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Cover of Talk Talk Talk by The Psychedelic Furs
Cover: Talk Talk Talk

Song · The Psychedelic Furs

“Pretty In Pink” by The Psychedelic Furs

From the album Talk Talk Talk (1981)

“Pretty In Pink” by The Psychedelic Furs appears on 70 radio countdowns from 23 stations between 1986 and 2026. It was first released in 1981 on the album Talk Talk Talk. Its best result is #9 on the WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #95 alternative song of 1986, #120 alternative song of all time and #195 of the '80s.

70countdowns
23stations
#9best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1986–2026years charted

Watch

The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty in Pink (Official Video)

Video from YouTube (PsychedelicFursVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

The Psychedelic Furs put out "Pretty in Pink" in 1981 as a single from Talk Talk Talk, their second album, and it's post-punk with a heart that aches under the leather: guitars that churn and chime, a murky swirl underneath and a voice like sandpaper dragged across velvet.

The writing is credited to the whole band, John Ashton, Richard Butler, Tim Butler, Vincent Paul Davey, Duncan Kilburn and Roger Morris, and Steve Lillywhite produced, with Will Gosling and Phil Thornalley engineering. Lillywhite gives it a wide, bruised sound that lets every part smear into the next.

The song had a second life in 1986, when a film took its name, and the band re-recorded it for the soundtrack.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1986 64 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1986 107
1986 71 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986 90

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 71 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1988 238 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 71 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1988 143 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 35 WFNX WFNX Top 101 Songs of the Decade (December 1989) 101
1989 296 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 130 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1991 64 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 716 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1992 290 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1994 192 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 70 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 9 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 159 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 268 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1996 241 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 76 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 16 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1998 83 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 92 Channel 104.9 Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999) 104
1999 384 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 196 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 286 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 499 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 27 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 297 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 463 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 59 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 298 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 61 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 310 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 391 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 46 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 310 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 203 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 47 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 310 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 124 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 310 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 57 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 312 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 782 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2005 16 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 70s & 80s 96
2006 285 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 340 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 79 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 16 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Resurrection Songs (December 2006) 107
2007 599 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 693 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 257 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 579 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 451 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 581 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 601 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 601 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 597 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 597 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2016 551 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2019 994 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 994 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2020 1986 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 886 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2022 113 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 119 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 668 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2024 413 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2026 107 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498
2026 891 KXT KXT 917 Song Countdown 917

Also listed as: Pretty in Pink.

Charting alongside it in 1986

Best songs of 1986 →
  1. 1PanicThe Smiths
  2. 2AskThe Smiths
  3. 3Bigmouth Strikes AgainThe Smiths
  4. 4SledgehammerPeter Gabriel
  5. 5Wild Wild LifeTalking Heads
  6. 6Don't Get Me WrongThe Pretenders

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