Middle of the Road (song)

"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.

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"2000 Miles (US), Watching the Clothes (UK)"
ReleasedNovember 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) by the Pretenders on YouTube
Back cover
Back cover of US single

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 Chrissie Hynde has stated that "Middle of the Road" refers to Tao Te Ching, which she interprets as "the middle way."[4] According to Charles M. Young of Musician, the song is about "getting out there and mixing it up with the world."[5] The song's lyrics include observations about the difference between wealth and poverty that Hynde had observed. The lyrics also refer to autobiographical details (i.e., the lyric "I got a kid, I'm thirty-three" although Hynde had just turned 32 when the single was released).[6] The harmonica solo near the end of the song is uncredited. 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 time signature.[8] Hynde has acknowledged that "Middle of the Road" uses the same chords as the Rolling Stones' song "Empty Heart" and that it does not have much melody.[5] She says that it uses basic chords and that it is like "a regular R&B song," going on to say that "it's like taking a basic format, like the blues, and just giving it new lyrics."[5] She describes Robbie McIntosh's guitar solo as "nifty."[5] Audio Magazine compared the song's structure to that of Dobie Gray's "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. "Pretenders awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
  3. Whitburn, J. (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Rock Tracks 1981-2008. Hal Leonard. p. 199. ISBN 9780898201741.
  4. Guitar World (May 1, 2012). Guitar World Presents Dear Guitar Hero: The World's Most Celebrated Guitarists Answer Their Fans' Most Burning Questions. Backbeat Books. ISBN 9781476813592.
  5. Young, C.M. (1994). "The Pretenders Change Diapers and Wrestle Death to a Draw". In Scherman, T. (ed.). The Rock Musician: 15 Years of the interviews - The best of Musician Magazine. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 144-145. ISBN 9780312304614.
  6. Pareles, Jon (January 22, 1984). "Chrissie Hynde Makes Peace with the Past and Moves On". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  7. Wardlaw, Matt (September 7, 2011). "Top 10 Pretenders songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  8. 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. 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.
  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. Whitburn, Joel (1992). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (Revised and Enlarged 5th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 369. ISBN 0823082806. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  17. "The Pretenders Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  18. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's Rock Tracks. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 112. ISBN 0898201535. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
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