"A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed" is an indie-rock song written by

Billy Reeves Billy Reeves (born 7 June 1965) is an English songwriter, musician, record producer and broadcaster. In 1996 he formed the London-based indie-band Theaudience, (featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor on vocals). Theaudience quickly established themselve ...

for

Theaudience Theaudience (styled as theaudience) were an English rock band, formed in London in 1996. They released one album and saw three singles enter the UK Singles Chart. The band's singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor became a successful solo artist after the b ...

's eponymous album ''

'', released as the third single on 11 May 1998. "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed" became one of the band's most popular songs, peaking at #27 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The B-sides for the single include a French language acoustic version of "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed"; a short previously unreleased keyboard instrumental, "I Miss Leo"; a cover of the Supermodel song "Penis Size and Cars"; three unreleased demos from the group's Blah St. recording sessions, and an extended version of "Bells for David Keenan" from the group's debut album. For radio play, the line "and we all sing the same fucking song" was replaced with "and we all sing the same stupid song". The song was performed by lead vocalist

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded Ellis-Bextor went solo and ach ...

on her 2002 ''Read My Lips'' solo tour, and the video was included on her subsequent DVD release, ''Watch My Lips''. It was also re-recorded with an orchestral arrangement for her greatest hits compilation ''

The Song Diaries ''The Song Diaries'' is a compilation album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 15 March 2019 by EBGB's. Made in collaboration with Ed Harcourt, the album consists primarily of orchestral versions of Ellis-Bextor's solo singles, in ...

'' (2019).

Track listing

; UK CD single #1 (AUDCD3) # "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed" – 3:46 # "Penis Size and Cars" – 2:58 # "Ne Jamais Deçu" – 3:37 # "I Miss Leo" – 1:44 ; UK CD single #2 (AUDDD3) # "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed" – 3:46 # "Ten Minutes Which Improved My Life" – 9:26 # "Never Gonna Give It to You" – 3:19 # "I'm Always Ready" – 4:11 ; UK Limited Edition Vinyl (AUDVN3) # "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed" – 3:46 # "Penis Size and Cars" – 2:58 # "Bells for David Keenan" (Extended Mix) – 2:22

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pessimist Is Never Disappointed, A 1998 singles Theaudience songs Songs written by Billy Reeves 1998 songs