Brass in Pocket – Today’s classic song and a cover from a once up and coming British band. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #ThePretenders #Suede

The fact that ‘Brass in Pocket’ by The Pretenders was released almost 40 years ago is startling to me. No matter what we do, we cannot stop time, or slow it down. It was released in late November of 1979 and it spent a couple of weeks at #1 on the UK Singles chart, in January of 1980. In Britain ‘Brass in Pocket’ holds the distinction of being the first #1 single of the 1980s decade. From a personal standpoint, when I hear this song I think of grade 8 at McKenzie Smith Middle School in Acton.

‘Brass in Pocket’ was written by Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders guitarist James Honeyman-Scott. Hynde got the idea for the song while hanging out with the Pretenders entourage after a show in the late ‘70s. She overheard a conversation about somebody picking up their dry cleaning and one of the participants inquired as to whether there was any “brass in pocket”. This is a Northern England slang for money. Another version of the inspiration implies that while The Pretenders were opening for The Strangeways, they were sharing space backstage and a pair of pants that were hanging over a piece of furniture was in the way. A band member asked whose they were and another remarked “I will take them if there is any brass in pocket.” Whatever the source, Chrissie Hynde, who was from Ohio was intrigued by the expression and filed it away for future use.

Typically, Chrissie Hynde was the main songwriter for The Pretenders but for ‘Brass in Pocket’ she worked closely with Honeyman-Scott. As you read through the lyrics several interesting English slang terms are noted which adds to the song’s intrigue. Here are a few examples:

“Got bottle”

This speaks to the confidence and lessening of inhibitions as the result of having a few drinks.

“Got rhythm I can’t miss a beat
Got new skank it’s so reet.”

Skank is a slang term for a special swagger or moving your body side to side.

Reet speaks of righteousness or exuding confidence.

The above passage is an interesting way to note that Chrissie Hynde had been living in the U.K. since 1973 working as a waitress and trying her hand at being a musician. It is clear that the British vernacular embedded itself in her way of life. As an interesting aside, Hynde went to Kent State in 1970 and the boyfriend of one of her friends was one of the victims.

Overall ‘Brass in Pocket’ speaks to the overall ‘dance’ that takes place between a couple as they explore the possibility of getting together. Being delivered by Chrissie Hynde as it is in this song speaks more so to the idea of female confidence and a sense of boldness, but it is not necessarily meant to be gender specific. It has certainly become an anthem of female empowerment through the years. No matter what the interpretation, the song became what it was, based on Chrissie Hynde’s delivery and it clearly set The Pretenders on their way as a strong act for the decade. Rolling Stone critic J.D. Considine described the song as “sassy” and the music behind the piece added a deliberate bounce to the presentation. Author Simon Reynolds called it “pure sass and representative of a feline narcissism.” The narcissist tag was a reference to the repeated line “I’m special”. Personally, I think that is a little over the top but it is clear that Chrissie Hynde served notice she was a rising star on the music scene and as noted from my personal experience ‘Brass in Pocket and The Pretenders were a constant presence for several years in the ‘80s and Chrissie Hynde was a driving force. She is right up there among the best female vocalists ever. She exudes confidence. I have always likened her to a female Tom Petty. Talk amongst yourselves, but please note that I mean this as the highest form of compliment.

For today’s cover version I reach out to British band Suede, who emerged in the late ‘80s and by 1992 they were considered ‘the Best New Band in Britain’. They recorded ‘Brass in Pocket’ for a compilation album called Ruby Trax – The NME’s Roaring Forty. The NME is the New Musical Express and for their 40^th anniversary they produced the album featuring 40 cover versions of popular songs in Britain over the 40 years they had been publishing. Glancing through the track list of this series of offerings, it seems like an intriguing package and in a pinch, it could present 39 more days of Ted Tocks Covers. For today here is ‘Brass in Pocket’ by Suede.