The Pretenders are one of the best bands to have come out of the new wave rock movement in the 1980's. The original lineup consisted of primary songwriter and lead singer/guitarist Chrissy Hynde;, lead guitarist James Honeyman-Scott; bassist Peter Farndon; and drummer martin Chambers.Chrissy Hynde to this day is the only original band member. What made The Pretenders one of the best bands of the decade was that they combined Bealtesque lyrics. Byrds guitar work, and a laid back Eagles like sound . With that ammo , they created incredible songs that were unique and ahead of their time . Here are the essential tracks from their catalog .
"Brass in Pocket" Pretenders (1980)
The breakout hit from the bands debut LP, this song showed that The Pretenders were the real deal musically .Hynde got the song title from sitting in a British pub one night. She overhead a conversation with someone asking "picked up any dry cleaning ? Any brass in pocket?" Lyrically; plus the constant rotation of the music video playing on MTV, the song itself has a very different meaning. Hyne swoons and moans as the song depicts her as a waitress and will use her charm to hopefully pick up her fist encounter. Accompanied by great guitar work by Honeymann-Scott, and a a fun playful bassline by Peter Frandon , this song proved that the Pretenders were going to make their mark and stay around for a long long time.
"Kid" Pretenders (1980)
Kid is one of those Pretenders songs that is legendary, but sadly never gets talked about by fans unless your'e really into music . The song is a fantastic rock n roll ballad in the key of C which then modulates to E. Lyrically , it's about a son finding out his mother is a prostitute. The standout moment of the song though is James Honeyman-Scott's guitar playing. He plays with the style of Roger Mcguinn of the Byrds and yet sounds tougher and his guitar solo? Simple yet effective
"Message of Love" Pretenders II (1981)
A smash hit of the bands second album is a non-cliche rock n roll love song about a successful relationship that can strengthen on both ends . It's a testament to Hynde herself because although she is the only female member in the band, she's not going to pull a Fleetwood Mac and let love and relationship get in the way of the music. Simplicity is runner on all cylinders here as the song revolves only around 2 chords. Going back and forth from A to G, the song showcases punk rock elements and is a fun bop till the end.
'Back on The Chain Gang" Learning to Crawl (1984)
If I had to pick a Pretenders song to show an inspiring fan or to show what makes the band so musically genius , this is the song . The second song off of the bands 1984 comeback album, this song form start to finish is a musical masterpiece. The opening guitar line from newly recruited guitarist Graham Parker is so melodic and is oozing with Byrds and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers influence. This is an emotional song for the band because its a tribute to former guitarist James Honeyman-Scott who died of a drug overdose in 1982 at the age of 26. "The picture of you" that Hyndes sings about is Ray Davis who is the lead singer of The Kinks. They briefly dated and had a daughter. As I said, this song is a musically amazing . You have a fantastic guitar line and great harmonies of songs that reflect the late 60's
"Middle of the Road" Learning to Crawl (1984)
The opening track off their 1984 smash LP, this hard rocking blues rock song showcases that the band was influenced by former British blues innovators The Yardbirds. With a killer ascending and descending riff in A, this song was written as a crossroads when someone reaches middle age and is autobiographical to Hynde as she was 32 when she penned it . Regardless that it was written as a tongue in cheek midlife crisis, this song is pure bliss and to top it off ? A killer harmonica solo by Hynde.
