Posted On: Saturday - February 17th 2024 3:15PM MST
In Topics: Music
Peak Stupidity is on a Pretenders kick, but really we are just focused on Chrissie Hynde's band's album from 4 decades back, Learning to Crawl. Last Saturday we featured the 1st song on the album, Middle of the Road
The next track, Back on the Chain Gang, is not as good a song, IMO, as the first one, but it was a bigger hit. It reached #5 at its peak on the famous Billboard magazine top 100 chart, while Middle of the Road got up to #28. The flip side of this single record was My City was Gone, also a better song, IMO. Still, this was good music.
The lyrics have to do with Chrissie's relationship - what rock songs didn't? - in this case with The Kinks's Ray Davies, and to me part of the album concept of ending of relationships. (I'll get into this album's story later, because the internet let me down...)
The Pretenders (after 2 band members had just died from drugs):
Chrissie Hynde – lead and backing vocals, guitar
Martin Chambers – drums, backing vocals
Billy Bremner – lead guitar
Robbie McIntosh – rhythm guitar
Tony Butler – bass, backing vocals
I'm not sure I'll have the time to write two posts each weekday next blog-week, due to time limitations. However, the material is there. Stupidity waits for no man. Thank you all for reading and commenting. Speaking of the comments, that's also two more posts, one about Dieter's suggested video, and one about the Tucker Carson short clip from a Moscow subway station provided by J1234. Happy Sunday!
Comments:
PeterIke
Thursday - February 22nd 2024 6:50AM MST
PS
Chiming in late on this one.
"The lyrics have to do with Chrissie's relationship - what rock songs didn't? - in this case with The Kinks's Ray Davies, and to me part of the album concept of ending of relationships. "
No, no, no. It's far more poignant. To save myself trouble, I'm quoting from the Genius.com web site:
"From 1978 until 1982, The Pretenders were Chrissie Hynde (vocals/rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar/keyboard), Pete Farndon (bass), and Martin Chambers (percussion). In June 1982, Hynde and Chambers decided to fire Farndon because he was refusing to treat his drug addiction. Honeyman-Scott went along with the decision, but a few days later died in an apparent overdose suicide. Then Farndon ended up dying of an overdose a few months later.
'Back On The Chain Gang' was written about the passing of Honeyman-Scott, released three months after his death. When asked how she could return to releasing music so quickly after the loss, she told Rolling Stone in 1984:
'What else were we going to do? Stay at home and be miserable, or go into the studio and do what we dig and be miserable?'
So for every song on the 1984 album Learning to Crawl, if it sounds like Hynde’s singing about a dead friend, then she probably is."
It's one of the saddest and most beautiful rock songs about losing somebody you love, and in a totally non-romantic setting. A friend, not a lover.
The killer verse for me is this one:
"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"
Heart breaking.
Chiming in late on this one.
"The lyrics have to do with Chrissie's relationship - what rock songs didn't? - in this case with The Kinks's Ray Davies, and to me part of the album concept of ending of relationships. "
No, no, no. It's far more poignant. To save myself trouble, I'm quoting from the Genius.com web site:
"From 1978 until 1982, The Pretenders were Chrissie Hynde (vocals/rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar/keyboard), Pete Farndon (bass), and Martin Chambers (percussion). In June 1982, Hynde and Chambers decided to fire Farndon because he was refusing to treat his drug addiction. Honeyman-Scott went along with the decision, but a few days later died in an apparent overdose suicide. Then Farndon ended up dying of an overdose a few months later.
'Back On The Chain Gang' was written about the passing of Honeyman-Scott, released three months after his death. When asked how she could return to releasing music so quickly after the loss, she told Rolling Stone in 1984:
'What else were we going to do? Stay at home and be miserable, or go into the studio and do what we dig and be miserable?'
So for every song on the 1984 album Learning to Crawl, if it sounds like Hynde’s singing about a dead friend, then she probably is."
It's one of the saddest and most beautiful rock songs about losing somebody you love, and in a totally non-romantic setting. A friend, not a lover.
The killer verse for me is this one:
"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"
Heart breaking.
J1234
Tuesday - February 20th 2024 6:51PM MST
PS-
Thanks for the kind remarks.
Thanks for the kind remarks.
Moderator
Tuesday - February 20th 2024 9:31AM MST
PS: Wow, it's great to know (of) another Marshall Crenshaw fan!
https://www.peakstupidity.com/index.php?post=1971
That was "There and Back Again" from his "Miracle of Science" album, on that's more obscure than his album with the singles and even that hit - to some degree - "Somewhere, Someway". ("Cynical Girl" is one of my favorites on it, with great lyrics to match the great sound.)
I'd read that Mr. Crenshaw played and sung in some Beatlemania show, of not by that name, some other. Yes, what a bright guitar sound the guy's got. I like that, and it does remind me of the Byrds. "Back on the Chain" gang has that type of sound, as you wrote. Middle of the road is a bit more hard rock.
I really enjoyed your music commentary, J1234. Thanks.
https://www.peakstupidity.com/index.php?post=1971
That was "There and Back Again" from his "Miracle of Science" album, on that's more obscure than his album with the singles and even that hit - to some degree - "Somewhere, Someway". ("Cynical Girl" is one of my favorites on it, with great lyrics to match the great sound.)
I'd read that Mr. Crenshaw played and sung in some Beatlemania show, of not by that name, some other. Yes, what a bright guitar sound the guy's got. I like that, and it does remind me of the Byrds. "Back on the Chain" gang has that type of sound, as you wrote. Middle of the road is a bit more hard rock.
I really enjoyed your music commentary, J1234. Thanks.
J1234
Monday - February 19th 2024 2:06PM MST
PS-
"....reminded me of the Byrds and other old groups I liked. What I didn't like about '80's music was that it often hung ironic/social/political lyrical nonsense onto some of those reinvigorated sounds."
I should clarify my comment above: I know that much '60's era pop music - as with the Byrds - was political and social in nature, but that was more '66-7 and later. Before then radio music was mostly apolitical, which is the era I liked. Another thing that ruined late '60's music was the psychedelic stuff. That crap didn't age well at all.
"....reminded me of the Byrds and other old groups I liked. What I didn't like about '80's music was that it often hung ironic/social/political lyrical nonsense onto some of those reinvigorated sounds."
I should clarify my comment above: I know that much '60's era pop music - as with the Byrds - was political and social in nature, but that was more '66-7 and later. Before then radio music was mostly apolitical, which is the era I liked. Another thing that ruined late '60's music was the psychedelic stuff. That crap didn't age well at all.
J1234
Monday - February 19th 2024 1:45PM MST
PS-
The most appealing thing about early '80's pop music (to me) was that much of it reinterpreted the better (or more interesting) elements of early to mid '60's pop music, at least instrumentally. E.g., the quirky electric organ sounds of Del Shannon or The Riviera's lived again in the B-52's and Elvis Costello.
Pop music of the '50's and '60's was so transitional and fad driven that it was often out of favor with the public a few years after it was released. The nostalgia craze of the '70's and the new wave of the '80's gave musicians and audiences a chance to kind of reexamine and expand upon some of those '50's/early-mid '60's era musical ideas. (By contrast, pop music of today doesn't sound that different from what I heard in the late '90's today...not that I actively seek it out.)
I loved "Back on the Chain Gang" when it came out because it's jangle-y electric twelve string, melodic structure and and harmonies kind of reminded me of the Byrds and other old groups I liked. What I didn't like about '80's music was that it often hung ironic/social/political lyrical nonsense onto some of those reinvigorated sounds. However, I'll always be indebted to '80's music for burying disco.
Here's a more-or-less retro song from '80's that didn't have any ironic/political baggage. I've always liked it. It's surprising to me that this guy didn't attain greater acceptance among the public. Bette Midler called him a pop-music genius, and I guess that fits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7sg66vfNHs
The most appealing thing about early '80's pop music (to me) was that much of it reinterpreted the better (or more interesting) elements of early to mid '60's pop music, at least instrumentally. E.g., the quirky electric organ sounds of Del Shannon or The Riviera's lived again in the B-52's and Elvis Costello.
Pop music of the '50's and '60's was so transitional and fad driven that it was often out of favor with the public a few years after it was released. The nostalgia craze of the '70's and the new wave of the '80's gave musicians and audiences a chance to kind of reexamine and expand upon some of those '50's/early-mid '60's era musical ideas. (By contrast, pop music of today doesn't sound that different from what I heard in the late '90's today...not that I actively seek it out.)
I loved "Back on the Chain Gang" when it came out because it's jangle-y electric twelve string, melodic structure and and harmonies kind of reminded me of the Byrds and other old groups I liked. What I didn't like about '80's music was that it often hung ironic/social/political lyrical nonsense onto some of those reinvigorated sounds. However, I'll always be indebted to '80's music for burying disco.
Here's a more-or-less retro song from '80's that didn't have any ironic/political baggage. I've always liked it. It's surprising to me that this guy didn't attain greater acceptance among the public. Bette Midler called him a pop-music genius, and I guess that fits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7sg66vfNHs
Moderator
Sunday - February 18th 2024 5:33AM MST
PS: That was kind of weird, as this same 11-character-distinguished video is on the youtube site just fine, yet other youtube videos on here show up fine. I went to rumble.com. Fine.
Moderator
Sunday - February 18th 2024 5:28AM MST
PS: I'm glad it's not like that for me, Alarmist. Good morning. The video is not showing now - I'll see if I can get another version.
The Alarmist
Sunday - February 18th 2024 5:09AM MST
PS
The Chain Gang video was more artistic and featured a suffering Negro.
What can one say?
My City was Gone was the best of the lot. Hey ho, way to go Ohio.
Have a good start back onto the weekly chain gang.
🕉🎶
The Chain Gang video was more artistic and featured a suffering Negro.
What can one say?
My City was Gone was the best of the lot. Hey ho, way to go Ohio.
Have a good start back onto the weekly chain gang.
🕉🎶
Anyway, I'll write that review of the whole album when I get to one of the other great songs.