The Pretenders have always been a favorite band of mine since their self titled debut album hit the airwaves back in 1980. I fell deep for Chrissie Hynde. She was so cool, beautiful, and totally rock-n-roll! Back in those early days of The Pretenders, their music was rebellious enough to tag along with the punk scene and melodious enough for rock lovers. The first song I remember catching my ear was “Kid”. What a great tune! Then in 1984, Chrissie and company released their third album Learning to Crawl, which is a fantastic album with several hits: “Middle of the Road”, “Back on the Chain Gang”, “My City Was Gone”, “2000 Miles”, and “Show Me”. And that is the album I pulled out of my stack of wax the other day to revisit.
As I thumbed through albums, Learning to Crawl caught my eye and I mounted it on my portable turntable. I drank in the cover, back cover, and liner photos. I miss doing that! Vinyl was and is the best medium for an all encompassing music experience. Compact discs are good, if you want the clear, un-crackled digital experience with cover photos and liner notes of reduced size. And digital is convenient and most streaming services make photos and other links available, but to hold that full sized album and caressingly remove the vinyl from the sleeve…hmmm seductive!
My favorite tracks on the album are “Middle of the Road” and “2000 Miles”. “Middle of the Road” just rocks with great drums, great guitar, and Chrissie’s awesome vocals and harmonica. It makes a person want to get out there and do something! “2000 Miles”, although it is played a lot on the radio during Christmas and people actually label it a Christmas song, I do not agree. This song is kind of like the movie “Die Hard”, which is an action movie about greedy terrorists that just happens to take place at a Christmas party. “2000 Miles” is a song about two people that love each other and are thousands of miles apart trying to make it through the lonely days and nights that just happens to mention Christmas. I get you Chrissie and I can feel every mile to the depths of my heart and soul.
© 2025 Gregory Vessar. A Thousand Miles from Kansas. All Rights Reserved.
In 1984:
Learning to Crawl reached #5 on the Billboard charts and became The Pretenders highest charting album. “Middle of the Road” with a B-side of “2000 Miles” topped the charts at #19, “Back on the Chain Gang” climbed to #5 with it’s B-side “My City Was Gone”, and “Show Me” hovered in the middle at #28. In other news, Ronald Reagan was reelected as President of the United States winning every state except Minnesota. Sally Ride became the first U.S. woman in space. Apple released the Macintosh personal computer. Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India, was assasinated by two of her own security guards. And on a personal note, I met the love of my life and she became my wife a few years later! So, 1984 was a pretty good year!
A Thousand Miles from Kansas 