| "The Pretender" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spanish Picture Sleeve | ||||
| Single by Jackson Browne | ||||
| from the album The Pretender | ||||
| B-side | "Daddy's Tune" | |||
| Released | May 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 - early 1976 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 5:52 | |||
| Label | Asylum/Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jackson Browne | |||
| Producer(s) | Jon Landau | |||
| Jackson Browne singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Pretender" is a song written and performed by American rock performer Jackson Browne and featured on his 1976 album The Pretender .
"The Pretender" was composed, according to Browne, in a number of locations; in Los Angeles, within a rented store-front in North Hollywood, and in a "tacky" hotel in Hawaii. Browne is quoted to have claimed that the song was almost complete before he had discovered the defining opening piano-riff. [1]
In answering the question of who The Pretender is, Browne said - "...it's not me exactly, although sometimes people applaud for me at that moment in the song as if I am, but in truth there is a bit of The Pretender in me, but it's anybody that's sort of lost sight of some of their dreams...and is going through the motions and trying to make a stab at a certain way of life that he sees other people succeeding at. So maybe it's a lot of people of a certain generation who sort of embraced a very material lifestyle in place of dreams that they had that sort of disintegrated at some point." [1]
Piano is in the forefront, played by Craig Doerge. Drums are played by Jeff Porcaro, bass by Leland Sklar, acoustic guitar and electric guitar are played by Fred Tackett, harmony vocals performed by David Crosby and Graham Nash and the string section was arranged by David Campbell. [2]
"The Pretender" was only a minor hit single, reaching #58 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 5 weeks on the chart in 1977. [3] [4] However, it gained substantial progressive rock radio and album-oriented rock airplay, and has since become a staple on many classic rock formats. It has been one of Browne's most often performed songs during his concert tours. As a result, it is one of Browne's best-known works.
It was featured in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus .
Billboard described the song as having "a richly complex lyric and a sweeping melodic structure." [5] Cash Box said that it had "strong images and emotive musicianship." [6] Record World said that "The artistry is unquestioned, the feeling a breakthrough for Browne." [7]
William Ruhlmann calls the song "a cynical, sarcastic treatise on moneygrubbing and the shallow life of the suburbs," saying that it was "primarily inner-directed," and that "the song's defeatist tone demands rejection, but it is also a quintessential statement of its time, the post-Watergate '70s; dire as that might be, you had to admire that kind of honesty, even as it made you wince." [8] Far Out critic Tom Taylor rated it as the #81 most underrated song of the 1970s, calling it "an ineffably solid piece of songwriting, that shows off his ability to entwine melody and lyrics like he’s simply tying together his shoe laces." [9]
Writing about the songs in the context of its placing as the finale on the album of the same title, Author Peter Ames Carlin noted in 2010 that "tellingly, this is the first JB album to not flirt with holy transcendence in its final grooves." He describes the song as "a tart portrait of society, but unlike, say, Billy Joel (whose simple folk are so often reduced to Davy-in-the-Navy caricatures) JB sees himself right in the middle of the crowd. 'We’ll fill in the missing colors in each others’ paint-by-numbers dreams,' he pledges." Compared to the "sweet, sticky erotica" one might recall Browne singing with Bonnie Raitt on 1973's "The Times You've Come," Carlin says "this ain’t it. Not even close:"
We're gonna put our dark glasses on
And we'll make love until our strength is gone,
And when the morning light comes streaming in
We'll get up and do it again. Amen.
"The life of an idiot, perhaps. But certainly not a happy one," writes Carlin. [10]
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Browne's 4th greatest song, calling it "a nearly six-minute breakdown of one man's occasionally harsh, and almost always dishonest, survival instincts" as "'60s idealism had finally given way to mid-'70s cynicism." [11] Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as Browne's greatest song, calling it "Jackson Browne’s masterpiece" and saying that "it’s hard to find words to describe the song’s beauty and its impact on the singer-songwriter genre." [12]
Gary U.S. Bonds covered the song in a gospel style on his 1981 comeback album "Dedication".
Lucinda Williams performed it on the Jackson Browne tribute album Looking Into You: A Tribute to Jackson Browne . [13]
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 58 |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Clyde Jackson Browne is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States.
The Pretender is the fourth album by the American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1976. It peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's album chart. The singles from the album were "Here Come Those Tears Again", which reached No. 23, and "The Pretender", which peaked at No. 58.
"Peace of Mind" is a song by American rock band Boston, written by Tom Scholz. It was released on their 1976 self-titled debut, and released again the next year as the third and final single from the album. It peaked at number 38 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1977, as well as number 33 on the Cash Box Top 100. It received substantial radio airplay, both upon the initial release of the Boston album and subsequently, and has been described as a "rock-radio staple".
"Feelin' Satisfied" is a song by American rock band Boston, released on their 1978 studio album Don't Look Back. The song was written by Tom Scholz and released as a single in 1979. The single peaked at #46 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It reached #84 in Canada. It was the band's last release for 7 years, until Third Stage in 1986.
"Can't Get It Out of My Head" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and originally recorded by Electric Light Orchestra.
"Evil Woman" is a song written by lead vocalist Jeff Lynne and recorded by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was first released on the band's fifth album, 1975's Face the Music.
"Telephone Line" is a song by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in May 1977 through Jet Records and United Artists Records as part of the album A New World Record. It was very successful, reaching the Top 10 in Australia, US, and UK, and number 1 in Canada. The song appears in the 1995 Adam Sandler film Billy Madison.
"Take It Easy" is the debut single by the American rock band Eagles, written by Jackson Browne and Eagles band member Glenn Frey, who also provides lead vocals. It was released on May 1, 1972, and peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on July 22, 1972. It was also the opening track of the band's eponymous debut album and has become one of their signature songs, included on all of their live and compilation albums. It is listed as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
"Running on Empty" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. It is the title track of his 1977 live album of the same name, recorded at a concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on August 27, 1977. A number 11 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 when it was released as a single, it spent seventeen weeks on the chart after debuting on February 11, 1978 at position 72. Rolling Stone ranked it at number 496 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2010 and number 492 in 2004 and it is one of Browne's signature songs. "Running on Empty" was most popular in Canada, where it spent two weeks at number four.
"Somebody's Baby" is a song written by Jackson Browne and Danny Kortchmar and recorded by Browne for the 1982 Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie soundtrack. Reaching No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 after debuting at No. 73 on July 31, 1982, the track would be Browne's last top ten hit, as well as the highest-charting single of his career, spending a total of nineteen weeks on the chart.
"James Dean" is a song written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Jackson Browne, and J. D. Souther, and recorded by the American rock band Eagles for their 1974 album On the Border. It was the second single released from this album, reaching number 77 on the U.S. pop singles chart.
Late for the Sky is the third studio album by American singer–songwriter Jackson Browne, released by Asylum Records on September 13, 1974. It peaked at number 14 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.
"Doctor, My Eyes" is a 1972 song written and performed by Jackson Browne and included on his debut album Jackson Browne. Featuring a combination of an upbeat piano riff coupled with lyrics about feeling world-weary, the song was a surprise hit, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in spring 1972, after debuting on the chart at number 80. Browne would not see the chart's Top 10 again until 1982's soundtrack hit "Somebody's Baby", although "Running on Empty" just missed the Top 10, reaching number 11. Billboard ranked "Doctor My Eyes" as the No. 92 song for 1972. In Canada, the song peaked at number four.
"The Load-Out" is a song co-written and performed live by Jackson Browne from his 1977 album Running on Empty. It is a tribute to his roadies and fans. The song was recorded live at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on August 27, 1977, as part of the tour in support of the album The Pretender.
"Hold On Hold Out" is a song written by Jackson Browne and Craig Doerge and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. It is from his 1980 album Hold Out. It was released as the third single from the album, but due to its slightly over-eight-minute length, it was released as a "specially priced" 12-inch 45 rpm record instead of the traditional 7-inch 45, Asylum records possibly hoping to repeat the 12-inch airplay success of "The Load-Out/Stay" medley from the previous album. However, "Hold On Hold Out" only reached number 103 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
"Tuesday Afternoon" is a 1968 song written by Justin Hayward that was first released by English rock band the Moody Blues on their 1967 album Days of Future Passed and later released as a single.
"You Love the Thunder" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne from his 1977 live album, Running on Empty, recorded at a concert at Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, on September 6, 1977. Released as the third single a full year after the album came out, it only reached #109 on Billboards Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, though it received increased Album-Oriented Rock airplay. The B-side of the U.S. single was "The Road"; however, the B-side for the British single was "Cocaine".
"Here Come Those Tears Again" is a song co-written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne and included on his 1976 album The Pretender. Released as a single, it reached #23 one year to the week after the death of Browne's wife, Phyllis Major, spending nine weeks on the chart, after entering the Billboard Hot 100 on February 5, 1977, at position #64, the highest debut of the week. It also reached #15 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The single was the eighth-highest charting of his Hot 100 career. It was also released as a single in the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.
"Rock Me on the Water" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released as the second single from his 1972 debut album, Jackson Browne, following the No. 7 success of Browne's debut single, "Doctor, My Eyes". Browne's version reached No. 48 on Billboard's September 23, 1972, Hot 100 chart, spending nine weeks on that chart after debuting at No. 73 on August 5, 1972. It was also released as a single in Canada, Germany and Japan, and as a promotional single in the United Kingdom.
"Late for the Sky" is a song written by Jackson Browne. It is the opening track and title track from Browne's 1974 album Late for the Sky.
