Don't Get Me Wrong

Album: Get Close (1986)
Charted: 10 10
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by Pretenders lead singer Chrissie Hynde, this song describes the complexities of love from a female perspective - she's inconsistent, but wonderful, and wants her lover to know that he shouldn't get too worked up, because she could change quickly. Hynde put a lot of weather references in the lyrics, implying that her mood reacts in a similar fashion.
  • This was the last big US hit for The Pretenders. This frustrated Hynde, who remedied the situation by asking the top songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly to write some songs for her. This did the trick, resulting in "I'll Stand By You."
  • Chrissie Hynde wrote the song for tennis star John McEnroe, who was an aspiring musician. "He loved playing guitar," she told Uncle Joe Benson on the Ultimate Classic Rock Nights radio show. "He's a big music person, which is how I knew him, because he used to come to our shows and he was friendly with the band and stuff."

    Hynde added that she found inspiration while aboard a plane. "I had in mind that I was going to write this song for him to do. Years later, when I was on British [Airways], I heard an announcement – because I did write some of that song on a plane – and I think I nicked one of the top-line melodies from the overhead announcement: 'Dong-dong-dong-dong … Welcome to British Airways.'"
  • The music video is based on the spy series The Avengers, which aired in Britain in the '60s and was an influence on the Austin Powers movies. Most of the video is actual footage from the series, which starred Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, interspersed with shots of Chrissie Hynde as Rigg's character. With their videos, the Pretenders made no attempts to appeal to the core MTV demographic of American teenage boys.

Comments: 2

  • Tony G from Mahopac, NyAlways enjoyed this one. “Once in a while, two people meet…” line is my favorite.
  • Larry from UkReally rather underrated song, both lyrically and musically. Your basic boy meets girl theme, but lifted hugely by great lines like "split like light refracted" and "upon the sea where a mystic moon is playing havoc with the tide". Then, to top it off, that great minor chord at the end... Can't help but love it.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.