P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

THE STORY BEHIND ' P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) '

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This is the fun, high-energy party track of the album. The story below details how the song was completely rewritten from a slow ballad into a funk hit, the famous sisters who sang backup, and the use of the "Vocoder" robot voice.

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Most fans know "P.Y.T." as an upbeat, funk-driven dance track. But the song started its life as something completely different.

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The original version of "P.Y.T." was written by Michael Jackson and Greg Phillinganes. It was a slow, melodic, mid-tempo song smooth and laid back. Michael loved this version and fully intended it to be on the album. However, producer Quincy Jones had a different vision.

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As the Thriller tracklist was coming together, Quincy felt the album was getting too heavy on mid-tempo songs. He wanted something faster, something that felt like a celebration. He made the controversial decision to scrap Michael’s version of "P.Y.T." entirely. He kept the title, he loved the phrase "Pretty Young Thing" but he wanted a brand new song written from scratch to fit that title.

 

To write this new version, Quincy teamed up with R&B singer James Ingram. Ingram was a rising star whom Quincy had discovered. They sat down and wrote the new "P.Y.T." specifically to be a radio smash.

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They designed the song to be catchy, repetitive, and full of "call and response" hooks. The structure is pure pop science: a driving bassline, bright synthesizers, and a chorus that anyone could sing along to after hearing it once. It was designed to be "ear candy."  

 

The original slow demo written by Michael was eventually released on The Ultimate Collection box set in 2004, allowing fans to finally hear the "lost" version. While beautiful, most agree that Quincy made the right call for the flow of the Thriller album.

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The P.Y.T.s One of the defining features of the song is the backing vocals. During the chorus, you hear a group of women chanting "Na na na, da da da..." behind Michael. These weren't just random session singers; they were family.

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The backing vocalists were La Toya Jackson and Janet Jackson.

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At the time, Janet was just a teenager and hadn't yet become a superstar in her own right. La Toya was already establishing her own career. Quincy Jones brought them into the studio to create a "party atmosphere." He didn't want polished, perfect choir singing; he wanted the sound of young girls having fun. The sisters’ voices blend perfectly with Michael’s, giving the track a youthful, playful energy that lives up to its title.

 

The Vocoder The song opens with a strange, robotic voice singing "Ooh-ooh-ooh, I want to love you..." This effect was created using a Vocoder.

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A Vocoder is a synthesizer that analyzes the human voice and re-synthesizes it to sound electronic. It was a very popular tool in 80s funk (used famously by Zapp & Roger). On "P.Y.T.," the Vocoder was used to give the song a futuristic, technological edge. It serves as a hook before the real music even starts.

 

Musically, "P.Y.T." is one of the most layered tracks on the album. It is driven by a squelchy, analog synthesizer bass line that never stops moving.

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• The Guitars: The funk guitars were played by Paul Jackson Jr., one of the most recorded guitarists in history. His playing is incredibly tight and rhythmic, locking in with the hi-hats to create forward momentum.

• The Synths: Greg Phillinganes returned to play the synthesizers. He used a variety of sounds, including "brass" stabs and "flute" leads, to fill every empty space in the mix. There is almost no silence in "P.Y.T."—it is a wall of sound from start to finish.

• The Handclaps: The handclaps on the track are mixed very loud and sharp. Quincy Jones famously used a trick where he would record handclaps and then slightly delay them or add a "slapback" echo to make them sound like a whip cracking. This gives the beat an extra "snap."

 

Michael’s vocal performance on "P.Y.T." is pure joy. Unlike the angry delivery of "Beat It" or the paranoid delivery of "Billie Jean," here he sounds like he is flirting. He uses his "hiccup" technique extensively, turning simple words into rhythmic percussion.

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The breakdown of the song where the music drops out and Michael interacts with the backing vocals was improvised in the studio. Michael shouts, "Sing it to me!" and his sisters respond. It captures the feeling of a live jam session.

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The "Alvin and the Chipmunks" Sample Years later, "P.Y.T." would find a surprising second life in hip-hop. In 2007, rapper Kanye West produced the hit song "Good Life" for T-Pain. The song is built entirely around a sample of "P.Y.T."

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However, Kanye didn't just sample the song; he sped it up until Michael’s voice sounded high-pitched, a technique known as "chipmunk soul." The sample loops the backing vocals ("Na na na...") and the synthesizer riff. This introduced the melody of "P.Y.T." to a completely new generation of listeners who might have missed the Thriller era.

 

"P.Y.T." was released as the sixth single from Thriller in September 1983. It reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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While it is sometimes criticized by music snobs for being "too pop" or "fluffy" compared to the deeper tracks on the album, it remains a fan favorite because of its undeniable energy. It is the sound of Michael Jackson at his most accessible... smiling, dancing, and inviting the world to join the party. It proves that sometimes, you don't need a deep message; sometimes, you just need a great groove.