Story Behind the Song: Jenny Tolman, ‘So Pretty’

Jenny Tolman takes on jealousy and a complex woman-to-woman narrative in "So Pretty," one of the songs off of her debut album, There Goes the Neighborhood. Below, Tolman shares the story behind the song, and explains why it means so much to her.

"So Pretty" is obviously a departure from a lot of the narratives going on with the crazy characters in Jennyville, but it's one of my favorites because it's so vulnerable and true. My favorite songs have always been woman-to-woman narratives, like "Does He Love You" with Reba [McEntire] and Linda [Davis] and "The Fool" with Lee Ann Womack. There are just so many powerful emotions, I feel like, when it's woman-to-woman, because women are the only ones who can feel certain things so powerfully.

What I love about "So Pretty" is that it starts from a place where you truly want to hate this person. You don't want to like them. We've all felt that. And then the amazing thing is that, once you actually get to know somebody, it's like, "Oh, you're a good person. You have a good soul, and I'm just being a brat because it's an ego thing."

These people aren't trying to hurt you; it's more that your ego gets in the way. And I feel that all the time, too. I can sing these things, but I still haven't quite learned all of them! It's a lot easier to sing about than to practice.

It's a really powerful story for me to be able to express to people, that even in situations where you're not supposed to like somebody and you go in with this predisposition, you're able to get to know somebody and realize they're not as bad as you thought.

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