P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)


"P.Y.T. " is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller. The original demo version of the song was written by Jackson and Greg Phillinganes. Quincy Jones passed on the song itself but liked the title and, with James Ingram, fashioned a totally new song with that title. The demo version is featured on The Ultimate Collection.
"P.Y.T. " was released on September 19, 1983, as the penultimate single from Thriller. The single charted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 46 on the Hot Black Singles chart, becoming the sixth Top 10 hit from the album. In the UK, the song reached a peak position of 11. The single was most successful in Belgium, charting within the Top 10 at no. 6. The song has been covered and sampled by numerous artists, including Monica, Justin Guarini and Kanye West. The original demo was also remixed by The Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am for Thriller 25.
"P.Y.T. " was never performed live by Jackson. In a rehearsal for the Dangerous World Tour, however, Jackson sang a small part of the demo version, describing it as "something I wrote that I haven't recorded yet."

Recording

James Ingram later described working with Jackson and Jones as being in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. "It's almost like I got the chance to go to Oz and Quincy was the Wizard of Oz and Michael Jackson was who he was dealing with in his world. Their work ethic is unbelievable." He noted how Jones would fall asleep on the board, waking up to answer a question. "He works in the Alpha state a lot", Ingram added. Two of Jackson's sisters, Janet and La Toya, provided backing vocals in the guise of the P.Y.T.s. The two sisters sang "na na na" back at their brother towards the end of the song. According to the official sheet music at Musicnotes.com, "P.Y.T. " is in the key of B minor. It has a tempo of 126 beats per minute, making it one of Jackson's fastest songs.

Release and reception

"P.Y.T. " was released on September 19, 1983, as the sixth single from Thriller. The single charted at no. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 46 on the Hot Black Singles chart, becoming the sixth Top 10 hit from Thriller. In the United Kingdom, the song reached a peak position of 11. It was most successful in Belgium, charting within the Top 10 at no. 6. The single was placed at no. 14 in the Netherlands. "P.Y.T. " charted at number 24 in Canada and peaked at number 51 in Germany.
Response to "P.Y.T. " was mixed to positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic thought that it was "frizzy funk." Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine believed that "P.Y.T. " was a "lush disco paradise." However, Rolling Stone reviewer Christopher Connelly, while discussing the album in a review, stated that the song "isn't up to the spunky character of the other tracks." Connelly mentioned that one of Jackson's weaknesses was "a tendency to go for the glitz," and cited the song as one example of this. Davitt Sigerson, from the same magazine, also agreed with Connelly, calling it one of Thriller's "forgettables". Jon Pareles of The New York Times called the song "fluff", and believed that the other songs from the album were what made Thriller such a hit.

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008

For Thriller 25, The Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am remixed the demo version of "P.Y.T. ". The singer commented on Jackson and the project, "You always just dream of meeting him, let alone working with him. I wouldn't have believed it. I grew up in the projects in East Los Angeles and Thriller was filmed about two blocks from my house, but my mother was really strict and she wouldn't let me go to the factories—she didn't care who was filming a video there; but I'm on the 25th anniversary, 25 years later—that's pretty awesome." Entitled "P.Y.T. 2008", the remix was well received by Rolling Stone. The publication described the track, along with "The Girl Is Mine 2008", as being one of the best songs on the album. They noted that will.i.am "updates the songs' original sound to make them dancefloor-worthy 25 years after their release."

Personnel

45 RPM
A-side
  1. "P.Y.T " – 3:58
B-side
  1. "Workin' Day and Night" – 4:26
Disco single
A-side
  1. "P.Y.T " – 3:58
B-side
  1. "This Place Hotel" – 4:41
  2. "Thriller" – 5:56

    Official versions

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Australia 40

Chart Peak
position
Belgium 26
Canada 48

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Belgium 65

Certifications

Cover versions and references to the song