Pitiful Faye (Lip Cream) (かわいそうなフェイ (リップクリーム) Wai-sōna fei (rippukurīmu)?) – also known as Poor Faye (Lip Cream),[1] which is really not the correct English translation – is an instrumental piano piece from the Cowboy Bebop Boxed Set, Disk 3. It is a companion piece to Poor Faye (High Socks).
The song featured as Faye Valentine takes a long shower in the Bebop while early memories came flooding back to her.[2] Along with "Poor Faye (High Socks)," the song was written specifically to underscore Faye's revelations about her own past.[citation needed] The song is performed in F# minor. The use of a minor key here, as opposed to the major key of "Poor Faye (High Socks)," reinforces the sense of hopelessness Faye felt for the loss of her past. The tone of the piano is intentionally warm and rich to add to the sense of nostalgia.[citation needed]
The Japanese title literally translates to "Faye who seems to be bad (lip balm)".[3] The difference in naming the two tracks as "Poor" and "Pitiful" is an important distinction here. The use of "poor" in the first song highlights that we should feel sadness that the once-hopeful Faye would only experience tragedy. By contrast, the use of "Pitiful" in adult Faye's present is quite deliberate, as "pitiful" is a word that has pejorative connotations, suggesting that at least some of her current issues are ones of her own making (such as her gambling addiction and near-refusal to create any personal ties) for which we might not necessarily be so sympathetic.[citation needed]