Isaak's music can be described as a blend of country, blues, rock'n'roll, pop and surf rock.
He signed a contract to Warner Brothers Records in 1984 for his first album "Silvertone". Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner moved him to their Reprise Records label.
His best-known song is "Wicked Game". Though released on the 1989 album "Heart Shaped World", an instrumental version of the song was later featured in the David Lynch film 'Wild at Heart' (and also years later in the 2000 film The Family Man). An Atlanta radio station DJ began playing the full version and it quickly became a nation-wide top ten hit. The music video for the song was directed by Herb Ritts and was a big MTV and VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it starred Isaak and model Helena Christensen rolling on the beach, embracing and whispering in each others' ears.
In 1999, Isaak's "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film 'Eyes Wide Shut', starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
In 2001, Chris Isaak starred in his own television show, 'The Chris Isaak Show'. It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the cable television network Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Chris Isaak and his band playing themselves with the episode plots based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Chris Isaak - the rock star next door.
In 2004, his track "Life Will Go On" was featured on the 'Chasing Liberty' soundtrack, which starred Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode.
He hosted a talk show on the Biography cable channel in the United States in 2009 that offered a unique twist - each guest was a musical artist, and both Chris and the artist performed various songs throughout each show. Eight episodes aired in early 2009, featuring guests Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, Michael Buble, Chicago, The Smashing Pumpkins, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and Jewel.
Isaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles, though he starred with Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda in the 1993 Bernardo Bertolucci-directed 'Little Buddha', and also played a major role in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992). Other motion pictures include 'Married to the Mob' (1988), 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), 'That Thing You Do!' (1996), and 'A Dirty Shame' (2004). He also guest-starred on the Super Bowl Sunday (1996) edition of the television sitcom Friends and on the HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon (HBO).
Chris is also an amateur boxer, avid surfer and a former Golden Gloves champion.
Very Pretty Girl
Chris Isaak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You ought to know better than to lie to me
You're a very pretty girl
You're making it harder than it ought to be
But it's better that you tell me now
Than to lead me on somehow
Cause it just break my heart
Yeah just break my heart
You don't care what you say
You don't care what you do
You're a very pretty girl
You're a very pretty girl
I'll do anything you want me to
You're a very pretty girl
Baby what you put me through
The thing you just don't see
When your lying to me
Is your breaking my heart
Yeah breakin' my heart
Last night you told me you were mine
Tonight you say you changed your mind
Don't care what you say
Don't care what you do
You're a very pretty girl
I'm giving more love than your taking away
I'm giving more love than your takin' away
Yeah I said I'm givin' more love than your taking away
I'm givin' givin' givin'
Take it baby
You're a very pretty girl
You're hypnotizing put me
In your trance
Now you got me
I don't stand a chance
The thing that is bringing me down
Think you're playin' around
Well it just breaks my heart
Just breaks my heart
Don't care what you do
Don't care what you say
You're a very pretty girl
You're a very pretty girl
Oh You're a very pretty girl
The song "Very Pretty Girl" by Chris Isaak is a classic example of a love song that serves as a warning to its protagonist. The song tells the story of a man who is head over heels in love with a woman who he knows is lying to him. In the opening verse, Isaak sings "You're a very pretty girl, you ought to know better than to lie to me," setting the tone for the rest of the song. He goes on to say that she is making it harder on him than it ought to be and that it would be better for her to tell him the truth now than to lead him on, because it would just break his heart.
The chorus repeats the idea that she doesn't care what she says or does, and he is giving more love than she is taking away. In the final verse, he describes how she has hypnotized him and put him in her trance, but he knows that she is playing around and it's breaking his heart. Overall, the song is a cautionary tale about not falling for someone who is not trustworthy, no matter how pretty they may be.
Line by Line Meaning
You're a very pretty girl
You are beautiful, but your physical appearance does not excuse your behavior
You ought to know better than to lie to me
As a beautiful girl, you should have enough sense not to lie to me
You're making it harder than it ought to be
Your lies are making this situation more complicated than it needs to be
But it's better that you tell me now
You should be honest with me right away instead of leading me on
Than to lead me on somehow
I don't want you to deceive me and make me think that there is something that's not there
Cause it just break my heart
Your lies and deception hurt me very deeply
You don't care what you say
Your words don't matter to you if they cause pain to others
You don't care what you do
Your actions aren't important to you if they cause pain to others
I'll do anything you want me to
I am willing to go to great lengths for you even though you treat me poorly
Baby what you put me through
Your behavior is causing me great emotional distress
The thing you just don't see
You don't seem to realize the harm your actions are causing
When your lying to me
Your deceitful behavior is causing me great emotional pain
Is your breaking my heart
Your actions are causing me great emotional pain
Last night you told me you were mine
You made a commitment to me yesterday
Tonight you say you changed your mind
Today you are going back on your commitment
I'm giving more love than your taking away
Despite your hurtful behavior, I am still loving you more than you deserve
Now you got me
You have put me under your spell and I can't resist you
I don't stand a chance
Your hypnotic powers have left me powerless to fight your manipulation
The thing that is bringing me down
Your lies and manipulation are causing me to lose faith in you
Think you're playin' around
I believe that you are toying with my emotions
Oh You're a very pretty girl
Despite your deceitful behavior, you are still physically attractive
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS ISAAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind