Brass in Pocket

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"Brass in Pocket"
File:The Pretenders..jpg
Single by The Pretenders
from the album Pretenders
B-side
  • "Swinging London"
  • "Nervous But Shy"
Released November 1979
Format 7" single
Recorded 1979
Genre New wave[1]
Length 3:09
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Chris Thomas
Certification Gold (BPI)[2]
The Pretenders singles chronology
"Kid"
(1979)		 "Brass in Pocket"
(1979)		 "Precious"
(1980)

"Brass in Pocket" (also known as "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)") is a single by The Pretenders. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas.

Release

The band's third single was their first big success, scoring number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1980 (making it the first new number-one single of the 1980s), number one in Australia during May 1980, and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

Hynde got the idea for the song's title when, during an after-show dinner, she overheard someone enquiring if anyone had, "Picked up dry cleaning? Any brass in pocket?"[3] During an interview with The Observer in 2004, she revealed that she was initially reluctant to have the song released: "When we recorded the song I wasn't very happy with it and told my producer that he could release it over my dead body, but they eventually persuaded me."[this quote needs a citation]

The lyrics describe the female singer about to have her first sexual encounter with a particular person, and is expressing her confidence that the experience will be successful.[4][5] According to Rolling Stone magazine critic Ken Tucker, the song uses "an iron fist as a metaphor for [Hynde's] sexual clout."[6] The Rolling Stone Album Guide critic J. D. Considine describes the song as "sassy" and credits the band for "putting bounce in each step" of it.[7] Author Simon Reynolds similarly describes Hynde's vocal as "pure sass" and "a feline narcissism," noting particularly her "lingering languorously" over the words "I'm special."[5] According to AllMusic critic Steve Huey, the backbeat "meshes very nicely with Hynde's unshakable confidence, and the song never gets aggressive enough to break its charming spell or make her self-assurance seem implausibly idealized."[4] Huey also points out a harmonic shift in the music for the portion of the song where the singer lists the various attractive qualities she will use to make the encounter a success.[4] Author Dave Thompson suggests that the song is actually about the Pretenders' first live concert rather than a sexual experience.[8]

Chart performance

Covers

The song has been covered by Suede for NME's charity compilation Ruby Trax.[34] Kelis (for the soundtrack to the 2005 film Just Like Heaven)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Tucker, Ken. Pretenders: The Pretenders at the Wayback Machine (archived 29 April 2007). Rolling Stone. 17 April 1980. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ CHART NUMBER 1218 – Saturday, May 17, 1980 at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 February 2006). CHUM. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0194a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Brass In Pocket". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  16. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Pretenders - Brass In Pocket search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  18. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  22. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1980-01-19" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MAY 31, 1980 at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 September 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1980 at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 September 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  34. ↑ Barnett, David (2003). Biog for 2003 at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 October 2003). Anglo Platinum. Retrieved 2 May 2014.

External links

Preceded by Canadian CHUM number-one single
17 May 1980 – 31 May 1980 (3 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Coming Up" (Live at Glasgow) by Paul McCartney
Preceded by
"Totus Tuus" by Dana
 Irish Singles Chart number-one single
20 January 1980 – 10 February 1980 (4 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Coward of the County" by Kenny Rogers
Preceded by South African number-one single
21 June 1980 – 28 June 1980 (2 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Take That Look Off Your Face" by Marti Webb
Preceded by Swedish number-one single
4 April 1980 – 2 May 1980 (3 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Just nu!" by Tomas Ledin
UK Singles Chart number-one single
19 January 1980 – 26 January 1980 (2 weeks)		 Succeeded by
The Special AKA Live! by The Specials
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