The strangest song on the album, and possibly the strangest thing that Alice has ever recorded,
'Pretty Ballerina', is a cover of a 1966 track by the baroque pop band The Left Banke. [Interesting fact. At one point, The Left Banke featured Michael McKean on guitar. He is better known as David St. Hubbins, vocalist and guitarist with metal band Spinal Tap!]
The original version can be found
here
Alice has said of the original song:
""Pretty Ballerina" was their second hit. I heard it when I was a kid in 1965-66. It’s just such a great curveball; it sounds a little bit like "Only Women Bleed." It has that delicacy and darkness, even though when you listen to it it’s just a love song. The way it was written really appeals to that darker romantic side of me.""
Presumably it was recorded as a tribute to Sheryl
Additional musicians were Jim Cox (Keyboards), Steve Lindsey (Keyboards), Dinah Englund & Bridget Benenote (Background Vocals)
07/13 - Pretty Ballerina (Michael Brown)
"I had a date with a pretty ballerina
Her hair so brilliant that it hurt my eyes
I asked her for this dance
and then she obliged me
Was I surprised, yeah
Was I surprised, no not at all
I called her yesterday,
it should have been tomorrow
I couldn't keep the joy that was inside
I begged for her to tell me
if she really loved me
Somewhere a mountain is moving
Afraid it's moving without me
(ba ba ba ba)
I had a date with a pretty ballerina
Her hair so brilliant that it hurt my eyes
I asked her for this dance
and then she obliged me
Was I surprised, yeah
Was I surprised, no not at all
And when I wake up up on a dreary Sunday morning
I open up my eyes to find there's rain
And something strange within said,
go ahead and find her
Just close your eyes, yeah
Just close your eyes and she'll be there
She'll be there...
She'll be there...
She'll be there...
She'll be there...
She's there...
She's there...
Aw.. she's there...
Yeah She's there...
She'll be there" 'Run Down The Devil' sees Alice back in the garage, rocking out like its 1972! After the whimsy of the previous song, I find this a boring rock and roll song. Again, very simple and generic
Additional musicians on the song are John Robinson (Drums), Mike Elizondo (Bass & Guitars), Rick Boston (Guitars)
Credited writers on the song are Benji Hughes (who wrote songs for the 2007 film 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story'), Mike Elizondo (who has worked with Dr. Dre and Eminem), and Mark Hudson (who has worked with Aerosmith, Ringo Starr and was part of the vocal coach team for 'The X Factor' in 2004, where he was nicknamed "Weird Beard")
08/13 - Run Down The Devil (Cooper, Hughes, Elizondo, Hudson)
"It's twelve o'clock in the mornin'
While everybody is sleepin'
I want him dead in my headlights
'Cause in the shadow he's creepin'
Drive on down to lonely street
He's always waitin' there for me
Run down the devil, run the devil down
Run Down the devil, run him down, down, down
Run down the devil, run the devil down
Run Down the devil, run him down, down, down
I wanna take him to the mercury grill
I hope he's ready for the big blast
He'll be my ultimate road kill
I'll kick his future up his past
I'll send him back to hell alright
The world can sleep in peace tonight
Run down the devil, run the devil down
Run Down the devil, run him down, down, down
Run down the devil, run the devil down
Run Down the devil, run him down, down, down
Everybody's gotta hold him down
Can't let beelze-baby back in town
Run down the devil, run the devil down
Run Down the devil, run him down, down, down
Run down the devil, run....
Run Down the devil, run him down, down, down
Run down the devil, run the devil down
Run Down the devil, run him down, down, down
Run down the devil, run....
Run Down the devil, run him down, down, down"