Latest Release
- SEP 15, 2023
- 12 Songs
- Last of the Independents · 1994
- Learning to Crawl (Expanded Edition) · 1984
- Pretenders (Expanded Edition) [2006 Remaster] · 1979
- The Singles · 1979
- Learning to Crawl (Expanded Edition) · 1984
- The Singles · 1982
- Learning to Crawl (Expanded Edition) · 1984
- Learning to Crawl (Expanded Edition) · 1984
- Get Close · 1986
- Learning to Crawl · 1974
Essential Albums
- After losing guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon to drug-related deaths, a sobered Pretenders returned to the spotlight with Learning to Crawl. Chrissie Hynde turned her distinctive contralto to sentimental songs, both romantic and reflective, that retained her trademark, clear-eyed bravado. Poignant singles like the shimmering love song "Show Me" and the rueful "Back on the Chain Gang" meshed perfectly with attitude-driven rockers "Middle of the Road" and "My City Was Gone."
- For their second album, The Pretenders pretty much redoubled the songcraft and the sentiments of their pop-crunching debut but added some musical restraint and life experience. (A year or more of relentless touring and chart successes can mean a lot in the hands of a great songwriter; just listen to “Day After Day.”) Like any truly great rock ’n’ roller, band frontwoman Chrissie Hynde could soothe and rock. Here she spins a melancholy childhood yarn involving “catching frogs in ditches and listening for elves” (“Birds of Paradise”) and then turns around and rails on an idiot punk (“Bad Boys Get Spanked”). Then, as if offering recompense for songwriting lessons learned, Hynde curtsies to one of the greatest songwriters ever by covering Ray Davies’ wonderful Kinks demo “I Go to Sleep” (the band previously covered The Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing”). This 1981 album’s two massive hits, “Talk of the Town” and “Message of Love,” bottleneck everything tight and tender about the band, which would soon be struck with tragedy when both guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon died of drug overdoses.
- 2023
- 2020
- 1999
- 1990
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2021
Artist Playlists
- A thin line between tragedy and triumph.
- Classic '60s rock and pop meet punk—and get on famously.
- Their toughness and pop smarts echo throughout punk and alt-rock.
- The New Wave greats explore bluesy rock, R&B, and even downtempo.
Live Albums
- 2010
Compilations
- 2006
- 1987
- 1984
More To Hear
- On his new album, Pure Comedy. Hanni El Khatib calls in.
About Pretenders
With a career stretching across five decades, the Pretenders are icons of punk and New Wave known for their legendary frontwoman, Chrissie Hynde. ∙ An Akron, Ohio, native, Hynde moved to London in 1973, where she bounced between short-lived punk outfits and played with future members of The Clash, The Damned, and The Psychedelic Furs. ∙ In 1978, she formed the Pretenders, and the band broke through the following year with their first hit singles: a cover of The Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing” and Hynde’s song “Kid.” ∙ Their self-titled 1980 LP—featuring the group’s first worldwide smash, “Brass in Pocket”—is ranked among Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time. ∙ The group landed their biggest US hit with 1982’s “Back On the Chain Gang,” which reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and appeared on their 1984 album, Learning To Crawl. ∙ A Top 20 hit in 10 countries, including the US, their 1994 ballad “I’ll Stand By You” has inspired cover versions by Shakira, Carrie Underwood, and Girls Aloud. ∙ The Pretenders were inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
- HOMETOWN
- London, England
- FORMED
- March 1978