P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the 1983 single by Michael Jackson. For the band, see P. Y. T. (band). "P. Y. T. (Pretty Young Thing)" Single by Michael Jackson from the album Thriller Released September 19, 1983 Format CD single Recorded 1982 Genre R&B, disco, funk Length 3:58 Label Epic Records Writer(s) James Ingram Quincy Jones Producer Quincy Jones Michael Jackson singles chronology "Human Nature" (1983) "P. Y. T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (1983) "Say Say Say" (1983) Thriller track listing "Human Nature" (7) "P. Y. T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (8) "The Lady in My Life" (9) "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The original demo version of the song was written by the singer and Greg Phillinganes for Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller (1982). This original demo version of the song was re-done to a more up-tempo beat by James Ingram and producer Quincy Jones. The pair were thus credited with the writing of the song. Two of Jackson's sisters, Janet and La Toya, provided backing vocals in the guise of the P.Y.T.s. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was released on September 19, 1983, as the penultimate single from Thriller. The single charted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 46 on the R&B 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. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" 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. Contents [hide] 1 Recording 2 Release and reception 3 Charts 4 P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008 5 Cover and sample versions 6 Credits 7 Footnotes 8 Notes 9 References [edit] Recording "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was written by Michael Jackson and Greg Phillinganes for Jackson's Thriller album. This original demo version of the song was re-done to a more up-tempo beat by James Ingram and producer Quincy Jones.[1][2]a[›] Jones and Ingram were credited with the writing of the song in the Thriller album booklet.[3] 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."[4] 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.[4] 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.[1][5][6] [edit] Release and reception "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was released on September 19, 1983, as the penultimate single from Thriller. The single charted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 46 on the R&B singles chart, becoming the sixth Top 10 hit from Thriller.[5][7] In the United Kingdom, the song reached a peak position of 11.[1] The song was most successful in Belgium, charting within the Top 10 at number 6.[1] The single was placed at number 13 in Holland and number 14 in the Netherlands.[1][8] "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" charted at number 24 in Canada and peaked at number 51 in Germany.[1] Response to the song was mixed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic enjoyed the song, and thought that the song was "frizzy funk." [9] 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.[10] Davitt Sigerson, from the same magazine, also agreed with Connelly, calling the song one of Thriller's "forgettables".[11] 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.[12] Tal Rosenberg of Stylus Magazine believed that the song was a "jazzy R&B number",[13] and Eric Henderson of the same magazine believed that the song was a "lush disco paradise."[14] [edit] Charts Chart (1983) Peak position Belgian Singles Chart 6[1] Canadian Singles Chart 24[1] Dutch Singles Chart 14[8] German Singles Chart 51[1] Holland Singles Chart 14[1] UK Singles Chart 11[5] U.S. Billboard Hot 100 10[5] U.S. R&B Singles Chart 46[5] Chart (2009) Peak position U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs 14[15] UK Singles Chart 98[16] [edit] P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008 For Thriller 25, Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am remixed "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)".[17] The singer 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."[4] 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.[18] They noted that will.i.am "updates the songs' original sound to make them dancefloor-worthy twenty-five years after their release".[18] [edit] Cover and sample versions My first concert ever was the Bad tour. I was absolutely mesmerized. I've always been a fan of Michael's for the simple fact that what he's done no one else will really be able to do. And that's something that makes you legendary. —Monica[19] Jackson's demo version of "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was sampled on Monica's 2002 single "All Eyez on Me".[5][20] "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."[5] Jackson hand delivered his original masters to Monica, who, as a longtime Jackson fan, was touched by the move.[19][21] "He was extremely helpful", she said. "I know his relationship with Rodney helped, but as an artist I was really honored he took that much of an interest in it. He really could have FedExed the stuff and been through with it."[21] She added that the pop star was fine with adding his ad-libs to her song.[21] Newer vocals that Jackson had recorded in 2000, in which he is heard singing "get it on, get it on", were included on the Japanese version of the All Eyez on Me album.[5] American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini sang "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" on the first season of the show.[22] The chorus of "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was sampled by rapper Memphis Bleek on "I Wanna Love U". The song, sung by Donnell Jones, featured on Bleek's M.A.D.E. album, issued in 2003.[5][23] 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.[24][25] "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" was also sampled on rapper Kanye West's "Good Life", the third single from his 2007 Graduation album.[26] PopMatters noted that the sample "works".[27] [edit] Credits Written and composed by James Ingram and Quincy Jones Produced by Quincy Jones Synthesizer and synthesizer programming: Greg Phillinganes Vocoder and emulator: Michael Boddicker Portasound keyboard: James Ingram Guitars: Paul Jackson Jr. Electric bass: Louis Johnson Drums: N'dugu Chancler Handclaps: Michael Jackson, Louis Johnson, Greg Phillinganes, James Ingram, and Steve Ray Arrangement by James Ingram and Quincy Jones P.Y.T.s: Janet Jackson La Toya Jackson Becky Lopez Bunny Hull Additional background vocals: James Ingram Howard Hewett [edit] Footnotes ^ a: This demo, recorded between April and October 1982, was included on the compilation album Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection, issued in November 2004.[5][28][29] [edit] Notes ^ a b c d e f g h i j Halstead (2003), p. 42 ^ Halstead (2007), p. 255 ^ Jackson, Michael. Thriller booklet. Sony BMG. p 12 ^ a b c 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. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-34135617_ITM. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Halstead (2007), p. 256 ^ Lyle, Peter (December 5, 2007). "Michael Jackson's monster smash". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3669538/Michael-Jacksons-monster-smash.html. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ Yeany, Ron (February 10, 1984). "MJ breaks record with record and makes 25 million sales". The Daily Collegian. http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/BasicArch/Client.asp?Skin=BasicArch&&AppName=2&enter=true&BaseHref=DCG/1984/02/10&EntityId=Ar02604. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ a b "Dutch Singles Chart Archives". dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Michael+Jackson&titel=P%2EY%2ET%2E+%28Pretty+Young+Thing%29&cat=s. Retrieved on May 2, 2009. ^ "allmusic ((( Thriller > Overview )))". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:w9fixq95ld6e. Retrieved on 28 May 2009 (2009-05-28). ^ Connelly, Christopher (28 January 1983 (1983-01-28)). "Michael Jackson: Thriller : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/albums/album/303823/review/6067536/thriller. Retrieved on 28 May 2009 (2009-05-28). ^ Sigerson, Davitt (27 October 1987 (1987-10-27)). "Michael Jackson: Bad : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/259584/review/6067877/bad. Retrieved on 28 May 2009 (2009-05-28). ^ Pareles, Jon (3 September 1987 (1987-09-03)). "Critic's Notebook; How Good Is Jackson's 'Bad'?". The New York Times. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/259584/review/6067877/bad. Retrieved on 28 May 2009 (2009-05-28). ^ Rosenberg, Tal (19 June 2007 (2007-06-19)). "The Diamond: Michael Jackson - Thriller". Stylus Magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/diamond/michael-jackson-thriller.htm. Retrieved on 28 May 2009 (2009-05-28). ^ Henderson, Eric (18 October 2003 (2003-10-18)). "Michael Jackson: Thriller". Stylus Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=358. Retrieved on 28 May 2009 (2009-05-28). ^ U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs ^ "UK Singles Chart". The Official UK Charts Company. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/top40_singles.php. Retrieved on 6 July 2009. ^ "Kanye West, Akon, will.i.am for 'Thriller' reissue". NME. November 30, 2007. http://www.nme.com/news/nme/32881. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (December 20, 2007). "The Thriller Remixes: Kanye, Akon, Will.i.am and Fergie Try to Top the Chipmunks' Beat It". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/12/20/the-thriller-remixes-kanye-akon-william-and-fergie-try-to-top-the-chipmunks-beat-it/. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ a b Moss, Corey (July 3, 2002). "Monica's Next Album Showcases Her Newfound Potty Mouth". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1455920/20020702/monica.jhtml. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ Saraceno, Christina (December 11, 2002). "Monica Eyes the Spotlight". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/monica/articles/story/5934131/monica_eyes_the_spotlight. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ a b c Reid, Shaheem (May 8, 2002). "Monica Brings New Perspective To Third Album". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453841/20020507/index.jhtml?headlines=true. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ Blay, Ryan (September 2, 2002). "Two compete on 'American Idol' for a record deal with RCA". Michigan Daily. https://www.michigandaily.com/print/36507. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ Reid, Shaheem (May 5, 2003). "Memphis Bleek Gets Past Bleak Period, Now Has It M.A.D.E.". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1471696/20030505/story.jhtml. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (February 12, 2008). "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' turns 25". The Baltimore Sun. http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/music/ny-etlede5572856feb12,0,3832309.story?page=1. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ O'Neil, Luke (July 31, 2007). "If it fits in the mix, it works". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2007/07/31/if_it_fits_in_the_mix_it_works/. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ Pattison, Louis (September 13, 2007). "Graduation review". NME. http://www.nme.com/reviews/8950. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ Heaton, Dave (September 10, 2007). "Kanye West: Graduation". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/kanye-west-graduation. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ Rashbaum, Alyssa (September 9, 2004). "Michael Jackson's Ultimate Box Set Has Demos, Hits, Live DVD". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1490867/09092004/jackson_michael.jhtml. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. ^ "CDs". The Washington Post. (December 10, 2004). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51629-2004Dec9.html. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. [edit] References Halstead, Craig (2003). Michael Jackson the Solo Years. Authors On Line. ISBN 0755200918. Halstead, Craig (2007). Michael Jackson: For the Record. Authors On Line. ISBN 978-0-7552026-7-6. Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Terra Alta, WV: Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4. [hide]v • d • eMichael Jackson singles Got to Be There "Got to Be There" · "Rockin' Robin" · "I Wanna Be Where You Are" · "Ain't No Sunshine" Ben "Ben" Music & Me "With a Child's Heart" · "Happy" Forever, Michael "We're Almost There" · "Just a Little Bit of You" The Wiz "Ease on Down the Road" · "You Can't Win" · Off the Wall "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" · "Rock with You" · "Off the Wall" · "She's Out of My Life" · "Girlfriend" One Day in Your Life "One Day in Your Life" Thriller "The Girl Is Mine" · "Billie Jean" · "Beat It" · "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" · "Human Nature" · "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" · "Thriller" Bad "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" · "Bad" · "The Way You Make Me Feel" · "Man in the Mirror" · "Dirty Diana" · "Another Part of Me" · "Smooth Criminal" · "Leave Me Alone" · "Liberian Girl" Dangerous "Black or White" · "Remember the Time" · "In the Closet" · "Jam" · "Who Is It" · "Give In to Me" · "Heal the World" · "Will You Be There" · "Gone Too Soon" HIStory "Scream/Childhood" · "You Are Not Alone" · "Earth Song" · "They Don't Care About Us" · "Stranger in Moscow" Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix "Blood on the Dance Floor" · "HIStory/Ghosts" Invincible "You Rock My World" · "Cry" · "Butterflies" Number Ones "One More Chance" Thriller 25 "The Girl Is Mine 2008" · "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" Notable collaborations and album tracks "Say Say Say" · "Somebody's Watching Me" · "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin'" · "We Are the World" · "Get It" · "Dangerous" · "D.S." · "Why" · "I Need You" · "What More Can I Give" · "Do the Bartman" Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.Y.T._(Pretty_Young_Thing)" Categories: Songs written by Quincy Jones | Michael Jackson songs | 1983 singles