"Pretty Thing" is a 1955 song written by Bo Diddley and Willie Dixon and performed by Bo Diddley. The song was Diddley's third single release through

Checker Records Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Record ...

after "Diddley Daddy". In 1963, the song was released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

where it became Diddley's first of only two songs appearing 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 other single being "Hey Good Lookin'".

Writing and recording

Original releases of the single credited Bo Diddley (Ellas McDaniel) as the song's writer, but many later releases credit Willie Dixon. Bo Diddley himself said: I remember Willie standin' over me, whisperin' the lyrics in my ear before I got to the next line! He was nice enough to give me part of the tune. It should be on the credits: 'McDaniel & Dixon'". "Pretty Thing" was recorded by Bo Diddley on July 14, 1955 – the same day as "Bring It to Jerome". Producing the session at

Universal Recording Corporation Universal Recording Corporation was a recording studio in Chicago founded by Bill Putnam, Sr. for the purpose of investigating new recording techniques and the development of specialized recording equipment. Universal Recording was seminal ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

were the Chess brothers – Leonard and

Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root ter ...

– and Bo Diddley. The performers on the song were Bo Diddley (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

), Jerome Green (

maraca A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas (from Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were ...

s),

Lester Davenport Lester "Mad Dog" Davenport (January 16, 1932 – March 17, 2009), was an American Chicago blues harmonica player and singer. Born in Tchula, Mississippi, Davenport moved to Chicago, Illinois, United States, when he was 14. There he played wi ...

(

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...

), and Clifton James (

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

s).

Single track listings

US 45 RPM/78 RPM

;Side one #"Pretty Thing" ;Side two #"Bring It to Jerome"

UK 45 RPM

;Side one #"Pretty Thing" ;Side two #" Road Runner"

Chart performance

"Pretty Thing" was Diddley's second charter on the U.S. ''

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R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart reaching #4 sometime in 1956, and is Diddley's third highest charter next to "Bo Diddley/I'm a Man" (#1) and "Say Man" (#3). "Pretty Thing" reached #34 on the

Cover versions

The Pretty Things ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, who took their name from the song, made a cover version of the song on their eponymous debut album in March 1965. The Animals recorded a version on a 1963 EP and also released it as a bonus track on

Animalisms ''Animalisms'' is the third studio album by British R&B/blues rock band the Animals, and was released in the United Kingdom in May 1966 on Decca Records. It was the first Animals album to be produced by Tom Wilson as well as the first to feat ...

. Canned Heat released a studio version of the song on

Vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

in 1970. John Hammond and The Nighthawks recorded a cover version of "Pretty Thing" at

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City. It was a primarily classical label at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but also has a catalogue of recordings by a n ...

studios in September 1979 and released it on ''Hot Tracks''.

References

{{Authority control 1956 singles 1963 singles Bo Diddley songs Canned Heat songs The Animals songs Pretty Things songs Checker Records singles 1955 songs Songs written by Willie Dixon