The Pretenders are a British-American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde,James Honeyman-Scott,Pete Farndon and Martin Chambers. Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983,the band experienced numerous personnel changes;Hynde has been the band's only continuous member.
Pretenders is the debut studio album by British-American band The Pretenders,released in January 1980. A combination of rock and roll,punk and new wave music,this album made the band famous. The album features the singles "Stop Your Sobbing","Kid" and "Brass in Pocket".
Christine Ellen Hynde is an American-British musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist,guitarist,and primary songwriter of the rock band The Pretenders,and one of the band's two remaining original members alongside drummer Martin Chambers. She is the only continuous member of the band,appearing on every studio album.
Pretenders II is the second studio album by British-American rock band the Pretenders,issued on Sire Records in August 1981. It incorporates two songs that had been released as singles in the UK and placed on an EP in the US. It peaked at #7 on the UK Albums Chart and #10 on the Billboard 200,and has been certified a gold record for sales by the RIAA. It is the final album by the original line-up,as the following year bassist Pete Farndon was dismissed and guitarist James Honeyman-Scott died in the same week. Farndon died in 1983,and a new line-up would make the band's next album,Learning to Crawl.
"The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by the Platters,with Tony Williams on lead vocals,and released as a single in November 1955. The words and music were written by Buck Ram,the Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and management. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top 100,and No. 5 on the UK charts.
"My City Was Gone" is a song by the rock group The Pretenders. The song originally appeared in October 1982 as the B-side to the single release of "Back on the Chain Gang";the single was the first release for the band following the death of founding bandmember James Honeyman-Scott. The song was included on the album Learning to Crawl,which was released in early 1984,and it became a radio favorite in the United States. It is sometimes referred to as "The Ohio Song" for its constant reference to the state.
Learning to Crawl is the third studio album by British-American rock band the Pretenders. It was released on 13 January 1984 by Sire Records after a hiatus during which band members James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon died of drug overdoses. The album's title of "Learning to Crawl" was given in honour of Chrissie Hynde's then-infant daughter,Natalie Rae Hynde. She was learning to crawl at the time that Hynde was trying to determine a title for the album.
Get Close is the fourth studio album by rock band the Pretenders,released on 20 October 1986 in the United Kingdom by Real Records and on 4 November 1986 in the United States by Sire Records. The album contains the band's two highest-charting Mainstream Rock Tracks entries,"Don't Get Me Wrong" and "My Baby",both of which reached number one.
Last of the Independents is the sixth studio album by English American rock group the Pretenders,released in 1994. For this album,the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde,Adam Seymour (guitar),Andy Hobson (bass) and Martin Chambers (drums). However,this line-up only plays together on one track;the rest of the album is performed by Hynde and Seymour in conjunction with a rotating series of musicians on bass and drums. These musicians include Hobson and Chambers,as well as bassists Andy Rourke,Tom Kelly and David Paton,and drummers Jimmy Copley and J.F.T. Hood. A few other session musicians also appear,including Ian Stanley,and one-time Pretenders guitarist Robbie McIntosh,who plays alongside Hynde and Seymour on "I'm a mother". The album marked the official return of Chambers,who had been fired by Hynde eight years prior.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by English-American rock band The Pretenders,released in 2000. It was only their second greatest hits album in 22 years,but less successful than its predecessor,The Singles,released in 1987. It contains six songs not featured on the previous compilation:"Human","Forever Young","Night in My Veins","Spiritual High ","Popstar" and "I'll Stand by You".
"Breakfast in Bed" is a soul–R&B song written by Muscle Shoals songwriters Eddie Hinton and Donnie Fritts for Dusty Springfield. It takes a knowing spin on the line "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me",the title of a song that had previously been a number one hit for her in the UK. After being released on her 1969 album Dusty in Memphis,it was recorded and popularized the same year by Baby Washington. Harry J produced three reggae versions in 1972,by Lorna Bennett,Scotty,and Bongo Herman.
"Brass in Pocket",also known as "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)",is a song by English–American rock band the Pretenders,released in 1979 as the third single from their self-titled debut album. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott,and produced by Chris Thomas. Originating as a guitar lick written by Honeyman-Scott,the song's lyrics were explained by Hynde to be about the cockiness that one needs to effectively perform. The song's title derives from a phrase she overheard after a show.
"Back on the Chain Gang" is a song written by American-British musician Chrissie Hynde,originally recorded by her band the Pretenders and released as a single by Sire Records in September 1982. The song was included on The King of Comedy soundtrack album in March 1983 and was later included on the Pretenders' third album,Learning to Crawl,in January 1984.
"Middle of the Road" is a song by the Pretenders,released as the third single from the album Learning to Crawl. The single was released in the US in November 1983,then in the UK in February 1984.
"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song by British-American rock band the Pretenders. It was the first single released from the band's fourth studio album,Get Close (1986). It was also included on the band's compilation album,The Singles (1987). Frontwoman Chrissie Hynde said she was inspired to write the song for her friend John McEnroe.
"Kid" is a song written by the American-British musician Chrissie Hynde that was released on the Pretenders' 1979 self-titled debut album. Hynde wrote the song about a fictional boy discovering that his mother is a prostitute. The song's melodicism was attributed by guitarist James Honeyman-Scott to Hynde's growing interest in pop music. Honeyman-Scott wrote the song's solo,which he had designed over a couple of days.
"Precious" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde and performed by her band the Pretenders. First released on the band's self-titled debut album in late 1979,the song features punk-inspired music and aggressive lyrics.
"Hymn to Her" is a song that was first released from British–American rock band the Pretenders' fourth studio album,Get Close (1986). It was written by Meg Keene,a high school friend of Pretenders' lead singer Chrissie Hynde. "Hymn to Her" was released as a single in the UK and reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. According to AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald,the song has remained popular on adult contemporary radio stations.
"Talk of the Town" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde and performed by the Pretenders. Released first as a single and then on the Pretenders' 1981 EP Extended Play,a slightly shortened version of the song was included on the band's 1981 album Pretenders II.
"Message of Love" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde and performed by the Pretenders. Released first as a single and then on the Pretenders' 1981 EP Extended Play,it was later re-released on the band's 1981 album Pretenders II.
