"Hey Pretty" is a song by singer-songwriter
Poe. The song in its original version, on her 2000 album ''
Haunted
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Books
* ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005
* ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004
* ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005
* ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...
'', was a sultry pop rant of a woman seeking sexual satisfaction on any grounds possible. It was remade with most of her vocals eliminated and replaced with a reading by her brother, author
Mark Z. Danielewski, from his hit book ''
House of Leaves
''House of Leaves'' is the debut novel by American author Mark Z. Danielewski, published in March 2000 by Pantheon Books. A bestseller, it has been translated into a number of languages, and is followed by a companion piece, '' The Whalestoe Le ...
''. This new version became a moderate radio hit.
Getting "Hey Pretty" on the radio was a challenge in 2001 as alternative radio was playing few female-led acts in the post-Lilith Fair backlash. In an interview with MTV, Poe explained the way in which the Drive-By Remix came about: "Radio was not interested. I called a few program directors, and they
aid
In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another.
Ai ...
'We really love the record, but we're just not playing women.' This one
rogram directorin Portland, Oregon
4.7 KNRK's Mark Hamilton said, 'My station is basically in the same boat. Do some crazy mix that you think will fit this format, and I'll play it once.' I go home, and I'm like, 'They're not playing women? Fine, I've got a brother.' So I called my brother, and I'm like, 'You gotta come over and read a piece of your book in this song.'... (The DJ) played it and got inundated with phone calls. By the end of the week he had played it 25 times, which wouldn't have meant all that much because it's a small station in Portland. But the next week, KROQ in Los Angeles had it. ..."
[MTV News 7 Questions: "Pondering Poe: Wrestling With Macho Radio"]
There are at least two different versions. One ends with the line, "Dark Languages Rarely Survive," followed by a woman saying, "Das nicht zu Hause sein" twice. This is German for "Not being at home", a recurring phrase in the book ''House of Leaves''.
The second ending has that line followed by Poe coming back in with the chorus. The video, directed by
Matthew Rolston
Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his career with the revival a ...
, features erotic imagery of a scantily-dressed Poe washing, driving, and lounging on a vintage car along with a look-alike model with a similar build, hair, and identical outfit. The car scenes are interlaced with shots of Mark Danielewski performing the spoken-word portions of the song, as well as footage of Poe and her look-alike
mud wrestling
Mud wrestling is defined as physical confrontation ( fighting, wrestling, etc.) that occurs in mud or a mud pit. The popular modern interpretation specifies that participants wrestle while wearing minimal clothing and usually going barefoot, wi ...
.
The song was featured on the soundtrack to the
MTV original series
Spyder Games
''Spyder Games'' was an American television series that was broadcast on MTV from June 18 to September 20, 2001. MTV's second and last foray into the soap opera format following the run of the anthology series '' Undressed'', the series was orig ...
.
In January 2009
Ford
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* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
began using the original version of the song in television commercials.
Tracks
# "Hey Pretty" – 3:53
# "Hey Pretty" (Drive-By 2001 Mix) – 3:46
Charts
''Billboard'' (United States)
References
.
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Poe (singer) songs
2000 songs
Songs written by Matthew Wilder
Atlantic Records singles
Music videos directed by Matthew Rolston