The Pretenders – “Brass in Pocket” Live
Got Rhythm I Can’t Miss A Beat!
“Brass in Pocket” was released on November 1979 and received gold certification status. There were plenty of notable British slang in the lyrics such as “got bottle” and “reet.” The lead vocalist, Chrissie Hynde, became inspired to write the song after she heard Ada Wilson use the expression “brass in pockets” during their UK gig.
- Number 14 in the Billboard Hot 100
- Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart
During an interview with The Observer in 2004, Hynde 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.”
When asked by VH1, Chrissie Hynde admitted to not liking the song but then again still continued to play it since her fans loved it so much. In one scene from the 2013 movie “Lost in Translation,” Scarlett Johansson sings this song.
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.”
Aren’t we all glad they decided to release this chart-topper?
