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Middle of the Road (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Middle of the Road
| cover = Pretenders-middle-of-the-road-sire-US.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Front cover of US single
| type = single
| artist = The Pretenders
| album = Learning to Crawl
| B-side = 2000 Miles (US), Watching the Clothes (UK)
| released = November 1983 (US), February 1984 (UK)
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Rock, new wave
| length = 4:14
| label = Sire
| writer = Chrissie Hynde
| producer = Chris Thomas
| prev_title = 2000 Miles
| prev_year = 1983
| next_title = The Thin Line Between Love and Hate / Time the Avenger
| next_year = 1984
| misc =
}}
"'Middle of the Road'" is a single that appears on The Pretenders' album 'Learning to Crawl'.
History
The song peaked at #19 on the US pop singles chart and #2 on the US mainstream rock chart in January 1984, where it stayed for four weeks.
Singer-songwriter Chrissie Hynde has stated that "Middle of the Road" refers to 'Tao Te Ching', which she interprets as "the middle way." According to Charles M. Young of 'Musician', the song is about "getting out there and mixing it up with the world." The song 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 turned 32 shortly before the single was released). Hynde plays the harmonica solo near the end of the song.
"Middle of the Road" uses a 4/4 time signature. Hynde has acknowledged that "Middle of the Road" uses the same chords as the Rolling Stones' song "Empty Heart" and that it doesn't have much melody. 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." She describes Robbie McIntosh's guitar solo as "nifty." 'Audio' Magazine compared the song's structure to that of Dobie Gray's "The 'In' Crowd."
Allmusic critic Liana Jonas calls "Middle of the Road" a "classic example of pure, unadulterated rock music." She ascribes 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. Fellow Allmusic critic Mark Deming calls it a "furious rocker."
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
References
Category:1983 songs
Category:1984 singles
Category:The Pretenders songs
Category:Songs written by Chrissie Hynde
Category:Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer)
Category:Sire Records singles
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