Pearl's Girl Explained
"Pearl's Girl" is the title of several 1996 single releases and a song by Underworld, from their album Second Toughest in the Infants; where the song is titled "Pearls Girl". The single peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number 22.[2] The song title comes from the name of a racing greyhound.[3]
"I spent a few nights in Hamburg," recalled Karl Hyde, "and it actually came from a night on the Rioja[4] down by the docks. I'm actually shouting, Rioja, Rioja… I'd come from this really great club on the Reeperbahn, listening to lots of classic soul, which is where the 'Reverend Al Green' bit comes from. I was sitting by the docks and they have these 'bride boats' there, which people get married on. They go down the river and out to sea. I was just sitting there, Rioja-ed out, watching these boats sail past me at three in the morning. There were bonfires and everything."[5]
Track listing (original release)
UK 12-inch
- "Pearl's Girl (Carp Dreams...Koi)" – 10:07
- "Cherry Pie" – 8:22
UK triple 12-inch/double CD
- "Pearl's Girl (Short)" – 3:50
- "Oich Oich" – 8:33
- "Cherry Pie" – 8:22
- "Pearl's Girl (Carp Dreams...Koi)" – 10:07
- "Mosaic" – 5:01
- "Deep Arch" – 8:24
UK CD1
- "Pearl's Girl (Short)" – 4:25
- "Oich Oich" – 8:33
- "Cherry Pie" – 8:22
UK CD2
- "Pearl's Girl (Carp Dreams...Koi)" – 10:07
- "Mosaic" – 5:01
- "Deep Arch" – 8:24
Track listing (re-release)
UK 12-inch (promo)
- "Pearl's Girl"
- "Pearl's Girl (Tin There)"
UK 12-inch (promo?)
- "Pearl's Girl" (14996 version)
- "Rowla" (extended)
UK CD1
- "Pearl's Girl" (short version) – 4:24
- "Oich Oich" – 8:33
- "Cherry Pie" – 8:21
UK CD2
- "Pearl's Girl (Tin There)" – 8:11
- "Puppies" – 3:53
- "Born Slippy" – 8:57
US CD
- "Pearl's Girl (Tin There) – 8:07
- "Pearl's Girl" (14996 version) – 8:50
- "Puppies" – 3:51
- "Oich Oich" – 8:30
- "Cherry Pie" – 8:18
- "Pearl's Girl" (edit) – 4:22
- "Pearl's Girl" (album version) – 9:35
- "Mosaic" – 4:58
- "Deep Arch" – 8:22
Appearances
- The 9:37 version appears on the first CD soundtrack to the 1997 film The Saint; The Saint: Music from the Motion Picture, Virgin Records, 1997.
- "Pearl's Girl" was the third track on the 1997 compilation album MTV's Amp.
- "Tin There" appears on the Wipeout 2097 soundtrack as an original mix with reduced percussion and an ambient ending.
- "Pearl's Girl" was featured on Q magazine's (UK) Essential Dance CD in 2001.
- "Pearl's Girl" appears on the 2013 video game, Gran Turismo 6.
- "Pearl's Girl" can be heard as the intro to ZZ Tops Live From Texas.
Usage in media
- "Pearl's Girl" appears in the opening credits for the 1998 film Holy Man.[7]
- "Pearl's Girl" is one of the tracks heard on the bad guys' car stereo when they are in pursuit of Simon Templar (Val Kilmer) and Dr Emma Russell (Elisabeth Shue) in The Saint. Director Phillip Noyce mixed Graeme Revell's original score with source music heard on radios throughout various points in the film.
- "Pearl's Girl" was used as the theme music for the Channel 4 drama series Psychos. It was set in a mental ward and featured Nicholas Clay among the cast.
- In 1998 "Pearl's Girl" was used as the backing track to Radio 1's Newsbeat, giving a cutting-edge feel to the fast-moving news programme. The words were edited out. The drum sounds were played in a continuous loop until the end of each bulletin.
- In February 2010, "Pearl's Girl" was used in a Channel 4 advert for drama series The Good Wife.
- The song appears in the 2013 video game Gran Turismo 6.
Notes and References
- New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 35. 4 May 1996. 3 July 2021.
- Web site: Chart Log UK . 2008-06-21.
- Web site: Interview with Karl Hyde of Underworld . Ron Slomowicz . About.com Guide.
- "Rioja" is pronounced "" in UK, and "" in US. English pronunciation of “Rioja” CambridgeDictionary.Org
- Q, May 2001
- New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 29. 26 October 1996. 3 July 2021.
- Web site: Holy Man (1998) Soundtrack Credits. IMDb.
