Tuesday Tunes 302: Wrong

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Having spent a few weeks with songs with right in their title as my Tuesday Tunes theme I thought I’d go for the counterbalance this week, so welcome to a set of wrong songs. At first sight there don’t appear to be as many of these, but I have enough for a few sets and if you’d like to add in your suggestions please feel free to do so.

Let’s get going straightaway, shall we? First up this week is a band I haven’t played as often as I should – except at Christmas – so here’s a little something I’ve always liked:

The Pretenders released Don’t Get Me Wrong as a single in September 1986 ahead of its inclusion on their fourth album, Get Close, the following month. The single peaked at #10 in both the UK and the US, and did well elsewhere too, achieving high ratings in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The album reached #6 in the UK, #9 in Canada and #25 in the US. The band had been around for seven years at this point, but was now very much a vehicle for Chrissie Hynde, the only original member left. She has said that she was inspired to write this song for her friend John McEnroe, because he ‘was always getting into trouble’ and she wanted to stand up for him. It was partially written while she was on a flight, and ‘borrowed’ some of the notes from a British Airways announcement – not that they were given a writing credit! In case you didn’t realise, the video is a tribute to the British 1960s espionage television series The Avengers, with Chrissie Hynde playing Emma Peel searching for John Steed, while being diverted by body doubles and rival agents. You can also see Steed actor Patrick Macnee, who appears in the original series’ footage, with Hynde electronically inserted. A good song and a clever video.

And now it’s ‘usual suspect’ time – one of my favourite musicians:

The video and sound quality on that isn’t great, but I thought it preferable to an audio-only clip of the album track.

The Wrong Heartbeat was a track on Richard Thompson’s third solo album, Hand Of Kindness, which was released in June 1983, and it was his first album to make the charts anywhere, at #183 in the US. Subsequent records have fared much better! I bought the album on release – I had everything he had previously done – and loved it. The title track is particularly good, and Richard’s ex-wife Linda has said that another on the album, How I Wanted To, is her favourite of his songs. Several of the album’s tracks feature the twin saxophones of Pete Zorn and Pete Thomas, and for about 18 months after the release of Hand of Kindness Richard toured with his “Big Band” that featured the two sax players prominently – keep a look out for them in the video, along with Simon Nicol’s Corn Flakes guitar!

How about a trip back to the Sixties next:

I think I was lucky to find a clip of The Byrds playing It Won’t Be Wrong live. It’s a very short song, but one that I’ve always liked, with their classic jangly guitars to the fore. The song was written by Jim/Roger McGuinn and his friend Harvey Gerst, who he knew from early folk singing days at The Troubadour club. This recording first appeared on their second album Turn! Turn! Turn! which was released in December 1965, peaking at #17 in the US and #11 in the UK. This song was then released as a single in January 1966 in the US, where it got to #63, and in February in the UK, though it didn’t chart here. That failure is ascribed by some to confusion amongst radio DJs as to which side was the A-side, after it was issued twice in successive weeks by the record company. It apparently doesn’t take much to confuse a DJ, does it!

This is turning out to be quite the set of favourite artists for me. Here’s another:

I’ve no idea what the video is trying to show, but I thought it would be nice to have something to watch while you listened! All The Wrong Reasons was a track on Into The Great Wide Open, the eighth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which was released in July 1991, reaching #3 in the UK, #4 in Canada, and #13 in the US. It sold 2m copies in the US, 200,000 in Canada and 100,000 in the UK, with several Platinum and Gold Disc awards to go with it. Like everything Tom did I bought the album as soon as it came out and loved it – I still do. It might not be his most famous record but there isn’t a dud track on it.

And to close this first set of wrong songs, a band that probably doesn’t rate as highly for me as the others here, but I’ve always liked them, and especially this tune:

Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong is a track on Pocket Full of Kryptonite, the debut studio album by the Spin Doctors, released in August 1991. The album initially sold 60,000 copies in late 1991 thanks to their growing fanbase, before several radio stations started playing this track, which was then released as a single in October 1992. The combined strength of the single along with the follow-up, Two Princes, led to the album peaking at #3  the US. It is still the band’s best selling album, and was certified 5× Platinum in the US for sales of more than 5m. It also went Platinum here in the UK for sales of 300,000, of which one was my purchase. The album did slightly better in the charts here, peaking at #2, but we were beaten by Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where it went to #1. As a single, this track reached #17 in the US and #23 in the UK: it was outperformed by Two Princes, which significantly boosted album sales amongst those who had been slow on the take up.

That’s all for my first set of wrong songs, but I suspect I’ll do this again. And as I said at the outset, if there are others you know and like please let me know and I might add them to my list. Or I might not…

I hope you’re having a good week and I’ll see you again in a couple of days. Take care 👍

 

[And finally, my footnote with my usual reminder of links at which I’m sharing this post. Firstly, Esme’s Senior Salon Pit Stop, and then Cathy’s Monday’s Music Moves Me. Both are well worth a visit, especially Esme’s this week, as I was awarded their ‘Blogger of the Month’ status for April!]

31 thoughts on “Tuesday Tunes 302: Wrong”

  1. I knew most of these songs. Like the Byrds and the Pretenders and ended with a classic that I hadn’t heard in quite awhile!
    Thanks for the good selection. No ABC, eh? 😂😂 Thought you might throw one in.
    Congrats on the blogger award! Here are some gold stars 🌟 ⭐️⭐️

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    • I’m pleased you liked those, and that I found ones you knew. ABC? English 80s pop band? Not my thing. But if you meant AC/DC, they don’t have a single song with ‘wrong’ in the title!

      Thanks for the congrats and stars 😊

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      • LOL!
        I figured that they must not have had any “wrong” songs. Just had to mention them, with the thought of my earlier story still in my head. 🙂

        You are very welcome, my friend.

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  3. I love the meme! That’s me, you know? lol Seriously, I know what it’s like to be wrong on any number of occasions. In this collection, I only knew the Pretenders’s song. Ugh, I think I live under rock sometimes! I figured the reason Tom Petty’s track never reached my ears is because I was a young mom tending to a toddler and infant suffering from “Mommy Brain” no doubt. It was fun to listen to all the ones new to me. Thanks for joining the party, Clive. Have a boogietastic week!

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    • Dame Maggie was a wonderful actress, and I can almost hear her saying that, in character, in Downton Abbey!

      Happy to have found some new ones for you. The TP one was an album track, so probably went under the radar for you and many others.

      You have a great week too 👍

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  6. Today IMHO the Pretenders barely edge it, Richard Thompson just shades the Byrds, Tom Petty next, dipping out by a hair, then the Din Spoctors, sorry Spin Doctors topping out at five. Looking at that, that’s the order you’ve listed them in!!! But really not a wrong ‘un in the bunch of fives today. (PS; and on a completely different if upbeat note, now one up on the Hammers.)

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  7. A lovely, eclectic selection as usual, topped off with the sublime Mr Thompson. I have seen him many times – both electric and accoustic – and his electric guitar playing is completely in a class of its own. I remember reading a story once of when the late, great Gerry Rafferty was brought in to produce one of RT’s albums, but he walked very quickly after, allegedly, completely losing it during recording and screaming at Thompson “Why can’t you just play in f*cking tune?” I guess he didn’t get it 😂😂😂

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    • Thank you, Colin, I’m pleased you liked them. Great story about Gerry Rafferty – I guess alcohol may have been involved.

      I’ve seen RT many times too, from Fairport days, with Linda, solo acoustic, with a band, as part of a celebration of Fairport compèred by Joe Boyd, and as one of a trio doing his 1000 Years of Popular Music show. He never disappoints.

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  10. I knew four of the five. I wasn’t familiar with “The Wrong Heartbeat,” but I liked it a lot on first listen. When a song grabs me the first time, that’s a good sign. I think “Don’t Get Me Wrong” is a far superior song to “Got the Brass in Pocket,” which I think was The Pretenders’ top-selling song in America. The only one that gets a thumbs down from me is “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong.”

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    • It’s a typical Richard Thompson song, so I’m glad you liked it, Pete.

      I don’t think I could choose between those Pretenders songs, though I think my favourite of theirs is ‘Back on the Chain Gang’ anyway.

      Spin Doctors were fun – it’s a shame you didn’t like that, but it isn’t compulsory, is it!

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