I wish IÁ¢€â„¢d known what a futile effort this was I wish IÁ¢€â„¢d known that the people in that 7th class with Mrs. Once again, I had abandoned him for long periods of our 7th grade year in attempt to shed this Á¢€Å“brainyÁ¢€ image of the advanced classes I was in and tried to hang with the cool kids. It wasnÁ¢€â„¢t so much we had a fight or anything, they just moved on to the newest cool kid. By the time The Pretenders album, Á¢€Å“Learning to CrawlÁ¢€, was released in 1983, I had fallen out with Thom and his group of friends. Thom and I were in 7th grade together and were pretty tight during that year. Since we didnÁ¢€â„¢t have cable television my entire childhood (my parents reluctantly got it in the 90Á¢€â„¢s), I first saw the video in the basement of a kid named Thom Theiss.
Initially released as a single in 1982, I remember the song fondly for its bouncy video featuring the members of the band leaping in the air.
When asked what my favorite songs of all time would be, I know that this song would be ranked in the top 5. Then the acoustic guitar (only truly featured in the beginning of the song) joins in, and finally the lead guitar melody, the drums and a wonderful bass part propel me through my past. Each and every time I hear the opening guitar strumming of The PretendersÁ¢€â„¢ Á¢€Å“Back on the Chain GangÁ¢€ I am filled with happiness, sorrow, love and regret.