Born Joan Drost in Buffalo, New York, as a child growing up Sommers would often sing to herself as a way of dealing with her difficult upbringing. Though having not received any musical training, Sommers began her career as a jazz singer in Los Angeles, California. In 1960, she recorded a demo with composer/arranger Tommy Oliver, earning her a recording contract with Warner Bros. Sommers. Her debut single, "One Boy" from the musical Bye Bye Birdie, reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Throughout the 60s, she also maintained a byline as a singer of jingles for Pepsi-Cola (specifically, "It's Pepsi, for Those Who Think Young" and "Come Alive! You're in the Pepsi Generation"), earning her the nickname of "The Pepsi Girl." Years later, she also recorded a jingle for Diet Pepsi, though her work was uncredited. Fittingly, two of her albums -- For Those Who Think Young and Come Alive! -- were named after her classic jingles.
Despite being a hit single,"One Boy" was passed over for inclusion on her debut album, Positively the Most!, whose cover touted the teenaged Sommers as "the greatest discovery in singing talent in the last fifteen years." This marked the beginning of a continuing trend for Sommers: alternating between commercial pop singles and more artistically challenging and varied albums, more often than not keeping the two completely disparate.
In 1962, "Johnny Get Angry" (co-written by legendary songwriter and lyricist Hal David) became Sommers' biggest hit, driven by an anachronistic dark bass line and unusual instrumentation such as kazoos. However, the song drew noted criticism aimed at its lyrical content, perceived by some as having sexist or masochistic overtones. The follow-up single was "When the Boys Get Together", which reached #94 on the charts, becoming her final Hot 100 single, though she would later have two songs on the Adult Contemporary charts.
In 1970, Sommers temporarily retired as a singer to focus on raising a family, making only one recording during the following decade, a soundtrack single for scrapped animation film The Peppermint Choo Choo. She resumed her career at the turn of the decade, recording the album Dream in 1980. She has maintained a sporadic career of recording and performing ever since, continuing to experiment with a variety of musical styles.
I Feel Pretty
Joanie Sommers Lyrics
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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" by Joanie Sommers is a cheerful and upbeat tune that is best known for its appearance in the classic Broadway musical, "West Side Story." The song features the main character Maria, played by Carol Lawrence, who sings about her newfound confidence and joy in being pretty, witty, and loved by a wonderful boy. The opening lines, "I feel pretty, oh so pretty," are often used in pop culture as a reference to a person feeling good about themselves.
The song is a celebration of self-confidence and self-love, as Maria revels in her newfound beauty and happiness. She feels stunning and entrancing and wants to share her newfound joy with the world. The song also includes a reference to Maria's friend, who thinks she's in love with a boy but is actually just in an advanced state of shock. The contrast between their two experiences helps to emphasize Maria's newfound self-assuredness and her happiness in being loved by a wonderful boy.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel pretty
I'm feeling beautiful
Oh, so pretty
I'm incredibly beautiful
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
I'm both beautiful and intelligent
And I pity Any girl who isn't me tonight
I feel bad for any girl who doesn't feel as great as I do
I feel charming
I'm feeling charming
Oh, so charming
I'm very charming
It's alarming how charming I feel!
I'm extremely charming and I'm not used to feeling this way
And so pretty That I hardly can believe I'm real
I'm so beautiful it's hard for me to believe it's real
See the pretty girl in that mirror there
Looking at my reflection, I see a pretty girl
Who can that attractive girl be?
I'm asking myself who that attractive girl I see in the mirror is
Such a pretty face
I have a very pretty face
Such a pretty dress
I'm wearing a very pretty dress
Such a pretty smile
I'm smiling very beautifully
Such a pretty me!
I'm a very pretty person
I feel stunning
I'm feeling stunning
And entrancing
I'm very captivating or enchanting
Feel like running and dancing for joy
I'm so happy I want to run and dance with joy
For I'm loved By a pretty wonderful boy!
I'm in love with a great guy who loves me too
Have you met my good friend Maria
I'm asking if you know my friend Maria
The craziest girl on the block?
She's the craziest girl I know
You'll know her the minute you see her
She's very distinctive, you'll recognize her instantly
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock
Maria is in a state of shock due to the situation she's going through
She thinks she's in love
Maria believes she's in love with someone
She thinks she's in Spain
Maria thinks she's currently in Spain
She isn't in love She's merely insane
Maria isn't really in love, she's just crazy
It must be the heat Or some rare disease Or too much to eat Or maybe it's fleas
I'm trying to guess what's wrong with Maria
Keep away from her Send for Chino!
We should stay away from Maria and call Chino if things get worse
This is not the Maria we know!
Maria is acting too differently from what we know of her
Modest and pure Polite and refined Well-bred and mature And out of her mind!
Maria is normally modest, pure, polite and refined; but she's currently not in the right state of mind
That the city should give me its key
I'm feeling so beautiful that the city should give me the key to symbolize being its queen
A committee Should be organized to honor me
I'm feeling so beautiful that a committee should be set up to honor me
La la la la
I'm humming unconsciously
I feel dizzy
I'm feeling dizzy
I feel sunny
I'm feeling happy and carefree
I feel fizzy and funny and fine
I'm feeling light and humorous and great
Miss America can just resign!
I'm feeling so beautiful that Miss America should resign and give up her title
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind