All You Pretty Girls

XTC

About All You Pretty Girls

"All You Pretty Girls" is a song written by Andy Partridge of the English rock band XTC, released on their 1984 album The Big Express. It peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart, and its music video cost £33,000 to make. Partridge remembers that song came about while he was "dicking around, playing some Hendrix. ... I was just playing this little two-note, quasi-Hendrix thing, and I liked the inherent melody in it. It felt like a really archaic old folk melody."With the exception of the opening, all the drum sounds in the recording were made with a LinnDrum. The choir sounds were a Mellotron sample played out of a speaker inside a fire bucket. 


Year:
1987
3:59
205 
#1

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Do something for me, boys 
If I should die at sea, boys 
Write a little note, boys 
Set it off afloat, saying 

Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Village and city girls by the quayside 
Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Watching and waiting by the sea 

Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Quiet or witty girls by the quayside 
Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Watching and waiting there for me

I think about your pale arms waving 
When I see the caps upon the green 
And the rocking roller-coaster ocean 
Think about you every night when I'm fathoms asleep 
And in my dreams 
We are rocking in a similar motion 

Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Village and city girls by the quayside 
Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Watching and waiting by the sea 

Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Quiet or witty girls by the quayside 
Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Watching and waiting there for me

I think about the salt sea rolling 
Down in pearly tears upon your cheeks 
Just like the day the harbor pulled away 
I think about your warm white sheets unfolding 
The more I have to drink 
The more that I can think to say

Do something for me, boys 
If I should die at sea, boys 
Write a little note, boys 
And set it off afloat, saying 

Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Village and city girls by the quayside 
Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Watching and waiting by the sea

Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Quiet or witty girls by the quayside 
Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Watching and waiting there for me

Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Village and city girls by the quayside 
Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Watching and waiting by the sea 

Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Quiet or witty girls by the quayside 
Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Watching and waiting there for me

Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Village and city girls by the quayside 
Bless you, bless you, all of you pretty girls 
Watching and waiting by the sea

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XTC

XTC was a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1977 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" (1979) and "Senses Working Overtime" (1982), but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical (rather than commercial) success. more »

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Written by: ANDY PARTRIDGE

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Song Release
"All You Pretty Girls" by XTC, an English rock band, was originally released as the lead single from the band's eighth studio album, "Oranges & Lemons" in 1984.
Chart Performance
The song peaked in the UK singles chart at number 55, demonstrating a satisfactory, though not record-breaking, success in the band's home country.
Sea Shanty Influence
The song is heavily influenced by traditional English folk music and is reminiscent of sea shanties. It uses maritime metaphors and features an accordion, helping to create this acoustic maritime vibe.
Featured Instrument
"All You Pretty Girls" features the distinctive sound of a rare instrument called a 'jug.' Dave Gregory, the band's guitarist and keyboardist, played the jug on the track.
Songwriting Inspiration
The song was written by Andy Partridge, the band's lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter. Partridge has explained that it was written in part as a response to the overtly sexual imagery prevalent in contemporary pop and rock music.
Subsequent Usage
British folk rock band Show of Hands covered the song in 1995, giving it a new lease of life and introducing it to a different audience.
One-shot Music Video
The music video for the song, directed by Ian Eames, was shot in one take. The band members performed the song while sailing on a boat.
Change in Sound
"All You Pretty Girls" marked a significant shift in XTC's sound, moving away from the new wave and post-punk influences of their earlier work, towards a more sophisticated pop sound.
Different Song Versions
Several versions of the song exist. The full album version is around three minutes long, while a shorter edit was used for the single release. There’s also an instrumental version that was released as a B-side on the 12-inch single.
Controversial Lyrics
One of the song's verses makes a reference to the sexual prowess of sailors and this led to some controversy at the time, with some radio stations refusing to play the song due to potential breaches of broadcasting standards.

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