Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde was the definitive rocker chick, but she has been so much more.  Like many things in our culture, rock was initially reserved for boys. Early female rockers met either violence (Hynde was gang-raped, Jacky Fox was assaulted by her own manager, Tina Turner endured years of domestic violence even while performing with her husband), or were forced to tart themselves up to get any play.  On occasion, they were condescendingly tolerated because they were “cute”.  Being a trailblazer took guts.

Along with Suzie Quatro, Debbie Harry, Patty Smith, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar and the Wilson sisters, Hynde broke the mold to found and lead a kick-ass rock band. And not just any band! The Pretenders merged hard-rock with the emerging New Wave sound and those gorgeous jangly guitar riffs to make something that's never been replicated.

She's still going strong, along with Martin Chambers, the only other survivor from the early, drug-crazed days of the band.  She remains as uncompromising as her tough-girl image always suggested.  Martin was asked what it's been like working with Chrissie all these years, and he replied "As long as you do what she says, it's all good." 

Early Days: Talk of the Town

One of their earliest available videos.  They started as a punk band but their sound rapidly evolved into something both polished and dark, paving the way for new wave.  Along with Blondie, Grace Jones and a few others, they gave rock new life and changed everything.  Tragically, two years after this video was made, Jimmy Scott and Peter Farndon were gone.  Chrissie, with Martin Chambers (the drummer) soldiered on, creating one of the great legacies in rock music.

Back on the Chain Gang, Live in London

Their biggest hit, this was the one song they performed at every concert.  It was written and released in 1983 in honor of deceased bandmembers Farndon and Scott. This is the best live performance I could find, from around 2010.  It's the sixth lineup of the band, Chrissie being the constant (Martin Chambers was absent for a few years).  The lead guitarist is about the same age as her daughter.  Who wouldn’t have loved to have a mom this cool?

Never Do That

After the deaths of Pete Farndon and Jimmy Scott, the Pretenders went through a long period of constantly changing lineups.  Their late 80’s and early 90’s albums are essentially Chrissie Hynde solo albums, with a rotating cast of bandmembers.  But she remained true to her dream of having “a Band” and called all of these variations “the Pretenders”.  Through all the turmoil, she kept writing and producing great rock music.  Here is my favorite from their 1990 album “Packed”.

When a cover is better than the original (1)

In addition to their original material, the Pretenders did wonderful covers of other artists.  This is their cover of Morrissey’s “Every Day is like Sunday”, a song about the aftermath of a nuclear war.  In my opinion, it is better than the original, but that’s just me.  The photo montage mostly features pictures of the original Pretenders line-up.

Back on the Chain Gang, Acoustic Version

Skip ahead a few years, to The Pretenders, doing acoustic versions of some of their old hits.  Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers are all that was left of the original lineup.  After all those years of being a badass, she goes and does this, a dialed-back, emotional rendition of their biggest hit.

When a cover is better than the original (2)

Another from the same acoustic concert.  This is a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep”, for every person who has ever felt like an outcast.  Chrissie, who was a complete misfit as a teenager, really outdoes herself.