Pretty Pimpin

Album: b'lieve i'm goin down... (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • In this song, the Philadelphia singer Kurt Vile looks in the mirror and doesn't recognize the man he sees, although he thinks the clothes he's wearing are "pretty pimpin."

    When you're startled by the man in the mirror, it's usually a pretty bad sign and often an effective wake-up call. In many cases, addiction or insanity is the problem, but it seems Vile just needs some rest. "I was just mentally exhausted," he told Rolling Stone. "I think most people feel like that at times."

    Vile says that the song is based on a true story.
  • Daniel Henry directed the video, which finds multiple images of Vile sharing the screen, representing the different likenesses he imagines. Other videos by Henry include "High Ball Stepper" by Jack White and "The Garden" by Yumi And The System.
  • This became Kurt Vile's first #1 on a Billboard chart when it reached the summit on the Adult Alternative Songs tally in March 2016.

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