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"Oh! You Pretty Things" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 for the album Hunky Dory. It is a pop tune opening with only Rick Wakeman's piano and Bowie's vocal, before entering the catchy refrain. The simple piano style is often compared to Paul McCartney's "Martha My Dear". Thematically, the song has been seen as heralding "the impending obsolescence of the human race in favour of an alliance between arriving aliens and the youth of the present society".
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Live versions
Bowie played the song at the BBC show Johnny Walker Lunchtime Show on May 22 1972. This was broadcast in early June the same year and in 2000 was released on the album Bowie at the Beeb; it was also released as a promo single in France in 2000.
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Other releases
It was also recorded for a whistle test on the BBC, but released over 10 years later. An outtake, in which Bowie stumbles over the lines and gets them wrong on several occasions, is hidden on the Best of Bowie DVD.
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Cover versions
Harvey Danger – Live version released on their 2006 EP Little Round Mirrors.
Peter Noone – Single on which Bowie played piano. It become a 12 hit in mid-1971. Noone replaced Bowie's line "The Earth is a bitch" with "The Earth is a beast".
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Notes
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