"Kid" is a song written by

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 ...

that was released on

the Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

1980 debut album ''

Pretenders Pretenders may refer to: * The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (le ...

''. Hynde wrote the song about a fictional boy discovering that his mother is a prostitute. The song's melodicism was attributed by guitarist

James Honeyman-Scott James Honeyman-Scott (4 November 1956 – 16 June 1982) was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders. With the band, Honeyman-Scott established a reputation, in the words of AllMusic, as "one of th ...

to Hynde's growing interest in pop music. Honeyman-Scott wrote the song's solo, which he had designed over a couple of days. "Kid" was released as a single and reached number 33 in the UK. It has been covered by several other artists, including

Everything but the Girl Everything but the Girl (occasionally referred to as EBTG) are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Watt ...

Background

Of the lyrics to "Kid," Hynde stated, "It's about a prostitute whose son finds out what she does for a living and this is her having a conversation with him. Not all songs are autobiographical." Guitarist

attributed the song's melodic quality to Hynde's shift from punk to pop; he explained, "Chrissie started to like pop music, and that’s why she started writing things like 'Kid. Honeyman-Scott also assisted in arranging the song and composed the guitar solo. Drummer

Martin Chambers Martin Dale Chambers (born 4 September 1951 in Hereford) is an English musician, who is best known as a founding member and drummer of the rock band the Pretenders. In addition to playing the drums with the group, Chambers sings backing vocals ...

said of Honeyman-Scott's solo:

Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous ...

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

, who cited Honeyman-Scott as an influence, often used "Kid" as a warm-up song before gigs.

Music and lyrics

Author Alex Ogg describes "Kid" as a "resonant

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

." The lyrics express the singer's devotion to the listener, who may be her child, but could also be her lover or just a friend.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic Stewart Mason calls it "an all-time classic

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

love song" and "probably the retenders'masterpiece." He particularly praises Hynde's "beautiful and emotional" lead vocals, and

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

playing, which he says sounds like

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

at times but also sounds tougher when necessary. Allmusic critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

praised how Honeyman-Scott's "unconventional" playing adds additional dimensions to the "measured pop" of "Kid". Author Jeremy Simmonds said of "Kid" that it "showed the group's complete mastery of sixties hooks with sharp. confident new wave leanings." ''

Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' critic J.D. Considine praises how

melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

expresses "emotional vulnerability." Considine also praises how the band adds "soul" to the song's "sentimentality." According to Mason, the Pretenders' later single " Show Me" was partially a rewrite of "Kid." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Bryan Wawzenek rated it one of drummer Martin Chambers' 5th best Pretenders songs, saying that Chambers "just soars to the bridge, where he gets to flash a little muscle. And then he steals a few stutter beats from

the Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. The ...

to let 'Kid' wander down

girl-group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

lane."

Release

"Kid" was released as the Pretenders' second single in 1979, prior to the release of their debut album, following "

Stop Your Sobbing "Stop Your Sobbing" is a song written by Ray Davies for the Kinks' debut album, ''Kinks''. It was later covered by the Pretenders as their first single. Background The Kinks recorded "Stop Your Sobbing" on ''Kinks'', which was rushed out in or ...

." It performed slightly better on the UK charts than "Stop Your Sobbing," reaching number 33 whereas "Stop Your Sobbing" reached number 34. However, the band's follow up single "

Brass in Pocket "Brass In Pocket (I'm Special)" is a song by English–American rock band the Pretenders, released in 1979 as the third single from their self-titled debut album. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris ...

" performed even better, reaching #1. The song's single release was accompanied by a music video, which featured the band at an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

. Since its original release, "Kid" has appeared on a number of Pretenders' compilation albums. including '' The Singles'' and ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

''. It also appears on the live album '' The Isle of View'', in which Hynde is backed by a

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

, in what

describes as a "poorly conceived" version.

Charts

Cover versions

covered "Kid" on the US version of their 1985 album ''

Love Not Money ''Love Not Money'' is the second studio album by British band Everything but the Girl, which consisted of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt. It was produced by Robin Millar, recorded at Powerplant Studios in London and was released in the UK on 15 Apr ...

'', with

Tracey Thorn Tracey Anne Thorn (born 26 September 1962) is a British singer. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl from 1982 to 1999. She was a member of the band Marine Girls between 1980 and 1983 and since 2007 has been ...

playing piano and singing solo vocal. Allmusic's Mason praised this as the best cover version of "Kid." However, fellow Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann claimed that adding the song to the US version did not enhance the album's appeal.

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

and Susanna Hoffs covered "Kid" on their 2013 album ''

Under the Covers, Vol. 3 ''Under the Covers, Vol. 3'' is the third and final collaboration between alternative rock artist Matthew Sweet and Bangles singer/guitarist Susanna Hoffs. Released by Shout! Factory on November 12, 2013, it contains 14 cover versions of songs ...

''.

References

{{authority control 1979 singles 1979 songs The Pretenders songs Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) Songs written by Chrissie Hynde Sire Records singles Everything but the Girl songs Jangle pop songs