Caroline laughs, and it's raining all day
Loves to be one of the girls
She lives in the place in the side of our lives
Where nothing is ever put straight

She turns herself 'round
And she smiles and she says
"This is it, that's the end of the joke"
And loses herself in her
Dreaming and sleep, and her
Lovers walk through in their coats

Pretty in pink, isn't she?
Pretty in pink, isn't she?

All of her lovers all
Talk of her notes and the
Flowers that they never sent
And wasn't she easy, and
Isn't she pretty in pink?

The one who insists he was the
First in the line is the
Last to remember her name
He's walking around in this
Dress that she wore
She is gone, but the
Joke's the same

Pretty in pink, isn't she?
Pretty in pink, isn't she?

Caroline talks to you
Softly sometimes, she says,
"I love you" and "Too much"
She doesn't have anything
You want to steal
Well, nothing you can touch

She waves
She buttons your shirt
The traffic is waiting outside
She hands you this coat
She give you her clothes
These cars collide

Pretty in pink, isn't she?
Pretty in pink, isn't she?



Lyrics submitted by iheartmemynirvana45

Track duration: 04:00

"Pretty in Pink" as written by Christopher Maurice Brown, Christopher James Gholson, Calvin Cordazor Broadus, Tauheed Epps

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Pretty in Pink song meanings
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35 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment:Richard Butler said in 2010: "No. The idea of the song was, 'Pretty In Pink' as a metaphor for being naked. The song, to me, was actually about a girl who sleeps around a lot and thinks that she's wanted and in demand and clever and beautiful, but people are talking about her behind her back. That was the idea of the song. And John Hughes, bless his late heart, took it completely literally and completely overrode the metaphor altogether! I still like the song."

    Retrieved from: thequietus.com/articles/05128-the-psychedelic-furs-interview-talk-talk-talk/
    Flag NMAon May 15, 2012   Link
  • -2
    My Opinion:When you're talking about rock music, the words "psychedelic" and "pink" don't have many
    meanings, but I observe a couple of things more. Caroline sounds very close to
    "care a line", or specific business support. What is the "side of our lifes..." ? In my
    opinion it's our brain's memory. So, the song seems to talk about something pink of the
    past times that was "pretty", alias "not expensive". To be more explicit, they hope
    addiction cheaper. Normal for a (very good) punk band.
    Flag maxlookdjon March 23, 2012   Link
  • -2
    General Comment:I don't like this song. The line;"The one who insists he was first in line is the last to remember he name".
    Flag Thia007on November 20, 2011   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:I kinda feel like Caroline is that strange unpopular girl who everyone knows but no one bothers to talk to, unless they're trying to get into her pants, or making fun of her. shes probably not super confident. but isnt she pretty in pink? but she'd never admit it. she'd never wear something so bright and confident. "she laughs and its raining all day" she never does anything right and shes "in the side of our lives where nothing is ever put straight". She tries to stand up for herself, but she wants to be nice and likeable, so she "smiles and says this is it that's the end of the joke". She might be unhappy, and is so desperately hoping to be liked that she doesn't bother to pretend to have standards. She sleeps with whoever makes her feel pretty, even if they do make fun of her behind her back, because "wasn't she easy" and they all feel a little silly, but cocky, because of "the flowers that they never sent". i think that eventually, because she wasn't taken seriously, and because "the one who insists he was first in the line is the last to remember her name" and they're always making fun of her, "walking around in the dress that she wore". i think that when she "loses herself in her dreaming and sleep" and because people who are on the edge give away their belongings, "she hands you this coat and she gives you her clothes" and "they talk of her notes". "her lovers walk through in their coats" because you wear nice clothes and dress coats to a funeral. thats why they finally see her being pretty in pink.
    Flag jasperfan123on October 07, 2011   Link
  • -1
    Song Meaning:Also, referring to bigvince's comment above, it's very possible that the "you" who's addressed by both Caroline and the narrator in the third verse reflexively refers to the narrator himself. If that's true, then the entire song does take on a tone of self-reproach (As in "You, you big idiot, why did you sleep with her?")
    Flag alienlanes06on March 06, 2011   Link
  • -1
    Song Meaning:Going back to one of the lines discussed before - "Caroline talks to you softly sometimes / She says 'I love you' and 'too much'" - it's a very subtle bit of wordplay which hints at the overall meaning of the song. Presumably, we're hearing a secondhand account of an intimate moment between Caroline and one of her lovers (the "you" who's addressed by both Caroline and the song's narrator.) When quoting something that Caroline says, why separate two phrases which most likely go together ("I love you too much")?

    The line isn't necessarily focusing on the things Caroline says. Instead, it's focusing on how the lover hears what Caroline's saying. Separating the phrases highlights the notion that the this person is detached from Caroline, as if he isn't listening to what she's saying or simply doesn't care all that much.

    Rather to the contrary, Caroline is very much emotionally invested in her lover; we know this because of what she says. But the lover isn't. And so the phrasing of the line reinforces the sense that Caroline is an emotionally vulnerable girl being taken advantage of. In the context of the rest of the song, the line leads us to ask a question: how many times has Caroline said this exact thing or something like it to someone, and how many times have they blown her off? The idea that it has happened again and again make her words and sexual encounters meaningless, and the actions of her lovers craven.
    Flag alienlanes06on March 06, 2011   Link
  • -2
    Song Meaning:
    IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED THE SONG IS ABOUT ONE OF THE BAND'S GROUPIES NONE OTHER THAN COURTNEY LOVE.
    ITS ABOUT THE FACT THAT A GROUPIE WILL SLEEP WITH ALL THE GUYS AND THE FACT THAT THEY WONT VALUE HER IN ANY REAL TERMS THAT THEY TAKE WHAT THEY WANT AND WALK AWAY, SHE MEANS NOTHING TO THEM AND THE SONG ALSO LINGERS ON THIS GUILT THE AUTHOR FEELS FOR HIS ACTIONS. IT IS NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE NAMES COURTNEY AND CAROLINE HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF LETTERS, BOTH START WITH C. HAVE 5 LETTERS SHARED BETWEEN THEM AND IF YOU PUT A "Y" AFTER "NE" YOU GET "NEY" THE LAST PART OF COURTNEY'S NAME. Also when The Psychedelic Furs folded ,Richard Butler launched a new group, Love Spit Love.

    Cheers
    Flag bigvinceon February 15, 2011   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:This song actually doesn't mean anything. Butler was deliberately stringing together phrases that didn't connect to each other. They all are about a girl, but not necessarily the same one. Think of it as sitting in a bar, and everyone is talking about someone in their life. You catch flashes of conversation from several different people, but it all gets jumbled together.
    A lot of people are associating this song with the movie, but the movie is a plot loosely based on ideas of the song, along with feelings of alienation, and class warfare in the fictional Shermer High School where all of John Hughes Brat Pack era movies were placed.
    Flag DetroitRockerRyanon June 15, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:The one that was first in the line= took her virginity
    Walking around in the dress that she wore= The dress is a metaphor for her virginity, even though he can’t remember her name the “trophy” still reflects in his walk, his ego.
    He was able to take it off first so its his to claim. Like he wears his winning like a metal.
    Flag cordelyiaon April 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about a young girl who is having sex casually to fit in, but when I first heard it I assumed it was about a girl who dreams about a perfect romance but instead finds herself having sex with just some guy. Again, not saying my interpretation is right at all, but it was just a fun way of looking at it:

    caroline laughs and it's raining all day
    she loves to be one of the girls
    -It's been said a hundred times, a girl who wants to fit in socially.

    she lives in the place in the side of our lives
    where nothing is ever put straight
    -I think this refers to her living in her dreamworld.

    she turns her self round and she smiles and she says
    "this is it that's the end of the joke"
    and loses herself in her dreaming and sleep
    and her lovers walk through in their coats
    -She dances, daydreams and sleeps. And as she does, has happy fantasies about different lovers. Men who want her and care, romantic men who are like something out of a film.

    pretty in pink
    isn't she pretty in pink
    isn't she...
    -Every consider that Caroline is an ugly (or at least, not shockingly beautiful) girl, and fantasizes about people talking about how pretty she is?

    all of her lovers all talk of her notes
    and the flowers that they never sent
    -Her imaginary lovers all send and give her wonderful things in her dreams, and she gives them romantic gestures like love notes

    and wasn't she easy
    and isn't she pretty in pink
    -I said before Caroline dreams of being attractive, but she also dreams of having sex with all of these imaginary lovers. She obviously isn't having sex with all these men in real life, but in her dreams she's living like it's one big party. But the real Caroline could never do that because she has moral objections. So in her dreams, Caroline is making love to her true sweethearts, but she knows if she did this in real life she'd just be skanky.

    the one who insists he was first in the line
    is the last to remember her name
    -Her fantasies really do seem to love her, but even Caroline realizes that they love the fun, cheerful, 'one-of-the-girls' person who has sex with them. They don't love the dreamy shy girl who made it all up. He doesn't remember Caroline's name because the imaginary lover loves the girl Caroline dreams she was.

    he's walking around in this dress that she wore
    she is gone but the joke's the same
    -The imaginary man is walking in Caroline's dress because he is her. He is just Caroline's idea of what a loving man should be like. When he says sweet things to Caroline, it's really just Caroline in her dress saying kind things to herself. She is 'gone' because she has become someone else. She has become this beautiful, 'easy' girl and she has also become that beautiful girl's many lovers. The 'joke's the same' line means that this is the same person.

    pretty in pink
    isn't she pretty in pink
    isn't she...
    -Mentioned before

    caroline talks to you softly sometimes
    she says "i love you" and "too much"
    -Caroline is beginning to realize she is to involved with her own fantasies.

    she doesn't have anything you want to steal
    well, nothing you can touch
    -She doesn't have anything they'd want to steal because these imaginary people are all better than her. Caroline has made them more attractive, and with more romanticized lives than her own. They can't touch her because they aren't real. She realizes that these imaginary lovers of her can't really touch her or make love to her.

    she waves...she buttons your shirt
    the traffic is waiting outside
    she hands you this coat
    she gives you her clothes
    these cars collide
    -Caroline stops with the fantasies by removing the sexual element (buttons your shirt). She gives the imaginary self and boyfriends her goodbye by giving them her old identity symbolically through her clothes. The last line is saying that the imaginary lives have collided with each other and have been destroyed in the process.
    -----------

    Besides that little joke interpretation of mine, I have a question for people trying to figure this song out. Throughout the song, it mentions Caroline and 'you'. Well, who is 'you'? This may sound silly, but if we figure out who the writers are refering too, figuring the song's details will be easier. Is 'you', Caroline's boyfriend? Is the listener 'you'? Or is the narrator? Just something I've been trying to figure out.

    Also, since this wasn't added to the original lyrics, here's the last (albeit slightly muttered) part of the song at the end:

    caroline's on the table screaming
    confidence is in the sea
    and all their favorite rags are worn
    and other kinds of uniform
    they kid you you're really free
    and you know what you want to be
    case of individuality
    until tomorrow
    and everything you are you'll see
    in pure shiny buttons
    they put you in this gear
    and driveways broken
    doorbell sings in chimes
    it plays anything goes
    bells toll in rhyme

    -Could 'it plays anything goes' refer to Cole Porter's famous song 'Anything Goes'?
    Flag fuzzyforeveron December 22, 2009   Link

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