Music / Pretenders (album)

I'm special, so special, I gotta have some of your attention—give it to me!

Pretenders is the first studio album by the band of the same name. Released just before 1980, the album often considered one of the foundation bricks of Alternative Rock and New Wave as we know it.

The album was recorded in 1979, with the first track recorded being their cover of The Kinks' "Stop Your Sobbing". However, the original producer, Nick Lowe, found them hard to work with and quit production early on, so they replaced him with Chris Thomas, who stayed throughout the rest of the production. The band recorded 18 tracks for the album, of which four were released as non-album singles, and two were released as B-sides to "Brass in Pocket."

---

Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Precious" (3:36)
2. "The Phone Call" (2:29)
3. "Up the Neck" (4:47)
4. "Tattooed Love Boys" (2:59)
5. "Space Invader" (3:26)
6. "The Wait" (3:35)
7. "Stop Your Sobbing" (2:38)

Side Two

1. "Kid" (3:06)
2. "Private Life" (6:25)
3. "Brass in Pocket" (3:04)
4. "Lovers of Today" (5:51)
5. "Mystery Achievement" (5:24)

---

"It is time for you to stop all of your troping...":

• Cover Version: "Stop Your Sobbing", originally by The Kinks.
• Epic Rocking: "Private Life" (6:25). "Lovers of Today" (5:51) falls just short.
• Fading into the Next Song: "Space Invader" -> "The Wait".
• Instrumentals: "Space Invader".
• Pep-Talk Song: "Kid":
  Kid, my only kid
  You look so small, you've gone so quiet
  I know you know what I'm about
  I won't deny it
• Precision F-Strike: "Precious" has two examples:
  But you know I was shittin' bricks 'cause I'm precious
  [...]
  But not me baby I'm too precious I had to fuck off
  • And also "Private Life":
  Attachment to obligation through guilt and regret
  Shit that's so wet
• Shout-Out: "Space Invader" has an audio sample of gameplay from Space Invaders.
• Uncommon Time:
  • "Tattooed Love Boys" switches between 7/8 and 4/4 every measure.
  • "The Phone Call" is at 7/4 in the verses.

---