DUTC#55 February 4, 2024

Feature Song: “Pretty Baby”

When I decided to do a feature on the song “Pretty Baby” by Sister Sledge, I had no idea that I would find three other songs (there may be more!) with the same title. The three I found are completely different than Sister Sledge’s 1980 disco anthem. The earliest is a ragtime version from 1916 (the year it was first published) by Tony Jackson, which eventually found its way in the Broadway musical “A World of Pleasure.” The second is a 1978 song by Blondie, and the third a 2002 pop tune by Vanessa Carlson. The ragtime version has a long list of covers from the likes of Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Al Jolson, and Dean Martin, just to name a few as well as being featured in many films over the years from 1929’s “Is Everybody Happy,” to 1978’s “Pretty Baby!”

To be honest, disco was never really my thing, but I have come to appreciate its evolution and its place in musical history, so this is not a song that has been in the back of my head, whispering to me: “Ya gotta write about ‘Pretty Baby’.” However, not that long ago, I was listening to an “oldies” (a term I loathe but have grudgingly come to accept) radio station when the song came on, and I remembered that even though disco wasn’t my thing I really liked this song and many other of their hits like “We Are Family” from their breakout 1979 album of the same name. That song was soon adopted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as their official anthem when Willie Stargell heard it being played over the loudspeakers during a rain delay. They went on to win the World Series that year. Sister Sledge were invited to perform the national anthem at the opening game of that series in front of 45,000 fans.

Sister Sledge is an American vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When the formed back in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie (1954), Joni (1956-2017), Kim (1957), and Kathy Sledge (1959). They had some minor success from 1971 until 1978 but were at a crossroads in their career with their future a bit uncertain. Then Atlantic records connected them with producers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic, and their situation changed with their breakthrough album I mentioned above, We Are Family. The disco era, as it is referred to, was coming to an end by 1980, which is when their follow-up album, Love Somebody Today, was released. It was also written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. They recorded four more albums in the 80s: All American Girls (1981), The Sisters (1982), Bet Cha Say That To All The Girls (1983), and When The Boys Meet The Girls (1985). If you are noticing a theme, you’re not alone. Two later albums followed, one in 1995 and another in 2003.

I mentioned above that this song had not been on my mind for some time before hearing it being played on the radio not that long ago, which is true, but when I was listening to it ,I couldn’t help feeling that the melody sounded familiar to something that I had listened to not that long ago, and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out why. It was a few days later while I was on my bike spinning to one of my playlists when the song “Techno Disco Tool” (don’t be judging!) by Mella Dee starting blasting in my ears. Let’s just say it was an “ah ha” moment, and a reassuring one that my memory still works…somewhat.

“Mella Dee” (Pronounced Melody) is the nom de plume of English DJ and record producer Ryan Aitchison, who just happens to be best known for his 2017 single, “Techno Disco Tool.” I am fully aware that my use of this song as a cover of “Pretty Baby,” is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g the definition of what constitutes a “cover,” as “Techno Disco Tool” is a quintessential example of “sampling,” which is the reuse of a portion (or sample) of a sound recording in another recording. Samples “may comprise elements such as rhythm, melody, speech, sound effects or longer portions of music, and may be layered, equalized, sped up or slowed down, repitched, looped, or otherwise manipulated.” The integration of these “samples” is done using electronic music instruments, otherwise known as “samplers,” or software such as digital audio workstations.

Sampling is the foundation of hip hop music, which emerged when producers in the 1980s began sampling funk and soul records, particularly drum breaks. It has also influenced many other genres of music over the years, particularly electronic music and pop. However, there is a process similar to sampling that originated in the 1940s called musique concrète (developed by French composer Pierre Schaeffer), which was experimental music created by splicing and looping tape. During the mid-20^th century, keyboard instruments that played sounds recorded on tape were introduced, such as the Mellotron. The term sampling was coined in the late 1970s by the creators of the Fairlight CMI, a synthesizer with the ability to record and play back short sound. Samples such as the “Amen break,” the “Funky Drummer” drum break and the “orchestra hit” have been used in thousands of recordings. James Brown, Loleatta Holloway, Fab Five Freddy, and Led Zeppelin are among the most sampled artists. The very first album created entirely from samples, Endtroducing by DJ Shadow, was released in 1996.

There is another reason for “stretching” the cover concept, and that is the fact that I could not find one bona fide cover of this song, unlike the ragtime one mentioned above, which has many. That does not mean there aren’t any out there, I just couldn’t find one by perusing my regular music haunts. So, what follows are the original by Sister Sledge, followed by Mella Dee’s sampling offering. And just for the hell of it, BelgaBass, pounding out some baselines over the original song. Not much info available on this artist, except that he is from Santa Rosa, CA. I have no idea what his real name is, or what he looks like, as all his videos are just of his hands and the bass! As they say: “Each to his own!” Enjoy.

Sister Sledge. “Pretty Baby.” 1980.

Mella Dee. “Techno Disco Tool” (“Pretty Baby” sampling). Original Mix, 2017.

BelgaBass. “Pretty Baby.” MM Stingray Bass ‘78/79 w/flats, 2022.

Los Angeles 2024