"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song by British-American alternative rock group the Pretenders. It was the first single released from the group's fourth studio album, '' Get Close'' (1986). It was also included on the band's ''

The Singles The Singles may refer to: * ''The Singles'' (Basement Jaxx album) by Basement Jaxx * ''The Singles'' (Bikini Kill album) * ''The Singles'' (Blank & Jones album), 2006 * ''The Singles'' (The Bluetones album), 2002 * ''The Singles'' (Chisato Mor ...

'' album, released in 1987. Frontwoman

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

said she was inspired to write the song for her friend John McEnroe.

Background

The song features a

jangly Jangle or jingle-jangle is a sound typically characterized by undistorted, treble-heavy electric guitars (particularly 12-strings) played in a droning chordal style (by strumming or arpeggiating). The sound is mainly associated with pop musi ...

guitar sound and an emphasis on melody. Hynde's lyrics contain literary references in addition to the more relationship-based subject matter typical for rock and pop music.

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said that although Hynde is the only original Pretender remaining, this song represents "a pretty upbeat, strutting, confident Pretenders." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' praised Hynde's "sultry vocal" and "powerful songwriting." ''Classic rock review'' describes "Don't Get Me Wrong" as a "jaunty rock track". ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Matt Wardlaw rated it the Pretenders' eighth-greatest song, saying that it " ammershome the point rather succinctly that when it comes to love from the female point of view, it's best to expect the unexpected."

Chart performance

In the United States, "Don't Get Me Wrong" became the group's second top-10 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at 10. It also spent three weeks atop the ''Billboard''

Album Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart in November 1986. In the United Kingdom, the song also peaked at No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart. In Australia, it became a top-10 hit, reaching No. 8 on the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...

Music video

The music video for the song is a tribute to the British 1960s TV spy series ''

The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...

'', with Chrissie Hynde playing Emma Peel searching for John Steed, while being diverted by body doubles and rival agents. She drives a 1983 Reliant Scimitar SS1. Steed actor

Patrick Macnee Daniel Patrick Macnee (6 February 1922 – 25 June 2015) was a British film and television actor. After serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, he began his acting career in Canada. Despite having some small film roles, Macnee spent much ...

appears in the original series' footage, with Hynde electronically inserted. Two edits to the video were made, the second edit adds alternate shots (including a scene of one of the body doubles being revealed to be a woman) and inserts footage of the band performing in a studio.

Personnel

– lead vocals,

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

* Robbie McIntosh – guitars * T. M. Stevens – bass guitar Additional personnel * Chucho Merchán – bass guitar *

Steve Jordan Steve, Stephen, or Steven Jordan may refer to: Music * Steve Jordan (guitarist) (1919–1993), American jazz guitarist * Steve Jordan (drummer) (born 1957), American drummer, studio musician * Steve Jordan (accordionist) (born Esteban Jordan) (1939 ...

– drums, percussion *

Paul "Wix" Wickens Paul Wickens (born 27 March 1956) is an English musician, composer, and record producer, professionally known as Wix. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Wickens has worked with artists including Nik Kershaw, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bon ...

– synthesizer, piano

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Covers

* Leigh Nash released a version in 2018. *

Hale Appleman Hale Isaac Appleman is an American actor. He is known for playing Tobey Cobb in the 2007 film ''Teeth'' and Eliot in the television fantasy series '' The Magicians''. Early life Appleman was raised in Manhattan, New York. He spent four summers a ...

covered the song in the musical episode "All That Hard, Glossy Armor" (Season 4, Episode 10) of The Magicians.

References

{{Authority control 1986 singles 1986 songs The Pretenders songs Sire Records singles Songs written by Chrissie Hynde Song recordings produced by Bob Clearmountain Song recordings produced by Jimmy Iovine