Although the young Annie (that's her on the left -- Barbara Hale, of Perry Mason TV fame, is in the middle)...
,,,looks pretty woo-hoo as a leggy heartbreaker named Flamingo.
Anyway, like I said, it's a terrible movie, but right after Annie was introduced it suddenly dawned on me, by which I mean the answer to a pop music question that had always puzzled me.
To wit: What the hell was 60s songwriter Mark Barkan thinking when he wrote "Pretty Flamingo," the 1966 classic originally recorded by Manfred Mann? I mean, who ever heard of a girl named Flamingo? Certainly nobody in my neighborhood.
So, obviously, Barkan had to have seen A Lion is in the Streets.
Anyway, that's my theory now, and I'm sticking with it. And if a bad movie can inspire a great song....here's an absolutely gorgeous 1975 cover by Bruce Springsteen....
...then I guess the whole thing turns out to have been worth it.
6 comments:
The Everly Bros. did a very nice cover of the song, (my fave). Even Rod Stewart managed to pull off a decent version.
Not crazy about the Springsteen you have here. Toooo long and too slow. But the Boss could do what he wants, I guess.
I was in a British Invasion tribute band called Tru Brit back in the early 2000's. We did a pretty good Live version. Come to think of it, I have to pull it out and make an mp3.
Always sounded like a stripper's name to me;>
FD -- I'd love to hear it.
When I rip it, I'll send it to you.
A brilliant example of connecting the dots. I believe you're right. What I wonder about the song (aside from why the Gene Pitney version is so awful), is how come it never became much of a hit for anyone who covered it. As I recall, the Manfred Man album "Pretty Flamingo" had a cute, Goldie Hawn-type blonde in pink stirrup pants on the cover - that alone must have sold a few copies.
One of my all-time favorite tunes. So as to not sully the memory of Paul Jones' vocal (one of the greatest voices in pop history) I'll skip the Springsteen, thank-you.
The photo of him on the right looking like he's having a prostate exam has scared me enough already.
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