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Brass in Pocket
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Brass in Pocket
| cover = Brass in Pocket by Pretenders UK vinyl single.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Artwork for vinyl releases in the UK, some European countries, and Australia
| type = single
| artist = The Pretenders
| album = Pretenders
| B-side =
| released = 9 November 1979
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = New wave
| length = 3:09
| label =
| writer =
| producer = Chris Thomas
| prev_title = Kid
| prev_year = 1979
| next_title = Precious
| next_year = 1980
| misc =
}}
"'Brass in Pocket'" is a song by the Pretenders, released in 1979 as the third single from their self-titled debut album. 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" became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number one in the UK and number 14 in the US. Its music video was the seventh video aired on MTV on its launch on 1 August 1981.
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."
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?" 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. Of the song's meaning, Hynde stated:
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." 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."
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. According to 'Rolling Stone' magazine critic Ken Tucker, the song uses "an iron fist as a metaphor for [Hynde's] sexual clout." '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. 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."
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." 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. Author Dave Thompson suggests that the song is actually about the Pretenders' first live concert rather than a sexual experience.
'Cash Box' said that the song shows why Hynde was "quickly emerging as one of the bright new singer/stylists of 1980," highlighting "her sly, sexy warbling and tremendous control."
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), and number 14 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart in the United States. It was listed at No. 389 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2021.
A video for the song was produced, where Hynde played a waitress who waits on the rest of the band, who then leave her alone at the restaurant. Hynde commented on the ending of the video, "The 'Brass in Pocket' video got hijacked by the director, because the idea of that was that these guys were going to break in on motorcycles and I was going to get on the back and ride out of there. And he had different ideas, and he left me in there crying. That wasn't my script."
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Covers
The song has been covered by Suede for 'NME's charity compilation 'Ruby Trax'. It also features in its expanded debut album edition released in 2018.
See also
*List of number-one singles of 1980 (Ireland)
*List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden
*List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s
References
Category:1979 songs
Category:1979 singles
Category:1980 singles
Category:The Pretenders songs
Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in South Africa
Category:Number-one singles in Sweden
Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Sire Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer)
Category:Songs written by Chrissie Hynde
Category:Songs written by James Honeyman-Scott
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