“I was working on this song which he liked, and then he died, and it turned into more of a tribute to him”: How Chrissie Hynde channeled grief into The Pretenders’ classic comeback hit

Chrissie Hynde.

The Pretenders’ Back On the Chain Gang is one of the great pop-rock songs of the early ’80s – but while it feels upbeat in terms of its key and tempo, its lyrics tell a different story.

Written by singer and guitarist Chrissie Hynde, Back On the Chain Gang was first released in 1982 as a standalone single before appearing on the band’s third full-length, Learning To Crawl, in 1984.