SONG OF THE WEEK: "Don't Get Me Wrong"

So while the Forever Fiancee and I were out in Vegas not getting married, we decided to take a ride up the Fake Eiffel Tower at our Fake Paris hotel. As we waited in line, we listened to the too-many-Camels, too-many-husbands voice of a train-wreck lounge singer butchering the Pretenders' Don't Get Me Wrong. It was awful, yes, but there was something rather touching in its awfulness. She knew exactly what Chrissie Hynde was singing about -- she just had a little trouble conveying.  Anyway, when I returned from my trip, I was rather excited to find Rhino's recent remastering of the Get Close album waiting for me on my desk. I immediately cued up Track No. 6, Don't Get Me Wrong, and wrote up an entry for a future Listen to This column. If you don't have the song, it's an iTunes special.

SONG OF THE WEEK
The Pretenders
Song: Don’t Get Me Wrong
Album: Get Close: Remastered & Bonus Tracks (Rhino/WEA)
Why we care: The record geeks at Rhino have remastered two more Pretenders albums: 1984’s Learning to Crawl and 1986’s Get Close. And while the former was a sales giant thanks to Middle of the Road and Back on the Chain Gang, our fave Chrissie Hynde vocal is on the latter.
Why we like it: “Who can explain the thunder and rain / But there’s something in the air.” With her dark eyes and working-class grit, Hynde often came off like that hardened waitress in the Brass in Pocket vid. But on this bouncy gem, she reveals a softer side and gets dizzied by the hunk of her dreams.
Reminds us of: That Vegas lounger we just saw destroy Don’t Get Me Wrong. Thankfully, the real thing was waiting for us when we got back.
Song grade: A