For over 40 years the discography of The Pretenders, a London, England-based rock band, reflects worldwide charting of 12 studio albums, four compilation albums, one extended play (EP), four live albums, six video albums and 55 singles.
Vocalist/guitarist Chrissie Hynde, guitarist/keyboardist James Honeyman-Scott, bassist Pete Farndon and drummer Martin Chambers formed The Pretenders in 1978. Their chart-topping debut album, Pretenders, is widely regarded as one of the finest debut albums of all time. The Pretenders' hit songs include "Brass in Pocket" (1979), "Talk of the Town" (1980), "Message of Love" (1981), "Back on the Chain Gang" (1982), "Middle of the Road" (1983), "2000 Miles" (1984), "Don't Get Me Wrong" (1986), "My Baby" (1986), and "I'll Stand by You" (1994).
Albums
Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications(sales thresholds)UKAUSPeaks in Australia:
Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to 19 June 1988: N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 19 June 1988. Top 50 (ARIA Chart) peaks from 26 June 1988: Top 100 (ARIA Chart) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: "Windows of the World" (ARIA Chart) peak: "Day After Day" and "Never Do That" (ARIA Chart) peaks both referenced: "Sense of Purpose" (ARIA Chart) peak: CANGERNLDNORNZSWESWIUS PretendersReleased: 11 January 1980 Label: Sire Formats: CD, CS, LP 1 6 5 — 14 24 2 2 — 9 BPI: Gold Upgraded by BRIT 25 June 2025 AUS: Platinum NVPI: Gold RIAA: PlatinumPretenders IIReleased: 7 August 1981 Label: Sire Formats: CD, CS, LP 7 18 9 — 16 — 1 20 — 10 BPI: Silver RIAA: GoldLearning to CrawlReleased: 13 January 1984 Label: Sire Formats: CD, CS, LP 11 18 4 38 11 18 19 3 30 5 BPI: Gold RIAA: PlatinumGet CloseReleased: 20 October 1986 Label: Sire Formats: CD, LP 6 12 9 33 22 18 13 6 22 25 BPI: Gold RIAA: GoldPacked!Released: 14 May 1990 Label: Sire Formats: CD, LP 19 55 23 48 43 15 31 7 — 48 BPI: SilverLast of the IndependentsReleased: 9 May 1994 Label: Sire Formats: CD, CS, LP 8 22 25 42 50 16 14 6 26 41 BPI: Gold RIAA: Gold¡Viva El Amor!Released: May 1999 Label: Warner Bros. Formats: CD, LP 32 — — 73 — — — 36 — 158Loose ScrewReleased: 12 November 2002 Label: Artemis / Eagle Formats: CD, LP 55 — — — — — — — — 179Break Up the ConcreteReleased: 7 October 2008 Label: Shangri-La Music / Rhino Formats: CD, LP, digital download 35 — — — — — — 58 — 32 BPI: GoldAloneReleased: 21 October 2016 Label: BMG Rights Management Formats: CD, LP, digital download 40 — — — — — — — — 150Hate for SaleReleased: 17 July 2020 Label: BMG Rights Management Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 29 — — 21 — — — — 11 —RelentlessReleased: 15 September 2023 Label: Parlophone Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 25 — — 43 — — — — 15 — "—" denotes releases that did not chart. Notes; Break Up the Concrete was released in Europe only as a double-disc with The Best of Pretenders.
Live albums Title Album details Peak chart positions CertificationsUKAUSBELUSLive at the Santa Monica CivicReleased: 1982 Label: Warner Bros. Format: LP — — — —Superstar Concert SeriesReleased: 1988 Label: Westwood One Format: LP — — — —The Isle of ViewReleased: 16 October 1995 Label: Warner Bros. Formats: CD, LP, DVD 23 98 46 100 BPI: SilverLoose in L.A.Released: 23 September 2003 Label: Artemis Format: DVD — — — —Live in LondonReleased: 16 April 2010 Label: Strobosonic Formats: CD, DVD, BD — — — —Live in New York CityReleased: 2011 Recorded: 1998 Label: Edge J26181 Format: CD, DVD — — — —Kick 'em Where It HurtsReleased: 20 June 2025 Recorded: 2024 Label: Format: vinyl — — — —
Compilation albums Title Album details Peak chart positions CertificationsUKAUSNZSPASWEUSThe SinglesReleased: 26 October 1987 Label: Sire Formats: CD, CS, LP 6 19 11 48 50 69 BPI: 3× Platinum RIAA: GoldGreatest HitsReleased: 18 September 2000 Label: Sire Formats: CD, LP 21 99 — — 23 — BPI: Gold ARIA: Platinum Pirate RadioReleased: 14 March 2006 Label: Sire Formats: CD — — — — — —The Best of PretendersReleased: 1 June 2009 Label: Rhino Released with Break Up the Concrete Formats: CD 35 — — 56 58 — BPI: Gold "—" denotes releases that did not chart. Notes; The Best of Pretenders was released as a double disc with Break Up the Concrete in Europe and Brazil in June 2009, titled The Best of / Break Up the Concrete.
Extended plays Title EP details Peak chart positionsUSExtended PlayReleased: 30 March 1981 Label: Sire Formats: CS, 12-inch 27
Singles
YearTitlePeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbumUKAUSCANNLDNZSWEUSUSAltUSMainUSAdult1979"Stop Your Sobbing" 34 — — — 25 — 65 — — —Pretenders"Kid" 33 90 — — — — — — — —"Brass in Pocket" 1 2 5 11 2 1 14 — — — BPI: Gold1980"Precious" — — — — — — — — — —"Talk of the Town" 8 55 — 24 — — — — — —Pretenders II (initially single-only releases)1981"Message of Love" 11 15 — 33 — — — — 5 —"Day After Day" 45 102 — — — — — — — —Pretenders II"The Adultress" (airplay) — — — — — — — — 12 —"I Go to Sleep" 7 — — 9 28 — — — — —"Louie Louie" — — — — — — 110 — — —1982"Back on the Chain Gang"b/w "My City Was Gone" 17 11 5 31 14 — 5 — 411 —Learning to Crawl1983"2000 Miles" 15 30 — 13 36 — — — — — BPI: Platinum"Middle of the Road" 81 52 12 — — — 19 — 2 —1984"Time the Avenger" (airplay) — — — — — — — — 6 —"Show Me" — — — — — — 28 — 8 —"Thumbelina" (airplay) — — — — — — — — 57 —"Thin Line Between Love and Hate" 49 — — 32 — — 83 — — —1986"Don't Get Me Wrong" 10 8 14 25 11 — 10 — 1 28 BPI: SilverGet Close"Hymn to Her" 8 7 — 38 46 15 — — — —1987"My Baby" 84 56 — — 50 — 64 — 1 —"Room Full of Mirrors" (promo) — — — — — — — — 28 —"Where Has Everybody Gone?" (promo) — — — — — — — — 26 —The Living Daylights (soundtrack)"If There Was a Man" 49 — — — — — — — — —"Kid" (Remix) — — — — — — — — — —The Singles1988"Windows of the World" — 117 — — — — — 21 — —1969 (soundtrack)1990"Never Do That" 81 107 26 — — — — 4 5 —Packed!"Hold a Candle to This" (promo) — — — — — — — 18 — —"Sense of Purpose" — 129 72 — — — — 23 — —1994"I'm Not in Love" — — 74 — — — — — — —Indecent Proposal (soundtrack)"I'll Stand by You" 10 8 12 29 20 21 16 21 — 21 BPI: GoldLast of the Independents"Night in My Veins" 25 — 9 — — — 71 2 13 —"977" 66 — — — — — — — — —"Money Talk" (promo) — — — — — — — — — —1995"Kid '95" (live)73 — — — — — — — — —The Isle of View"2000 Miles" (live) 168 — — — — — — — — —1997Fever Pitch The E.P.: "Goin' Back" 65 — — — — — — — — —Fever Pitch (soundtrack)1999"Loving You Is All I Know" (promo) — — — — — — — — — 22The Other Sister (soundtrack)"Human" 33 — — — 17 — — — — 30¡Viva El Amor!"Popstar" 97 59 — — — — — — — —2003"You Know Who Your Friends Are" 84 — — — — — — — — —Loose Screw"Time" (Junior Vasquez Remixes) — — — — — — — — — —"Saving Grace" 174 — — — — — — — — —"The Losing" — — — — — — — — — —2008"Boots of Chinese Plastic" — — — — — — — — — 6Break Up the Concrete"Love's a Mystery" — — — — — — — — — 8"Break Up the Concrete" — — — — — — — — — —2016"Holy Commotion" — — — — — — — — — 5Alone2017"Let's Get Lost" — — — — — — — — — —"Gotta Wait" — — — — — — — — — —2020"The Buzz" — — — — — — — — — 21Hate for Sale"You Can't Hurt a Fool" — — — — — — — — — —"Hate for Sale" — — — — — — — — — —"Didn't Want to Be This Lonely" — — — — — — — — — 27 2023 "Let the Sun Come In" — — — — — — — — — — Relentless "I Think About You Daily" — — — — — — — — — — "A Love" — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart. Notes; In 1980, "What You Gonna Do About It" (A-side) was released as a single with "Stop Your Sobbing (original demo version)" as the B-side as a special flexipop single in the UK. The 1987 "If There Was a Man" UK release was accredited to The Pretenders for 007 In 1980, "Precious" (A-side) was released as a single in Spain with "Stop Your Sobbing" as the B-side. In 1980, "Cuban Slide" (A-side) was released as a single in Japan, backed with "Stop Your Sobbing" as the B-side. In 1982 "I Go to Sleep" (A-side) was released in Belgium with "English Roses" (album track) as the B-side. In 1987, neither of the two tracks of the promotional single "Kid (Remix) b/w "Stop Your Sobbing (Demo Version)" actually appear on the album in those versions; rather they appear as the original single versions. The Pretenders also appear on the UK Singles Chart for their appearance on the 1997 Fever Pitch The EP for which their cover of "Goin' Back" is listed. The EP charted at No. 65 for one week on 10 May 1997. The column for US Adult chart positions consists of peak positions from Billboards Adult Contemporary chart for "Don't Get Me Wrong", "I'll Stand by You" and "Loving You Is All I Know", Billboards Adult Top 40 chart for "Human" and Adult album alternative (AAA) for "Boots of Chinese Plastic" and "Love's a Mystery". In addition, "I'll Stand by You" also charted on Adult Top 40 chart, but its peak position (#23) was lower than on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Other appearances
Year Song Album 1980 "Talk of the Town" Times Square soundtrack 1981 "The Wait", "Tattooed Love Boys", "Precious" Concert for Kampuchea soundtrack 1982 "Back on the Chain Gang" The King of Comedy soundtrack 1982 "In the Sticks" Attack of the Killer B's compilation album 1984 "Money" (live) (Beatles cover) Revenge of the Killer B's compilation album 1984 "Show Me" (live) Greenpeace compilation album 1986 "Don't Get Me Wrong" Peter's Friends soundtrack 1987 "If There Was a Man", "Where Has Everybody Gone" The Living Daylights soundtrack 1988 "Windows of the World", "1969" (Bacharach/Osterberg covers) 1969 soundtrack 1991 "Born for a Purpose" (Alimantado cover) Tame Yourself compilation 1993 "Bold as Love" (Hendrix cover) Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix 1994 "Forever Young" (Dylan cover) With Honors soundtrack 1995 "Everyday Is Like Sunday" (Morrissey cover) Boys on the Side soundtrack 1995 "Forever Young" (Dylan cover) Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home soundtrack 1997 "Goodbye" (Earle cover), "The Homecoming" G.I. Jane soundtrack 1999 "I Wish You Love" (cover) Eye of the Beholder soundtrack 1999 "Message of Love" and various tracks as backing band Here, There and Everywhere: A Concert for Linda memorial concert 1999 "Loving You Is All I Know" (Diane Warren cover) The Other Sister soundtrack 2002 "Get Out of London" (Interferon cover) The Wild Thornberrys soundtrack 2002 "Bless You" (Lennon cover) Uncut Presents: Instant Karma 2002; a Tribute to John Lennon 2005 "Stop Your Sobbing", "Back on the Chain Gang", "Middle of the Road" Live Aid Anniversary Box Set. "Time the Avenger" and "Message of Love" also performed but not included.
DVDs The Isle of View (1995)Discogs – the Isle of View (3 versions and tracklist) Loose in L.A. (2003)Discogs – Loose in L.A. (5 versions and tracklist) 20 Years Ago Today – Live Aid (2005)Discogs – 20 Years Ago Today – Live Aid (tracklist, credits, and notes) Live in London (2010)Discogs – Live in London (3 versions and tracklist) Pretenders and Friends (2019)
References