Pretty Little Head and the Genesis Connection

Pretty Little Head is certainly one of the most unusual tracks from McCartney’s post-Beatles career. Not everybody likes this track and it only achieved a miserable seventy-sixth place in the UK charts. It is full of synthesiser and sequencer effects and features the much-maligned 80s “gated” snare drum sound.

For those who are wondering how pop’s greatest balladeer came up with such a synth-infused work, it is worth listening to, and comparing the work of Genesis in the same era.

Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

Have a listen to the Genesis track Tonight, Tonight, Tonight and then listen to the opening of Pretty Little Head. Do you hear any similarities?

The opening line of Pretty Little Head is “Hillmen…hillmen come down From The Lava”, whereas Tonight, Tonight, Tonight begins with “I’m coming down, coming down like a monkey”

Eric Stewart was originally intended to be the producer of McCartney’s Press to Play album. However, he was later replaced by the ultra-modern (at the time) producer Hugh Padgham.

It just so happened that Padgham was simultaneously working on McCartney’s album and the Genesis album Invisible Touch, which features the song Tonight, Tonight, Tonight.

In addition, Phil Collins from Genesis was brought in as a guest artist on Press to Play and provided drums on the track Angry.

As I discuss in the book, it is likely that McCartney heard the Genesis track and thought that he could do something along the same lines.

What do you think?

Read more about this track and others here (click below):