We was a duet duet duet duet do it on the pavement
Oh maybe maybe I'm gonna have a baby
We was a duet oh we do it all night
- Precious, The Pretenders
The Pretenders are a pop/punk band crossed with new wave, with an infusion of -- dare I say it? -- the erotic. Perhaps that is my adolescent brain speaking here, but every time I heard Chrissie Hynde sing "But not me baby I'm too precious I had to fuck off," it really did something for me. And then there's this:
"I was a good time, yeah, I got pretty good
At changing tires upstairs bro
I shot my mouth off and you showed me what that hole was for" (Tattooed Love Boy)
If you don't know what "changing tires" means, just remember that tires are made of rubber. That might seem tame by today's standards, but back in '80, this was powerful stuff. I think I sprinted to the record store to pick up this record. This album also has two huge hits: Stop Your Sobbing (written by Ray Davies) and Brass in Pocket.
The debut record is a new wave, pop, punkish masterpiece, and definitely one of my favourite records of all time. I do like what Allmusic said about this record:
"It's a deep, rewarding record, whose primary virtue is its sheer energy. Pretenders moves faster and harder than most rock records, delivering an endless series of melodies, hooks, and infectious rhythms in its 12 songs. Few albums, let alone debuts, are ever this astonishingly addictive." [source]
And so began my adolescent crush of Chrissie Hynde, which persisted along side of my crushes on Joan Jett and Pat Benatar.
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