Pretty Vacant

"Pretty Vacant"
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) 27 October 1977 (US) 15 October 2007 (30th anniversary re-issue)
Format	Vinyl
Genre	Punk rock
Length	3:15
Label	Virgin (UK) Warner (US)
Writer(s)	Sex Pistols
Producer	Chris Thomas, Bill Price,Dave goodman
Sex Pistols singles chronology
"God Save the Queen" (1977) "Pretty Vacant" (1977) "Holidays in the Sun" (1977)

"Pretty Vacant" is a song by the English punk rock band The Sex Pistols. It was released on 1 July 1977 as the third single and was later featured on their only album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. The song marked the band's (then) only appearance on the British music show Top of the Pops, until 1996 when the original line-up performed the song (after the live version was released that year) as well as "New York" on the same showing. The song is infamous for vocalist John Lydon's phrasing of the word "vacant", emphasising the last syllable making it sound like the vulgar 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 B-side is a cover of The Stooges' "No Fun" which they played on the spot without a proper rehearsal. No Fun was taken from demo sessions recorded by producer Dave Goodman.

New Musical Express (NME) 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.

Covers and samples

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 is featured in the popular TV show, The O.C. and the cover version is featured on one of the six The O.C. soundtracks called Music from The O.C.: Mix 6 – Covering Our Tracks.

Joan Jett released a cover version on single.

An Irish language version of the song, entitled "Folamh go Deas" (a literal translation), was performed by Irish band Na Magairlí in 1981.

In popular culture

This song is on the soundtrack to the 2010 The Runaways film of the same name.

This song is on the soundtrack to the video game skate.

The second reissue of this song entitled "Pretty Vacant (Guitar Hero Version)" was released on iTunes for download on 16 October 2007. This version of the song is included in Guitar Hero World Tour.

"Pretty Vacant" was used as the theme song to a short-lived 1994 television sketch comedy show called The Vacant Lot.

The song was featured in the 1981 Ralph Bakshi movie American Pop.

Chris Miles, an important character of Skins, has a T-shirt that says "pretty vacant" in various episodes.^[5]

References

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