoughton, 1994 {ISBN 0-340-610019-0}, p. 272f.
- ^ Jon Savage, England's Dreaming. Sex Pistols and Punk Rock. London, Faber and Faber, 1991 {ISBN 0-571-16791-8}, p. 378.
- ^ NME Single of the Year 1977
- ^ WOMAD
- ^ EXAMPLE. Season 2, episode 1.01
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