“Stop Your Sobbing” (The Pretenders)

This week we’re fast forwarding slightly to the late 1970s and very early 1980s and some of the best tracks from that era. With that in mind, today’s classic song of the day is “Stop Your Sobbing” by the Pretenders. Released as a single in January of 1979, this track peaked at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #34 on the UK charts.

“Stop Your Sobbing” was written in 1964 by Ray Davies for the Kinks’ self-titled debut album. Davies says it was about an ex-girlfriend who couldn’t stop crying when they broke up:

“Her sobbing was making me feel guilty and I told her to stop…”

Thus the song. “Stop Your Sobbing” was just an album track for the Kinks, never released as a single. But a teenaged Chrissie Hynde, growing up in Akron, Ohio, really got into British Invasion and groups like the Kinks. She had the band’s first album and “Stop Your Sobbing” made an impact. When she moved to London and, in 1978, put together her band the Pretenders, she remembered the tune and recorded it (along with five other tracks) as a demo to try for a record deal.

Producer (and songsmith and performer) Nick Lowe was sent three of those demos, including “Stop Your Sobbing.” Here’s how he remembers it:

“Chrissie and I were friends before that. She asked me to produce her group because her guitar player, Jimmy Honeyman-Scott, was a fan of mine. He liked Rockpile, which I was in by that time. Anyway, it shows what I knew—I didn’t really think Chrissie’s songs were very good. But she kept going on with me about making a record with her, with her new group. And she sent me a tape. The one song that jumped out at me was this Kinks song, the one cover song that she wanted to do, ‘Stop Your Sobbing.’ I thought it was so fantastic. So I said, ‘I’ll definitely do that one.'”

Lowe produced “Stop Your Sobbing” but broke his ties with his group after that; he didn’t think the Pretenders were going anywhere. He was wrong, of course. “Stop Your Sobbing” ended up as a key track on the group’s self-titled debut album, which was released a year later, in January of 1980. That album was one of the most impressive debut discs of all time, containing classic tracks like “Brass in Pocket,” “Kid,” “Precious,” and, of course, “Stop Your Sobbing.”

The Pretenders’ version of “Stop Your Sobbing” is all jangly guitars and killer harmonies that perfectly complement the song’s catchy melody. It’s vastly superior to the Kinks’ inoffensive Merseybeat original and one of the standout cuts on a standout album.

Interestingly, the Pretenders’ version of “Stop Your Sobbing” caught the attention of the song’s writer, Ray Davies. He and Chrissie got together in New York later in 1980 and struck up a relationship that lasted four years and produced a daughter, Natalie.

And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders rehearsing “Stop Your Sobbing” in 1979. It’s a little rough but Chrissie shines, as always. I don’t think she’s ever gotten enough credit for her singing; I find her vocals entrancing, especially on this tune.