The Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang HQ Music

"Back on the Chain Gang" is a single by The Pretenders released in November 1982. The song was also released on The King of Comedy soundtrack album (March 1983) and later included on The Pretenders' next album Learning to Crawl in January 1984. It reached number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (the band's highest charting U.S. single), number four on Billboard's Top Tracks chart and number 17 in the United Kingdom.
The song was originally going to be about Ray Davies, leader of the band The Kinks. Hynde and Davies were a couple and had a daughter together, but the meaning of the song changed after James Honeyman-Scott, the Pretenders guitarist, died of a drug overdose at the age of 25 in 1982.
The memorable chain-gang chant heard during the chorus of the song echoes a similar chant on Sam Cooke's song "Chain Gang."

(p) 1982 Sire Records
(c) 2009 Warner Bros Records
(c) 2009 Warner Music Group
http://www.sirerecords.com | http://www.warnermusic.com

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  Music

[robert82318]

I feel old

[johnnycabot]

I miss videos like this - no lame special effects...just simple directing and basic symbolism combined with a good song.

I'll say it yet again: the 1980s...when MTv was cool.

[toucansam3]

Is this before or after half the band died?

[rojasij]

What is this song about? I found the lyrics but the meaning is still arcane to me.

[Zach Zachman]

Simple fact, if you are older than MTV you are old.

[bigbromiki1]

you gotta dig though

[bigbromiki1]

there is still some good new music

[paologatto89]

Great song from the 80's. Where has the time gone to???

[kvnd7331]

I thought this was by Fleetwood mac for sure....

[jojodickson]

This is so Kool. What is a MTV now? What is music now? How did Music lose it's soul to ugly sound and noise? What is wrong!

[lalosports]

Selena Quintanilla: "fotos y recuerdos".,,

[Carolli Márol]

o-o-oh, o-o-oh ♪