The Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket” – The Story Behind The Song

“This goes out over my dead body.” - Chrissie Hynde speaking on The Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket." According to Loudersound.com, she made that statement to her producer, Chris Thomas, after recording the song at Wessex Studios in London.  It took some convincing for her to change her mind.

"Brass in Pocket" has a lot of British slang in it.  After The Pretenders' first-ever UK gig, Chrissie Hynde was backstage in the shared dressing room and she asked whose pants were on the back of a chair. One of the other performers answered, "I'll have them if there's any brass in the pockets." 

In a 1980 interview with Sounds (a U.K. music publication), Chrissie said of The Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket, "It's along the lines of the guy who is feeling very insecure, not about pulling a girl but, say, trying to be accepted by the guys down the pub. It's a front he's putting up. It's like buying a pair of new boots and you feel great but then you get home and see you spots in the mirror. Or take a couple of dexies (Dexedrine pills) and you're in gear for the evening but on the train home it's different."

More than one artist has been unpleasantly surprised by the end result of their song's video.  Such was the case for Chrissie Hynde.  Being a straight-up alpha female, Chrissie wasn't delighted at being cast as the downtrodden waitress in a dump restaurant. Also from Loudersound.com's interview: “My idea was that the band would show up on motorbikes... I’d cast off my apron and we’d all ride off into the sunset.”

The video producer had other ideas. “He had the band showing up with their girlfriends in a Pink Cadillac, and me trying to get their attention and failing. The closing shot shows the band driving off and me looking out of the window, weeping. I wanted to put a bullet to my head.”

The Pretenders have had more than their fair share of hardships and loss. The song's success was overshadowed by the heroin overdose death of their friend and roommate, Kevin Sparrow.  They fired Pete Farndon for shooting smack.  Two days after Pete's firing James Honeyman-Scott was found dead from an overdose.  A year and a half after James' death, Pete died from an overdose as well.

Chrissie Hynde is from Ohio.  She was a freshman at Kent State University in 1970.  Chrissie was protesting when the National Guard killed four students. She left the college and never went back (from songfacts.com).

Some of classic rock's biggest names and influencers we know and love hail from the Midwest.

From Cheap Trick being the pride of Rockford, Ill. to John Mellencamp's deep roots in Indiana, rock and roll isn't just born on the coasts. You can find it in what some might dub "flyover country," but these names prove this area of the United States should be anything but ignored.

Scroll below to see just a sample of the incredible rock and roll talent that came from the Midwest.

Three members of the American rock and roll group Guns N' Roses in front of a Hard Rock Cafe banner, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1992. From left, Duff McKagan, Gilby Clarke, and Izzy Stradlin. (Photo by Scott Harrison/Getty Images)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 04: Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses performs following the V8 Supercar Grand Finale at ANZ Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 19: Musician Bob Seger speaks onstage during the 2015 Billboard Touring Awards at The Roosevelt Hotel on November 19, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

CHICAGO - JANUARY 01: Chuck Berry performs at the Congress Theater on January 1, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 20: Steve Miller performs onstage during The 7th Annual Little Kids Rock Benefit at Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom on October 20, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Little Kids Rock)