Middle of the Road (song)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the Pretenders song. For the Denim song, see Back in Denim.
"Middle of the Road"
Front cover of US single
Single by the Pretenders
from the album Learning to Crawl
B-side
Released
  • November 1983 (US)
  • February 1984 (UK)
Genre
Length4:14
LabelSire
Songwriter(s)Chrissie Hynde
Producer(s)Chris Thomas
The Pretenders singles chronology
"2000 Miles"
(1983) 		"Middle of the Road"
(1983) 		"The Thin Line Between Love and Hate / Time the Avenger"
(1984)
Audio
"Middle of the Road" (2007 remaster) on
YouTube
Back cover
Back cover of US single

"Middle of the Road" is a song by the Pretenders, released as the third single from the album Learning to Crawl. The single was released in the US in November 1983, then in the UK in February 1984.

The song peaked at number 19 on the US pop singles chart[2] and number 2 on the US mainstream rock chart in January 1984, where it stayed for four weeks.[3]

Composition

Singer-songwriter

Ultimate Classic Rock attributes the solo to Hynde,[7]
who usually plays it during live performances of the song.

"Middle of the Road" uses a 4/4

The 'In' Crowd."[9]

Reception

AllMusic critic Liana Jonas called "Middle of the Road" a "classic example of pure, unadulterated rock music." She ascribed this to the fact that the lyrics focus on people's innate desire to "get up and go" and the "driven" music backs up the sentiment.[8] Fellow AllMusic critic Mark Deming called it a "furious rocker."[10] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw rated it the Pretenders 7th greatest song, saying that "The Pretenders kick out the jams in fine fashion, from that famous opening drum break to Chrissie herself wrapping things up with a killer harmonica solo."[7] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Bryan Wawzenek rated it as drummer Martin Chambers' top Pretenders song, saying that "he gets to do a little bit of everything: swing for the fences on the danceable beat, wake Chrissie Hynde from her daydream with a pair of lightning quick snare hits and keep pushing, pulling and racing to the song’s harmonica-drenched conclusion."[11]

In 1989, the song was donated to a double album for Greenpeace along with other songs that had environmental or other earth-sensitive subjects titled Greenpeace: Rainbow Warriors.

Charts

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 52
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 28
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[14] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[15]
 81
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 19
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard[17] 43
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[18] 2

References

  1. ^ https://www.scaruffi.com/vol4/pretende.html
  2. Allmusic
    . Retrieved 2014-05-05.
  3. ISBN 9780898201741
    .
  4. ISBN 9781476813592
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 9780312304614
    .
  6. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b Wardlaw, Matt (September 7, 2011). "Top 10 Pretenders songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  8. ^ a b Jonas, L. "Middle of the Road". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
  9. ^ "Audio". CBS Publications. 1984. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  10. ^ Deming, M. "Learning to Crawl". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  11. ^ Wawzenek, Bryan (September 4, 2013). "Top 10 Martin Chambers Pretenders songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  12. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  13. ^ "The Pretenders – Middle of the Road" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7264." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  15. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  16. ISBN 0823082806
    . Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  17. ^ "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. March 10, 1984. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  18. ISBN 0898201535
    . Retrieved March 6, 2023.
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