Burning The Ground Exclusive

NEW 2026 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

Original post date: January 30, 2013

Today, I’m revisiting a Burning The Ground favorite that was originally posted in 2013. For this Soundtrack Of Pride edition, I’ve created a brand-new 2026 transfer of Book Of Love’s “Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls,” complete with meticulous audio restoration that brings renewed energy and clarity to this iconic dance-floor classic. It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate a song that remains as powerful and relevant today as it was upon its release in 1988.

When discussing the soundtrack of LGBTQ+ liberation, some songs become anthems through sheer visibility, while others earn their place through something deeper. They capture a moment, a struggle, and a community finding its voice. Book Of Love’s “Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls” is one of those records.

Released in 1988 as the lead single from the band’s second album Lullaby, “Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls” was the fifth single overall from the American synth-pop quartet and remains their most commercially successful release. The song reached No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the band’s only crossover pop hit. In the clubs, however, it found its true home, climbing to No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart and spending eleven weeks on the survey.

At first listen, “Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls” sounds like classic late-’80s synth-pop. Bright keyboards, pulsing dance rhythms, and an irresistible chorus made it a natural fit for dance floors across America. Yet beneath its infectious surface lies a message that resonated powerfully within the LGBTQ+ community.

The song’s narrator, voiced by Susan Ottaviano, delivers one of the record’s most poignant lines: “I want to be where the boys are, but I’m not allowed.” What follows is a stark realization of identity: “I’m not a boy.” For many listeners, these lyrics became a meditation on exclusion, self-discovery, and navigating gender identity in a world that often demanded conformity.

The timing of the song’s release was especially significant. Emerging during the height of the AIDS crisis, “Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls” became one of the first pop songs to openly advocate for safe sex. While many mainstream artists avoided addressing the epidemic directly, Book Of Love used their platform to promote awareness, responsibility, and compassion. The band has spoken about how dance clubs, long considered safe havens for the queer community, became places marked by both celebration and unimaginable loss during this period.

That duality is woven throughout the song. It is joyful yet reflective, euphoric yet grounded in the realities facing LGBTQ+ people at the time. The dance floor wasn’t just a place to party. It was a place to find community, support, and survival.

The single’s B-side added another memorable chapter to the band’s history. Book Of Love recorded a synth-pop interpretation of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells,” the instrumental theme forever associated with the horror classic The Exorcist. For their version, the band sampled Lauren Roselli dramatically crying, “Mother, make it stop!”, a playful nod to Linda Blair’s possessed character Regan from the film.

For the 12-inch release, producers Scott Blackwell and Bob Brockmann took things a step further, seamlessly blending “Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls” and “Tubular Bells” into a fourteen-minute dance-floor epic. The resulting medley became a favorite in clubs and remains one of the most inventive extended mixes of the era.

More than three decades later, “Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls” continues to resonate. While rooted firmly in the club culture of the late 1980s, its message of inclusion, self-acceptance, and solidarity remains as relevant today as it was upon release. The song stands as a reminder that Pride is not only about celebration, but also about visibility, advocacy, and creating space for those who have too often been pushed to the margins.

For many LGBTQ+ listeners, Book Of Love captured that feeling perfectly. Wrapped inside one of the decade’s most infectious synth-pop records is a message that still echoes from dance floors, Pride celebrations, and queer spaces around the world.

“Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls” remains not only a club classic, but an enduring chapter in the Soundtrack Of Pride.

SIDE A:
Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls (Extended Mix) 7:22
Engineer [Remix Engineer] – Bob Brockmann*
Keyboards, Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Bob Brockmann, Scott Blackwell
Written-By – Theodore Ottaviano

Tubular Bells (7″ Mix) 4:27
Mixed By – Alan Meyerson
Written-By – Mike Oldfield

Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls (7″ Mix) 4:50
Mixed By – Alan Meyerson
Written-By – Theodore Ottaviano*

SIDE B:
Tubular Bells / Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls (Regan’s House Medley) 14:28
Engineer [Remix] – Bob Brockmann, Hugo Dwyer
Keyboards, Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Bob Brockmann, Scott Blackwell
Written-By – Mike Oldfield, Theodore Ottaviano*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire ‎– 0-20963, Sire ‎– 9 20963-0, I Square Records ‎– 0-20963, I Square Records ‎– 9 20963-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 33 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: House, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

• Design – Jade Lee
• Mastered By – José Rodriguez
• Photography By – David La Chappelle*
• Producer – Flood, Ted Ottaviano
• Vocals [Uncredited] – Susan Ottaviano

NOTES:
Cover says “Specially Priced Maxi-Single”.
Front cover photo of the group says “MCMLXXXVIII” next to it, vertically, which corresponds to the date of release, 1988.

Tracks A1 and B: Remix, additional production and keyboards for Broadbeard Productions.

Original versions from the Sire Album “Lullaby.” Available on LP, Cassette and Compact Disc (1/4/2-25700)

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

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