Pretenders – Don’t Get Me Wrong

Written For McEnroe With A Melody Stolen From British Airways

Released on September 22, 1986 as the lead single from Get Close, “Don’t Get Me Wrong” peaked at number 10 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart, while spending three weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock chart. What makes this chart success remarkable is that Chrissie Hynde wrote the song for tennis superstar John McEnroe, who was trying his hand at music between controversial on-court explosions. But here’s the kicker: while flying on British Airways years later, Hynde realized she’d unconsciously lifted the main melody from the airline’s overhead announcement chime. That distinctive four-note phrase that opens the song? Stolen from the same sound that precedes your flight attendant asking you to buckle up.

The chart performance marked a crucial moment for a band in transition. “Don’t Get Me Wrong” became the Pretenders’ second top ten hit in the US, following “Brass in Pocket” seven years earlier, and their first number one on the rock chart. It reached number 8 in Australia and Belgium, number 14 in Canada, and number 4 in Ireland. The song also earned Silver certification in the UK. This success came at a time when only Hynde remained from the original lineup following the tragic 1982 deaths of guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon. Critics noted that while Hynde was now the sole original Pretender, the song represented a remarkably confident and upbeat performance, proving the band could survive even the most devastating lineup changes.

Hynde wrote “Don’t Get Me Wrong” specifically for McEnroe, whom she’d known for years through New York’s music scene. McEnroe loved playing guitar and regularly attended Pretenders shows, becoming friendly with the band. Hynde wanted to help him escape the constant media scrutiny about his tennis tantrums by writing him an upbeat song he could perform. The lyrics capture relationship uncertainty from a female perspective, with weather references suggesting her mood could change as quickly as a storm. Lines like splitting like light refracted and upon a sea where the mystic moon plays havoc with the tide elevated standard love song territory into something more literary and poetic. Years later, when she connected the melody to that British Airways announcement, Hynde admitted she’d been on a plane while writing the song and had simply absorbed the sound without realizing it.

Recording took place in one remarkably efficient day at Power Station Studios in New York, captured by engineer Bruce Lampcov with producers Jimmy Iovine and Bob Clearmountain. The album sessions had actually started with producer Steve Lillywhite at multiple locations including AIR Recording Studios in London, Polar Studios in Stockholm, Bearsville Studio in Bearsville, New York, and Right Track Recording in New York. But when Clearmountain and Iovine took over production, they brought in high-profile session players to replace the struggling band lineup. Drummer Steve Jordan laid down the straight-ahead beat with Robbie McIntosh’s shuffling jangly guitar creating that propulsive train engine groove. Paul Wix Wickens added synth flourishes that gave it pop grandeur. Hynde nailed her confident vocal in just four takes, with Clearmountain’s mix blending punk energy with polished melody. The recording was so smooth that Lampcov later called it stunning, while Clearmountain remembered Hynde being exceptionally easy to work with.

The Get Close album, released October 20, 1986 in the UK and November 4 in the US, represented both a commercial success and a band in turmoil. Hynde had fired original drummer Martin Chambers before recording most of the album, feeling his playing had deteriorated while coping with grief over losing Honeyman-Scott and Farndon. Multiple session players appeared on different tracks, with T.M. Stevens and Blair Cunningham eventually joining as full-time members. The album emphasized a funkier sound than previous Pretenders records, partially due to contributions from American funk and R&B session musicians. Despite the personnel chaos, Get Close produced two number one Mainstream Rock hits with “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and “My Baby”, proving Hynde’s songwriting and vision could carry the band through any lineup.

The song’s legacy includes covers by British pop star Lily Allen, Japanese artist Bonnie Pink, Finnish band The Stingers, and a memorable 2018 performance where Arcade Fire brought Hynde onstage at London’s Wembley Arena to duet on it with Win Butler. The track appeared on multiple Pretenders compilations including The Singles in 1987, cementing its status as an essential part of their catalog. More than a dozen artists have recorded versions, with the song translated into Chinese, Czech, and Portuguese. Its enduring appeal lies in that perfect balance between confidence and vulnerability, between jangly pop accessibility and Hynde’s distinctly literary lyrics, all wrapped in a melody unconsciously borrowed from an airline announcement.

Three decades later, “Don’t Get Me Wrong” stands as proof that sometimes the best creative ideas come from the most unexpected places, whether that’s writing for a tennis player with rock star dreams or stealing melodies from airplane sounds. The song marked the last big US hit for the Pretenders until Hynde brought in hitmakers Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly to write “I’ll Stand By You” in 1994. While some critics felt the track was lighter and more commercial than the band’s rawer early work, that accessibility proved to be its strength. As Hynde once said about the song’s subject matter, it captures those moments where thunder and rain appear without explanation when two people meet seemingly for no reason. The song remains timelessly relatable because everyone has experienced that confused, exhilarating feeling of unexpected attraction, where you might be great tomorrow but hopeless yesterday.