I’ve been a Pretenders fan since I heard Brass in Pocket when it was released. Although I would spend a long time tracking down the name of it. In the 1980s, you could count on them to release something good and not the standard top 40 music. Chrissie Hynde had more grit in her singing than most of her male and female peers. She wasn’t here to sing you a pretty song; she meant business.
The original band was something special. The members were James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion)…and of course Chrissie Hynde. To convince guitarist James Honeyman-Scott to join The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde hired one of his favorite recording artists, Nick Lowe, to produce the song Stop Your Sobbing, an album cut of The Kinks. Chris Thomas would go on to produce all the other songs on the album.
When the Pretenders burst onto the scene in 1979, they didn’t arrive with punk guitars (although the spirit was there). They were armed with mostly Hynde’s melodic songs. Chrissie Hynde was a new kind of female rock vocalist, vulnerable and dangerous all at once. She was/is a badass but still relatable. This song was the band’s second single in 1979 and was included on their 1980 debut album. It is a great slice of power pop that blends jangly guitars, melodic melancholy. I love James Honeyman-Scott’s intro guitar run; it makes the song for me. It’s very obvious why Chrissie wanted him in the band.
Hynde has stated the song is about a woman who works in “the game” (prostitution) to get by, and her sadness when her child learns the truth about what she does. Following the 1981 Pretenders album Pretenders II, two of the four band members, Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott, died of drug overdoses, leaving just Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers, who remained the mainstays in the band amongst a rotating cast of guitarists and bass players through the 1980s.
The song peaked at #33 in the UK in 1979.
Kid
Kid, what changed your mood?You got all sad, so I feel sad tooI think I knowSome things you never outgrow
You think it’s wrongI can tell you doHow can I explainWhen you don’t want me to?
Kid, my only kidYou look so small, you’ve gone so quietI know you know what I’m aboutI won’t deny it
But you forgetYou don’t understandYou’ve turned your headYou’ve dropped my hand
All my sorrowAll my bluesAll my sorrow
Shut the lightGo awayFull of graceYou cover your face
Kid, precious kidYour eyes are blue, but you won’t cry, I knowAngry tears are too dearYou won’t let them go
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I always liked Hynde’s vibe. Crazy how they lost two of there members as you mentioned in a short time yet got bigger as the 80s went on. I need to grab a few of those albums yet I never see there stuff in the used bins…
Think how much that had to affect her…I can’t imagine. Being on top of the world and then losing two of your band members in a short time….but yea…she came back and was more popular.
Back on the chain gang dude!
Yep! that is what that song was about!
I love Pretenders. Their first song I recall hearing on the radio back in Germany was “Middle of the Road.” I dug that song right away and still do. “Kid” is great as well. Chrissie Hynde was a compelling lead vocalist- and still is! If you check out their most recent album “Relentless” from 2023, it almost feels as if time would have stood still!
Middle of the Road is a great song…that was giant where I lived and we heard it constantly on the radio…and I’m not complaining about that one! I like Scott’s intro to this song with that one string typel of playing.
I’ll check it out Christian…her voice is fantastic…like I said so crudely…she IS a badass.
Apparently, she’s not the most cheerful gal!🤣
But she’s a great songwriter and a helluva vocalist!
lol… yes she is! She is a very interesting person. One of my favorites from the 80s…she never went diva pop…she remains a rocker.
Can’t recall the last time I heard this song, many years ago for sure. Wow those clips were amazing.
She is fantastic…and I love these early songs with her original band….that guitar intro…conveys sadness just as much as the words.
Funny that’s the very qualities that made Nick Lowe not want to produce for her. He said she is just too sad for me. Though they remained friends and she certainly spoke highly of Lowe.
Randy….I found this…he did produce one right? Stop Your Sobbing…when he agreed…Honeyman Scott joined…am I getting that right? Here it is…it’s so cool seeing her smile and happy lol. But yea…he only did that one.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8E-cVQvemyg
I have seen that clip, sorry I should have said that is why he didn’t want to produce for her- again.
No at first I thought he did produce that first album after seeing the clip…but then I realized after researching…no….I’m glad you gave me the reason.
Pretty sure the quote was in the Will Birch book about Lowe. But it was a reasonable assumption to think he had done the whole album.
The Pretenders’ first two albums are simply sublime
I totally agree Glyn… I’m glad the original band made at least two before Honeyman-Scott and Farndon passed.
I’m thinking of getting Chrissie Hynde’s second covers album that’s just been released. Her first one was pretty good.
Is that the duet album?
Yes, that’s the one Max.
I’m going to check it out tonight Glyn…thank you
Couldnt agree more glyn
It’s amazing they’re still going and from most reports, pretty solid . They put out quite a string of good singles in 80s. The alt rock station, First Wave , plays this one quite a lot, I don’t remember it from back then though
It just sounds so good…a throwback but also modern for the time…she mixed the two quite well. She had such a great band….and it shows here. I’m floored by James Honeyman-Scott…his guitar work is so tasteful…it’s such a damn shame of what happened to him….and the bass player.
Yeah quite a blow that would’ve done in many another band. Although looking over their discography I’d have to actually pick ‘Learning to crawl’ as their best album, and it was the first without those two guys!
That one is different…for sure. Their sound changed some which it would…because she hand picked these guys…oh I like their 80s output a lot after this…but I do find myself drawn to this sound.
Me too!
I like Hyde, I hated how sometimes I guess a record comany would try to pretty her up for the occasional video…she was/is a punk that punk voice….remember seeing a tribute to Bob Marley that she was involved in, that was cool…..Boots of Chinese Plastic is a secret favorite
Yes…she was a punk no doubt and still is. She played melodic music but her spirit is punk no doubt. I’ll check that out Warren…thanks.
I imagine that if a child finds out that their mother is a prostitute that they would be embarrassed, confused and afraid. Great song, Max.
Thanks Jim! Yea that would be a life changer.
Out of the all the great tunes you picked this is great. Like closing your eyes and sticking a pin in a list. Cant lose. Chops and staying power for a long time.
CB… I agree totally and with this one…his intro tells the story as much as the words. I can hear that guitar tell a sad story all by itself. You can’t go wrong with them.
I have never met Hynde but I like what I see and hear. She is not a pretender. What I like best is the music she makes.
Great guitar sound. Haven’t heard this one in a while. Never knew what it was about. Interesting.
Max I did not know the song by title but immediate knew it once it started playing. Unique sound and I like the way you describe Chrissie’s voice.
“Chrissie Hynde was a new kind of female rock vocalist, vulnerable and dangerous all at once. She was/is a badass but still relatable.”
I was the same way..Iwas going through their songs and when I played it and heard that intro…I knew it.
Thank you…I thought that fit her. She didn’t change for an audience or for anyone…she remained her.
Early Pretenders was a great blend of old-school rock n roll and punk energy. I recognise this one but wouldn’t have known its name.
Me either! I listened to it and knew it as soon as that great guitar intro came in… I really like this early stuff.
love Kid and Chrissie. I saw the original line-up kicking it in 1981, and later versions in the later 80’s and 90s when they were more polished but maybe not quite as roar/energetic as V.1. Chrissie’s still great.
Oh that is cool you saw the original lineup. Yea I liked their entire career but these early ones are close to my heart.
Chrissie has one of those voices that you recognize from the very first note. There was a time at the peak of their initial fandom where it seemed like she was everywhere. I also like the way you described her voice, Max. Spot-on comment.
Yes…like Neil Young and others…you know when they start singing who they are without looking at a label.
Thank you…it was a crude way of describing…but I think it’s true.
Never heard this one on the radio, but it’s good. I generally like their first few albums.
One of their best, and that’s saying something. Pretenders will always hold a special place in my heart – those first two records spent a lot of time in heavy rotation during my youth.
Same with me Jay…they have never left. As you know I’m not a huge fan of everything 80s…but the Pretenders…oh yes!