A Sense of Doubt blog post #3037 - "Brass in Pocket" -- Music Monday for June 12th, 2023
I am going to confess that I am not such a huge fan of The Pretenders that the music was constantly on my turntable. Sure, I had some of the albums, though some I played at the radio station.
I didn't buy The Pretenders I in 1979 or even 1980. My first purchased album was the Extended Play Pretenders EP with "Message of Love" and "Talk of the Town," probably my two favorite songs by The Pretenders. "Talk of the Town" probably wins that contest, but it's a close call, and some might say that "Message of Love" is more of a strong rocker song. The groove of "Talk of the Town" touches me. Though they're both great. Like I said, it's close.
Eventually, I had The Pretenders I, but I am not sure if I still do.
Of course, I knew the hits, "Precious" (a future Music Monday selection) , "Kid," and "Stop Your Sobbing," as well as "Brass in Pocket," But none of these sustained on my music plays in the decades since, even though I think Chrissie Hynde is amazing, hence this post filed also in my "Women Who Amaze Me" category.
I confess that I had quite forgotten about "Brass in Pocket" until the 2003 Sofia Coppola film Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.
Also, Hynde stated:
LIVE VERSION
Of course, I knew the hits, "Precious" (a future Music Monday selection) , "Kid," and "Stop Your Sobbing," as well as "Brass in Pocket," But none of these sustained on my music plays in the decades since, even though I think Chrissie Hynde is amazing, hence this post filed also in my "Women Who Amaze Me" category.
I confess that I had quite forgotten about "Brass in Pocket" until the 2003 Sofia Coppola film Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.
João de Carvalho
Since 2003, "Brass in Pocket" has been a frequent addition to mixes or on the go arrangements, and my wife likes to play it on road trips.
Also, because of the Internet, I finally learned that Hynde is singing "gonna use my side step" not "gonna use my sexy," which it sort sounds like on some versions. Of course, I never saw them live when I could have seen her side step when she sings that line.
Though I have to say, I still don't know what "reet" means. Okay, time to Google, finally.
There's a little difference of opinion on "reet." According to an article on Louder Sound:
Elsewhere, the meaning of ‘Detroit leaning’ is a style of driving where folks lean way back in the front seat and stick their elbow out of the window; her ‘Got new skank/It’s so reet’ is a little tip of the hat to famed US artist and satirist Robert Crumb.
“I was a big fan of his comic books”, she says. “One cartoon of his had this pot gauge; a machine for measuring the quality of marijuana. If it was really, really good stuff they called it ‘reet petite’.”
However, Song Facts has "reet" as short for "righteous."
I figure Hynde's own words about Robert Crumb are the right thing.
The song is about being "brassy," according to Wikipedia: ""Brass" is a Northern English expression for money, harking back to the days when non-silver coins, or "coppers", were worth something. The meaning of the term "Detroit leaning" in the lyrics is unclear.[16]"
Whatever you make of the song, I fucking love it!
Thanks to Todd Alcott for his retro-1950s book pulp covers re-designed for song titles (hence "Precious" to come soon).
Pretenders
Feb 26, 2020 #Pretenders #BrassInPocket
Pretenders - Brass In Pocket (Official Video) [1979]
Official music video for 'Brass in Pocket' by The Pretenders. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas, released in 1979. It features on the debut album ‘Pretenders’, released on 7 January, 1980.
The band's third single was scored number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1980 (making it the first new number-one single of the 1980s) and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.
Hynde got the idea for the song's title when, during an after-show dinner, she overheard someone enquiring if anyone had, "Picked up dry cleaning? Any brass in pocket?"
Follow the Pretenders:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pretenders
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepretendershq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepretendershq
Lyrics:
Got brass in pocket
Got bottle I'm gonna use it
Intention I feel inventive
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice
Got motion restrained emotion
Been driving Detroit leaning
No reason just seems so pleasing
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice
Gonna use my arms
Gonna use my legs
Gonna use my style
Gonna use my sidestep
Gonna use my fingers
Gonna use my, my, my imagination
'Cause I gonna make you see
There's nobody else here
No one like me
I'm special, so special
I gotta have some of your attention give it to me
Got rhythm I can't miss a beat
Got new skank it's so reet
Got something I'm winking at you
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice
Gonna use my arms
Gonna use my legs
Gonna use my style
Gonna use my sidestep
Gonna use my fingers
Gonna use my, my, my imagination
'Cause I gonna make you see
There's nobody else here
No one like me
I'm special, so special
I gotta have some of your attention
Give it to me
'Cause I gonna make you see
There's nobody else here
No one like me
I'm special, so special
I gotta have some of your attention
Give it to me
#Pretenders #BrassInPocket
Apr 21, 2023
Award-winning, multi-platinum selling band The Pretenders featuring the Legendary Chrissie Hynde performs with special guests including Iggy Pop, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Kings of Leon and Incubus, recorded live at the Decades Rock Arena in Atlantic City, NJ.
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| https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2601781/Chrissie-Hynde-Alcohol-worse-heroin-pal-Kate-Moss-lose-fur-coats.html |
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| https://www.vogue.com/article/chrissie-hynde-memoir-reckless |
The Pretenders are back!!
New album in 2023!
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2306.12 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2901 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2306.12 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2901 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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