Today I pulled out Vanity's 1984 solo album 'Wild Animal' and listened to her song "Pretty Mess".I hadn't played this record in years,and I had forgot how crazy this song was...lol...the lyrics are atrocious and Vanity just moans and squeals her way through this song (imagine LaToya Jackson singing X-rated lyrics and you have an idea what Vanity sounds like...lol...).It's really an awful song.Check out these unbelievable lyrics...


"Pretty Mess"

Ahhh...here we go again falling on my bed
And pulling on a pillow
Well,I think you got what it takes
to get me boiling like a kettle
Here everything's boiling up,I boil to the maximum yeah
Well I do believe babe you boil me bubbling
you get me in so much trouble

Ooh and baby someday soon
I will take you there
Promise you the moon
And then he pulled a seam and it went all the way

(Chorus)
Ooh yeah,such a Pretty Mess
He made such a Pretty Mess on my dress,ooh yeah
Ooh yeah,such a Pretty Mess
Such a Pretty

Here we go again pulling on my hair
I'm drippin' like a hot tea
I'm aware that if you drip it too hot
It just might spill all over this lovely
Here everything's boiling up
I boil to the maximum
Well I do believe babe you boil me bubbling
You get me in double trouble

Ooh and baby someday soon
I will take you there
Promise you the moon
And then I took a drink and it went all the way

(Chorus)
Ooh yeah,such a Pretty Mess
We've made such a Pretty Mess on my dress,ooh yeah!
Such a Pretty Mess
Oh,such a Pretty

Here we go again crawlin' thru the kitchen
Oh ho ho hum
I bet you got what it takes to get me
Into a living room position

Ooh and baby someday soon
I will take you there
Promise me the moon
And then he found a hallway that went all the way

Chorus...

I always liked this track. The promo clip for it was a bit disappointing though...

reminds me of a lot of bad Prince tunes (no worse than the B side "GIRL" which... for lack of a better word... SUCKED)

Wow! That is pretty bad. And I don't mean bad as in good.
I remember seein the video for this also but I could hardly figure out any of the lyrics due to her "squealy" vocal delivery. Now I see that that was done for a reason!

The "he made such a pretty mess on my dress" line is classic! Can you say Lewinsky, boys & girls?

The video was HOT!! Vanity looked too sexy in that one,and her hair was fierce...lol...

The rest of her album wasn't much better,but I did like the song "Mechanical Emotion" with Morris Day.That has a funky groove to it.

I Love the song. OOh, you made such a pretty mess on my dress. Ooh, such a Pretty Mess. Miss Vanity the Wild Animal. She was Beautiful and Sexy in that video. Denise Matthews you were the ONE...

My most vivid memory of Pretty Mess: my sister saying (in an extremely disgusted fashion), "UGH! She talkin' about doin' it in the booty! A hallway that went all the way... She nasty!"



I could never catch all the lyrics though, certainly didn't catch that "and then I took a drink..." line, LOL...

Mechanical Emotion still has a nice beat & hook IMO...

CalhounSq said:

At the time,I think some people were confused about what Vanity was singing about.It's not everyday you hear a song about premature ejaculation...lol...

DavidEye said:

as a Kid I'm thinking she Spilled some Kool-aid on herself but I was way off Base Huh?? "Mechanical Emotion" was a cool Jam indeed.it got much play on my local Radio Station. i think "Under the Influence" was Her Best Solo Single IMHO.Her Vocals weren't that bad on there either&I remember being on Bandstand performing it.I remember all too well because some JW folks were knocking on my Grannys Door&I said come back next Saturday because Vanity is on.they were outta there.

I always liked this track. My favorite of her solo tracks was the Jesse Johnson-produced 'Undress' (from the Action Jackson soundtrack).

That's just way too embarrassing for words.
I don't know what's more startling, the lyrics, or the fact that you have the album, David.

Supernova said:

Hey,I just bought it for the sexy album cover

Now I know why she became BORN AGAIN!

I think Prince was the only person who could produce Vanity.When she left Prince and went to Motown,they paired her up with anonymous producers/songwriters who didn't know how to bring out the best in her.Her 'Wild Animal' solo album is an embarassment.

By contrast,the Vanity 6 album was great.Outtakes like "Vibrator" were also great songs.She was never an outstanding vocalist,but Prince supplied with her fun,catchy SONGS that made you forget that she can't sing...lol..."Nasty Girl" is a kickass dance record that you STILL hear regularly in the nightclubs.

The song Slave by Brit-nay Spears sounds a lot like the title song Wild Animal.

oh yeah, I remember this "timeless classic"..

To me, the irony about Vanity's solo career-
such as it was-
was that she seemed to sing better & do better music with each album , though the public seemed to lose interest in her "slutty" image..


"Pretty Mess" was just that-
a mess.

She later did a duet with Morris Day, "Mechanical Emotions" which was considerably better than "Mess"..

after that, she did "Under The Inlfuence" which, if I recall correctly, was the name of the album & the song. On the cover of "Influence," Vanity is uncharacteristically "glamourous"- no see-through lingerie, no thong, etc..
maybe her attempt to "clean up" her image with "Influence" confused &/or turned off people..


at the risk of taking a shot at Vanity-
I mean, Denise-
it looks like hers was a case of an attractive woman being in the right place at the right time (with Rick James & then Prince) who took advantage of the situation (as most would) & then, when the smoke cleared, her talent level was revealed for what it was..

for each of you to determine that talent level,
should you be so inclined..



if a girl answers..
don't hang up!

Isn't that the Truth? Words of Wisdom. Thanks Teacher.

mltijchr said:

Great Observation.once the Freak show was Over&they tried to Main-Stream Her in Films,etc,, nobody cared.

I agree, but IMO she was a better actress than a ahem singer ROFLMAO. I loved The Last Dragon with Timak...but Never Too Young to Die with dog boy John Stamos was just very painful to watch.

mistermaxxx said:

Once she cleaned up her act you are saying her act was over. If she stayed Slutty she would have had a Career?

Vagina said:

I think she would still have a career if she had:

1. Better managemenet
2. Better songs and worked with better producers
3. Stayed off the crack cocaine
4. Picked better film roles


I have to admit the songs of Wild Animal were embarrasing but with the right people she could have easily been up there with Madonna and Janet (I mean those 2 can't sing but that hasn't stopped them from being icons) cause the girl had charisma. Maybe things would have been different if she had stayed and did Purple Rain.
[This message was edited Fri Jul 26 22:03:15 PDT 2002 by fonkywonder]

fonkywonder said:

what's Up Fonkywonder? I always Enjoy Your Fantastic Posts.basically Vanity needed a Whole New Career.but in this day&Era Vanity would Be Huge if She Sung with Murder INC... Ja Rule Singing Murder Inc... You are a Nasty Girrrlll!!!

Thanks mistermaxx but we also have to remember that things were different in the 80s. Eddie Murphy was the only black actor making serious loot and roles for black women were far and in between (unless you played hookers, junkies and maids). Maybe Vanity might have had a better shot right now since alot of singers/rappers have succesfully crossed over to films (minority representation on televsion still sucks!!!)etc. She would have been awesome in the new Austin Powers movie (she had more sass than Beyonce!) and I think she'd be better actress than Halle Berry, but she was a victim of her times and I get the impression from the interviews that I have seen of her today that she is being used the same way she was in the music biz by all these christian do gooders! They seem to be more interested in her association with Prince than what her message of god is!

fonkywonder said:

I dig How You Pick up on things Fonky.yeah that Era was a whole diferent World.

fonkywonder said:

Gotta agree here. When she came to our town, the pastor who led the seminar called our local paper about 20 times to make sure people associated her with "Purple Rain." Of course, he was dead wrong; but, he could care less about the facts than with who a growing public (and let's not forget patrons) could associate her with. PEACE

Those christian groups don't give a flying fuck about her! Sure there maybe a handful who are honest hardworkin people who have helped people in need. But the majority are like leeches picking on vulnerable people for money and property, especially old folk with no family to leave their assests too!

Now going back to Vanity's career. IMO she could have brought Purple Rain to a another level had she stayed cause it was her life up there and she had a major imput in the movie's development. Who agrees with me?

fonkywonder said:

Me, me, me but, I think most folks dig Apple's two (ahem!) "talents." PEACE
[This message was edited Fri Jul 26 22:45:04 PDT 2002 by aspera773]

Those loves scenes right there would have been hot, hot, HOT! LOL to me they were the perfect couple (eg Rolling Stone cover 1983). I wished they had stayed together, they would have had beautiful kids IMO. Don't get me wrong, I like Appollonia...but she ain't Vanity. Next to Sheila E, Vanity she was the first women of the MN sound.That is how it will ALWAYS be.

fonkywonder said:

Hee, heee ... as one of my hetero girlfriends admitted, "I'D date Vanity!" She was simply GORGEOUS. Still is.
ONE LOVE

Was there ever a sexier cover than of Prince and Vanity on the cover of the Rolling Stone? This is when Prince was da MAN! And what a couple they made.

prince in rollingstone