The summer of 1982 was a difficult time for the Pretenders. In June, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott died of cocaine-induced heart failure, just two days after the band fired bassist Pete Farndon for his erratic drug-fueled behavior, which led to Farndon's death the following year. Of the original foursome, only bandleader Chrissie Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers remained.
Determined to keep going with recording plans, the Pretenders tapped Rockpile guitarist Billy Bremner and bassist Tony Butler for a pair of bittersweet songs that would be released as a single and B-side that fall, and later included on the band's third album, 1984's Learning to Crawl.
