Don't Get Me Wrong

"Don't Get Me Wrong"
Single by The Pretenders
from the album Get Close and The Singles
Released	August 5, 1986 (UK) September 23, 1986 (US)
Recorded	The Record Plant, Hereford, England (September–December 1985)
Genre	Rock
Length	3:49
Label	Sire
Writer(s)	Chrissie Hynde

"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song released by the pop-rock group The Pretenders. It was the first single taken from the group's 1986 album, Get Close. It can also be found on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987.

In the US, "Don't Get Me Wrong" became the group's second Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #10.^[1] Their first Top 10 pop hit, "Back on the Chain Gang", had reached #5 in 1983. "Don't Get Me Wrong" also spent three weeks atop the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in November 1986.^[1] In the UK, the song also peaked at #10 in the UK Singles Chart.^[2]

This song was more commercial than the band's usual sound, with a jangly guitar sound and a pop melody. However, the lyrics were still as biting as their earlier material.^{[citation needed]} It was covered by British pop singer Lily Allen for BBC Radio 1's 40th anniversary celebrations in 2007 and was released on the subsequent compilation album.

The music video for the song is a clear tribute to the British 1960s TV spy series The Avengers, with Chrissie Hynde playing Emma Peel in search of John Steed (Patrick Macnee appears in the original series' footage, with Hynde superimposed).

Appearances in other media

• The song was also played over the opening credits for the 1986 film Gung Ho.
• It was also included in the 1997 film Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion.
• A version of the song(minus vocals) was used for wrestler Chris Jericho for his match against referee Nick Patrick at the 1996 edition of WCW World War 3.
• The song appears on the soundtrack of the movie Going the Distance (2010 film) with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.

Origin

Hynde stated in the VH1 Story Tellers series that she got the inspiration for the chorus' melody while on a British Airways flight. The airlines distinct "tone" jingle, which was played at certain times in the flight (for announcements from the pilot, seatbelt attention, etc.) had the same series of tones/notes as the chorus: DON'T- GET- ME- WRONG.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 505.
2. ^ UK Singles Chart info Chartstats.com. Retrieved 22 April 2009.