“Kid” (The Pretenders)

This week we’re taking a stroll through the early years of MTV and music videos. That means the early ’80s and we’re starting with “Kid” by the Pretenders. This track was released on the band’s self-titled 1979 debut album. It was not released as a single in the U.S. but it was in the UK, where it peaked at #33 on the British charts. That’s a tad higher than their first UK single, “Stop Your Sobbing,” which only reached #34. Their next single, however, was the big one; “Brass in Pocket” rocketed all the way to #1 in the UK and #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

“Kid” is a melodically rich track based around a fairly standard I – vi – IV – V chord progression. (In the key of C that’s C – Am – F – G.) The chords scroll by at a fast pace, once a measure, which forces a q;uickly moving melody. The music is very pleasant and poppy, as was Ms. Hynde’s style at the time.

The lyrics, however, are a different thing. The song is about a child finding out that his mother is a prostitute and her reacting to that. In Chrissie Hynde’s own words:

“‘Kid’ is a song about a woman who is on the game to pay her way through life. It wasn’t her first choice, but a sobering reality. She is saddened when her child finds out what she does to pay the bills.”

“Kid” was released more than a year before the August 1981 launch of MTV. Given the dearth of available videos at launch, MTV latched onto “Kid” and other slightly older videos to fill airtime in those early days. That, along with the popularity of “Brass in Pocket,” resulted in renewed attention for the earlier track. That attention was justified; many critics regard “Kid” as the group’s masterpiece, and it certainly is one of their top tracks, propelled by Ms. Hynde’s emotionally vulnerable vocals.

Personally, I consider “Kid” the best track on an album full of powerful songs. Pretenders is really an incredible album, one of the best debut albums in history. Consider all the tracks that are classics today—”Precious,” “Tatooed Love Boys,” “Stop Your Sobbing,” “Kid,” “Brass in Pocket,” “Private Life,” and “Mystery Achievement” among them. Name another debut album that packed that kind of punch. There aren’t many.

Pretenders hit #1 on the UK albums chart and #9 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Chrissie Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers are still going strong today; both guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon died of drug overdoses, Honeyman-Scott in 1982, aged 25, and Farndon in 1983, aged 30.