Ross is one of the early practitioners of a singing style known as vocalese, which involves the setting of original lyrics to an instrumental jazz solo. Her 1952 treatment of saxophonist Wardell Gray's "Twisted" is a classic example of vocalese. "Twisted" is perhaps her most famous song.
She recorded seven albums with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross between 1957 and 1962. Annie left the group in 1962 and in 1964 opened her own nightclub in London. Annie's Room featured performances by such jazz luminaries as Joe Williams, Stuff Smith, Blossom Dearie, Anita O'Day, Jon Hendricks, and Erroll Garner as well as Annie herself.
Ross is also an accomplished actress and has appeared in a number of films: Superman III (1983), Throw Mama From The Train (1987), Pump Up the Volume (1990), Blue Sky (1994), Short Cuts (1993).
I Feel Pretty
Annie Ross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me tonight
I feel charming
Oh, so charming
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real
See the pretty girl in that mirror there
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face
Such a pretty dress
Such a pretty smile
Such a pretty me!
I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running and dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
Have you met my good friend Maria
The craziest girl on the block?
You'll know her the minute you see her
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock
She thinks she's in love
She thinks she's in Spain
She isn't in love
She's merely insane
It must be the heat
Or some rare disease
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas
Keep away from her
Send for Chino!
This is not the
Maria we know!
Modest and pure
Polite and refined
Well-bred and mature
And out of her mind!
I feel pretty
Oh, so pretty
That the city should give me its key
A committee
Should be organized to honor me
La la la la
I feel dizzy
I feel sunny
I feel fizzy and funny and fine
And so pretty
Miss America can just resign
La la la la
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
What mirror where?
Who can that attractive girl be?
Which? What? Where? Whom?
Such a pretty face
Such a pretty dress
Such a pretty smile
Such a pretty me
Such a pretty me
I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running and dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
The song "I Feel Pretty" from the musical West Side Story is sung by the character Maria in the scene where she tries on a new dress and admires herself in the mirror. The lyrics show Maria's excitement at feeling beautiful and confident. She describes feeling "pretty and witty and bright," and pities other girls who aren't her tonight. She even mentions feeling "stunning" and "entrancing," and feels like running and dancing for joy because she's loved by a "pretty wonderful boy."
However, at the end of the song, Maria's friend, Anita, enters and tells her about the gang violence that happened, including her boyfriend killing Maria's brother. The contrast between the light, joyful lyrics of the song with the heavy subject matter of the story highlights the innocence and naivety of Maria's character.
Overall, "I Feel Pretty" is a moment of pure joy in the midst of a tragic story. It captures the youthful exuberance and excitement of falling in love and feeling confident in oneself, but also underscores the fleetingness of those feelings when confronted with harsh realities.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel pretty
I feel beautiful and happy
Oh, so pretty
Really, really pretty
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
I feel confident, clever, and smart!
And I pity any girl who isn't me tonight
I'm feeling so good that I feel sorry for any girl who isn't me right now
I feel charming
I feel very charming
Oh, so charming
Very, very charming
It's alarming how charming I feel!
I am surprised at how charming I feel
And so pretty that I hardly can believe I'm real
I'm so pretty that I can hardly believe it's really happening
See the pretty girl in that mirror there
Look at the beautiful girl in the mirror
Who can that attractive girl be?
I wonder who that pretty girl in the mirror is
Such a pretty face
My face is very pretty
Such a pretty dress
My dress is very pretty
Such a pretty smile
My smile is very pretty
Such a pretty me!
I'm feeling so pretty
I feel stunning
I feel absolutely amazing
And entrancing
I feel like no one can resist me
Feel like running and dancing for joy
I'm so happy I could run and dance
For I'm loved by a pretty wonderful boy!
I'm in love with an amazing guy and he makes me feel great
Have you met my good friend Maria?
Do you know my friend Maria?
The craziest girl on the block?
She's the wildest and craziest girl around
You'll know her the minute you see her
You'll recognize her right away
She thinks she's in love
She believes she's in love
She thinks she's in Spain
She believes she's in the country of Spain
She isn't in love
She's not really in love
She's merely insane
She's just crazy
It must be the heat
She's probably feeling this way because of the heat
Or some rare disease
Maybe she has a rare disease
Or too much to eat
Perhaps she ate too much
Or maybe it's fleas
Maybe she has fleas
Keep away from her
Stay away from her
Send for Chino!
Call Chino to deal with her
This is not the Maria we know!
This isn't the Maria we're familiar with
Modest and pure
Pretty reserved and innocent
Polite and refined
Very courteous and sophisticated
Well-bred and mature
Raised well and mature for her age
And out of her mind!
But she's gone crazy!
That the city should give me its key
I'm so pretty that the city should give me a key to the city
A committee should be organized to honor me
They should form a committee to honor me for being so pretty
La la la la
N/A
I feel dizzy
I'm feeling lightheaded
I feel sunny
I'm feeling optimistic and happy
I feel fizzy and funny and fine
I'm feeling bubbly, humorous, and great
And so pretty Miss America can just resign
I'm so pretty that Miss America should just quit
La la la la
N/A
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind