Brass in Pocket

"Brass in Pocket" is a 1979 single by The Pretenders. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas. Originating as a guitar lick written by Honeyman-Scott, the song features lyrics that Hynde explained to be about the cockiness that one needs to effectively perform. The song's title originated as a phrase she overheard after a show.

"Brass in Pocket"
Artwork for vinyl releases in the UK, some European countries, and Australia
Single by The Pretenders
from the album Pretenders
B-side
  • "Swinging London"
  • "Nervous But Shy"
ReleasedNovember 1979
Recorded1979
GenreNew wave[1]
Length3:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Chris Thomas
The Pretenders singles chronology
"Kid"
(1979)		 "Brass in Pocket"
(1979)		 "Precious"
(1980)
Music video
"Brass in Pocket" on YouTube

"Brass in Pocket" became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number one in the UK and number 14 in the US.

Background

"Brass in Pocket" originated as a guitar line that James Honeyman-Scott played for Chrissie Hynde. Hynde then recorded the part with a tape recorder and wrote the song's lyrics. Musically, Hynde described the song as "trying to be a Motown song, but it didn't quite get it."[2]

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?"[3] Of the song's reference to "bottle," Hynde explained, "Bottle is Cockney rhyming slang. It means bottle and glass. The way Cockney rhyming slang works is the word you're really saying rhymes with the second word. So bottle and glass rhymes with ass. In England, to say somebody has a lot of ass they have a lot of funk. So you say, 'That guy has a lot of bottle.'"[2] Of the song's meaning, Hynde stated:

The tradition of ["Brass in Pocket"] is that you're supposed to be kind of cocky and sure of yourself. You're not supposed to go on stage and say, "I'm small and I have no confidence and think I'm a shit." Because you just can't do that on stage. You're not supposed to, and probably you don't have much confidence, and you do think you're a little piece of shit or else you wouldn't have gotten a rock band together in the first place.[2]

During an interview with The Observer in 2004, she revealed that she was initially reluctant to have the song released: "When we recorded the song I wasn't very happy with it and told my producer that he could release it over my dead body."[4] Hynde later reflected, "Now I like that song because it's one of those songs that served me well. I didn't like my voice on it. I was kind of a new singer, and listening to my voice made me kind of cringe."[2]

Music and lyrics

The lyric describes the female singer about to have her first sexual encounter with a particular person, and is expressing her confidence that the experience will be successful.[5][6] According to Rolling Stone magazine critic Ken Tucker, the song uses "an iron fist as a metaphor for [Hynde's] sexual clout."[7] The Rolling Stone Album Guide critic J. D. Considine describes the song as "sassy" and credits the band for "putting bounce in each step" of it.[8] Author Simon Reynolds similarly describes Hynde's vocal as "pure sass" and "a feline narcissism," noting particularly her "lingering languorously" over the words "I'm special."[6]

According to AllMusic critic Steve Huey, the backbeat "meshes very nicely with Hynde's unshakable confidence, and the song never gets aggressive enough to break its charming spell or make her self-assurance seem implausibly idealized."[5] Huey also points out a harmonic shift in the music for the portion of the song where the singer lists the various attractive qualities she will use to make the encounter a success.[5] Author Dave Thompson suggests that the song is actually about the Pretenders' first live concert rather than a sexual experience.[9]

Release

"Brass in Pocket" was released as the band's third single. It was their first big success, scoring number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1980 (making it the first new number-one single of the 1980s), number two in Australia during May 1980 (for three weeks),[10] and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

Chart performance

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] Gold 10,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Covers

The song has been covered by Suede for NME's charity compilation Ruby Trax.[34] It also features in its expanded debut album edition released in 2018.[35]

See also

References
  1. Phares, Heather. "Various Artists – Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Women". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  2. Zollo, Paul (2020). "Behind the Song: "Brass in Pocket" by the Pretenders". American Songwriter. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  3. Hynde, Chrissie (2015). Reckless. Ebury Press. p. 256. ISBN 9781785031441.
  4. Van Rheenen, Erik (17 February 2016). "10 Artists Who Hate Their Biggest Hit". Mental Floss. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  5. Huey, Steve. "Brass in Pocket – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  6. Reynolds, Simon (1996). The Sex Revolts: Gender, Rebellion, and Rock 'n' Roll. Harvard University Press. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-6748-0273-5.
  7. Tucker, Ken (17 April 1980). "Pretenders: The Pretenders". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 29 April 2007.
  8. Considine, J.D. (1992). DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Straight Arrow Publishers. pp. 232–233. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
  9. Thompson, Dave (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-4402-1422-6.
  10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 238. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. "Ultratop.be – The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  12. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0194a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  13. "Le Détail par Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Select "The Pretenders" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Brass In Pocket". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  15. "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Pretenders - Brass In Pocket" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  17. "Charts.nz – The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  18. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (P)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  19. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  20. "Swedishcharts.com – The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  21. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  22. "Pretenders – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  23. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MAY 31, 1980". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012.
  24. "Song artist 387 – The Pretenders". TsorT. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  25. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  26. "Jaaroverzichten 1980" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  27. "Top 100 Singles". RPM. Vol. 34 no. 6. 20 December 1980. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  28. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1980" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  29. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  30. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1980". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  31. "Top 100 Hits for 1980". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  32. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1980". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012.
  33. "New Zealand single certifications – The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  34. Barnett, David (2003). "Biog for 2003". Archived from the original on 22 October 2003.. Anglo Platinum.
  35. Sinclair, Paul (25 January 2018). "Suede 25th anniversary box set". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
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