MORRISSEY: BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG

The grumpy granddaddy covers Pretenders classic, "Back on the Chain Gang".
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Ha. Just found out that the grumpy granddaddy covers Pretenders classic, “Back on the Chain Gang”. Not bad, Moz.

(I’m sure he refused to add “Ooh!” and “Aah!” during the chorus of the song. He’s not the easiest person to handle; we all know that.)

According to Rolling Stone, the former Smiths frontman recently recorded his version of the song for a double-vinyl reissue of his Low in High School album.

Morrissey dubbed the original track “a pop classic, and as always with the Pretenders, of the brain as well as the loins.” He also called the cover a tribute to the singer of Pretenders, one of his closest companions, Chrissie Hynde.

“Chrissie is one of my longest and most enduring friendships,” he said. “I don’t have many. She sang on my 1991 U.K. single ‘My Love Life’ and also on a track on my Swords album called ‘Shame Is the Name’. Chrissie is the funniest person in the world, yet she has absolutely no sense of humour. We have been in many absurd situations—all her fault, of course. I know she’d marry me tomorrow, but she’s already had 11 husbands and she’s always being spotted digging in the garden at midnight.”

I include the original composition of “Back on the Chain Gang” by Pretenders so you have better idea and start digging more classic stuff rather than the lamest punk rock band ever: Blink-182.

The one below is “My Love Life”, featuring Hynde on harmony vocals. I used to own the video, in VHS format, of this tune, together with Moz’s other single hits.

💧 You might also like LATE NIGHT, MAUDLIN STREET.

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Picture of Rudolf Dethu

Rudolf Dethu

Music journalist, writer, radio DJ, socio-political activist, creative industry leader, and a qualified librarian, Rudolf Dethu is heavily under the influence of the punk rock philosophy. Often tagged as this country’s version of Malcolm McLaren—or as Rolling Stone Indonesia put it ‘the grand master of music propaganda’—a name based on his successes when managing Bali’s two favourite bands, Superman Is Dead and Navicula, both who have become two of the nation’s biggest rock bands.
Picture of Rudolf Dethu

Rudolf Dethu

Music journalist, writer, radio DJ, socio-political activist, creative industry leader, and a qualified librarian, Rudolf Dethu is heavily under the influence of the punk rock philosophy. Often tagged as this country’s version of Malcolm McLaren—or as Rolling Stone Indonesia put it ‘the grand master of music propaganda’—a name based on his successes when managing Bali’s two favourite bands, Superman Is Dead and Navicula, both who have become two of the nation’s biggest rock bands.

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RUDOLF DETHU

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