"My Baby" by The Pretenders

Song#:  3015
Date:  02/07/1987
Debut:  84
Peak:  64
Weeks:  7
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The Pretenders nabbed their second US Top 10 hit with the #10 Pop/#1 Rock track "Don't Get Me Wrong," the lead single from their fourth album Get Close. To keep things rolling, this next single was issued out. It was another big winner at Rock getting to #1. However, it didn't catch on in a more mainstream way and the song faltered early on the Pop chart. It would take seven years for them to get another single on the Pop chart. Get Close would end up reaching #25 and going gold.

ReduxReview:  The hooks in this song may not be as strong or as immediate as some of their other hits, but this jangly tune was a worthwhile follow-up and it should have done better on the Pop chart. It's a sweet tune and I really like the bridge section. I'm not really sure why the crowd noises were brought in at the end, especially since this wasn't a live recording, but they are not too distracting - just an odd choice. At least it found a home on Rock radio and got to #1.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Later in '87, the band would put out their first compilation titled The Singles. It would sell well getting to #69 and go gold. After that, Chrissie Hynde would return in 1990 with Packed!, an LP that was pretty much a solo effort, but released as by The Pretenders. It failed to produce a Pop chart hit and didn't sell well. Four years later, Hynde returned with a new lineup for Last of the Independents. Hynde co-wrote several songs for the album with the hit making team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly including the first single "I'll Stand By You," which became a solid hit getting to #16 Pop/#21 AC. The album would sell well going gold. The band would continue to release albums over the years, but none would do as well as their earlier efforts. Later in 2014, Hynde would officially release her first solo album titled Stockholm. Five years later, she would issue out a second solo effort, the covers LP Valve Bone Woe.

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