Pretenders

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. Inspired by a London nightclub and a fan of the band, the song was a radio hit and reached number 8 in the United Kingdom. It has since been praised by critics as a highlight of Pretenders II. Lyrics: Such a drag to want something sometime One thing leads to another I know Was a time wanted you for mine Nobody knew You arrived like a day And passed like a cloud I made a wish, I said it out loud Out loud in a crowd Everybody heard 'twas the talk of the town It's not my place to know what you feel I'd like to know but why should i? Who were you then, who are you now? Common labourer by night, by day highbrow Back in my room I wonder, then i Sit on the bed, look at the sky Up in the sky Clouds rearrange Like the talk of the town Maybe tomorrow, maybe someday Maybe tomorrow, maybe someday You've changed your place in this world You've changed your place in this world Oh but it's hard to live by the rules I never could and still never do The rules and such never bothered you You call the shots and they follow I watch you still from a distance then go Back to my room, you never know I want you, I want you but now Who's the talk of the town?

My City Was Gone is a song by the British 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. The song was written by Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde, an ex-pat American living in London, and reflected her growing interest in environmental and social concerns. The lyrics take the form of an autobiographical lament, with the singer returning to her childhood home in Ohio and discovering that rampant development had destroyed the "pretty countryside" of her youth. The song makes a number of specific references to places in and around Akron, including South Howard Street (line 5), the historic center of Akron that was leveled to make way for an urban plaza with three skyscrapers and two parking decks (line 8). The word "Ohio" originates from the Seneca word "ohi:yo," meaning "good river" or "great river," referring to the Ohio River that forms the state's southern border. Lyrics: I went back to Ohio But my city was gone There was no train station There was no downtown South Howard had disappeared All my favorite places My city had been pulled down Reduced to parking spaces Ay, oh, way to go, Ohio Well, I went back to Ohio But my family was gone I stood on the back porch There was nobody home I was stunned and amazed My childhood memories Slowly swirled past Like the wind through the trees Ay, oh, way to go, Ohio I went back to Ohio But my pretty countryside Had been paved down the middle By a government that had no pride The farms of Ohio Had been replaced by shopping malls And Muzak filled the air From Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls Said, ay, oh, way to go, Ohio

2000 Miles is a song by the British rock band Pretenders. Written by lead vocalist Chrissie Hynde and produced by Chris Thomas, it was released on 18 November 1983 as the second single from their third studio album, Learning to Crawl (1984). It was most popular in the UK, where it peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1983. In the US, it was released as the B-side of both the 7-inch single and 12-inch single remix of the band's hit "Middle of the Road". Influenced by Otis Redding's "Thousand Miles Away",the song was written a year after the band's guitarist, James Honeyman-Scott, had died of a drug overdose in 1982. Hynde has noted that she thinks "the sense of distance in the lyrics" refers to Honeyman-Scott". Considered a Christmas song, it has been released on various Christmas compilation albums. SIGOPS Christmas Playlist: https://rumble.com/playlists/OHvx0B68gPE Lyrics: He's gone 2000 miles It's very far The snow is falling down Gets colder day by day I miss you The children will sing He'll be back at Christmastime In these frozen and silent nights Sometimes in a dream you appear Outside under the purple sky Diamonds in the snow sparkle Our hearts were singing It felt like Christmastime 2000 miles Is very far through the snow I'll think of you Wherever you go He's gone 2000 miles It's very far The snow is falling down Gets colder day by day I miss you I can hear people singing It must be Christmastime I hear people singing It must be Christmastime

Brass in Pocket, also known as "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)", is a song by English 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. The song originated as a guitar lick composed by Honeyman-Scott, which Hynde recorded and used as the foundation for the lyrics. The title derives from a phrase Hynde overheard after a show, where someone asked if anyone had "picked up dry cleaning? Any brass in pocket?". In Northern English slang, "brass" refers to money, specifically copper coins. reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1980, making it the first new number-one single of the 1980s. It also peaked at number two in Australia, number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number one in Sweden and South Africa. The song was listed at No. 389 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2021. Its music video, filmed in North Kensington, was the seventh video aired on MTV when it launched on 1 August 1981. In the video, Hynde plays a lonely waitress who is joined by the band members and their partners. Lyrics: [Verse 1] Got brass in pocket Got bottle, I'm gonna use it Intention, I feel inventive Gonna make you, make you, make you notice [Verse 2] Got motion, restrained emotion Been driving, Detroit leaning No reason, just seems so pleasing Gonna make you, make you, make you notice [Pre-Chorus] Gonna use my arms Gonna use my legs Gonna use my style Gonna use my sidestep Gonna use my fingers Gonna use my, my, my imagination [Chorus] 'Cause I'm gonna make you see There's nobody else here, no one like me I'm special (Special), so special (Special) I gotta have some of your attention, give it to me [Verse 3] Got rhythm, I can't miss a beat Got new skank, it's so reet Got something I'm winking at you Gonna make you, make you, make you notice [Pre-Chorus] Gonna use my arms Gonna use my legs Gonna use my style Gonna use my sidestep Gonna use my fingers Gonna use my, my, my imagination [Chorus] 'Cause I'm gonna make you see There's nobody else here, no one like me I'm special (Special), so special (Special) I gotta have some of your attention, give it to me [Chorus] 'Cause I'm gonna make you see There's nobody else here, no one like me I'm special (Special), so special (Special) I gotta have some of your attention, give it to me [Outro] Ohh And when you are

Middle of the Road is a song by the Pretenders, released as the third single from their 1983 album Learning to Crawl. It was written by lead singer Chrissie Hynde, who has described the song as reflecting her personal philosophy of staying in the "middle" or "middle way," inspired by her interpretation of the Tao Te Ching. The song's lyrics also contain autobiographical elements, referencing the recent deaths of bandmates Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott, as well as the birth of her daughter Natalie in February 1983. Hynde has stated that she was 32 at the time of the song's release, though the lyric "I got a kid, I'm thirty-three" reflects her age at the time of recording. Lyrics: Middle of the road is trying to find me I'm standing in the middle of life with my plans behind me But I got a smile for everyone I meet Long as you don't try dragging my bay Or dropping the bomb on my street Oh, come on, baby Get in the road Come on now In the middle of the road, yeah In the middle of the road, you see the darnedest things Like fat cats driving 'round in jeeps through the city Wearing big diamond rings and silk suits Past corrugated tin shacks full up with kids And man, I don't mean a Hampstead nursery But when you own a big chunk of the bloody Third World The babies just come with the scenery Now come on, baby Get in the road Come on now In the middle of the road, yeah One Two Three Four Five Six The middle of the road is no private cul-de-sac I can't get from the cab to the curb Without some little jerk on my back Don't harass me, can't you tell I'm going home, I'm tired as hell I'm not the cat I used to be I've got a kid, I'm thirty-three, baby Get in the road Come on now In the middle of the road, yeah

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 later included on the Pretenders' third studio album, Learning to Crawl, in January 1984. Back on the Chain Gang entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 5 to become the band's biggest hit in the United States. It also peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Rock Top Tracks chart and No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart. The single's B-side, "My City Was Gone", later became a substantial hit in the U.S., with lyrics about Ohio. Lyrics: I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh What hijacked my world that night To a place in the past We've been cast out of? oh oh oh oh Now we're back in the fight We're back on the train Oh, back on the chain gang A circumstance beyond our control, oh oh oh oh The phone, the tv and the news of the world Got in the house like a pigeon from hell, oh oh oh oh Threw sand in our eyes and descended like flies Put us back on the train Oh, back on the chain gang The powers that be That force us to live like we do Bring me to my knees When I see what they've done to you But I'll die as I stand here today Knowing that deep in my heart They'll fall to ruin one day For making us part I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh Those were the happiest days of my life Like a break in the battle was your part, oh oh oh oh In the wretched life of a lonely heart Now we're back on the train Oh, back on the chain gang