Stop Your Sobbing

Hey there, Zoo Freaks, the Zoo Crew is spinning a classic for you with Stop Your Sobbing by The Pretenders, straight off their iconic debut album Pretenders. This track’s got a wild story behind it, starting as a cover of a 1964 Kinks song written by Ray Davies. The Kinks’ version was a melancholic beat-pop gem, inspired, according to Davies’ semi-fictional memoir X-Ray, by a tearful girlfriend overwhelmed by his rising fame. Chrissie Hynde, frontwoman of The Pretenders and a lifelong Kinks fan, plucked this track from obscurity during rehearsals in 1978, surprising her bandmates who hadn’t heard it before. Her take, released in January 1979 as the band’s debut single, transformed the song with a modern-retro vibe, blending the Shangri-Las’ tough girl-group energy with The Byrds’ jangle, all driven by Hynde’s raw, empathetic vocals. The urgency came from guitarist James Honeyman-Scott’s insistent chords, which gave it a punk-meets-pop edge absent in the original.

The song’s journey didn’t stop there. Hynde’s demo of Stop Your Sobbing caught the ear of producer Nick Lowe, who was initially skeptical about her original songs but loved this cover enough to helm the single. Lowe later admitted he didn’t think The Pretenders were going anywhere, a misjudgment that stings given the single’s climb to #34 on the UK Singles Chart and #65 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track’s recording also sparked a personal connection: Hynde met Ray Davies in a New York club in 1980, kicking off a romance that led to the birth of their daughter, Natalie, in 1983. Their relationship, though stormy and tabloid-fodder, tied the song’s legacy to their real-life drama. Hynde later humbly said, “Ray Davies is a million times better songwriter than I am,” paying tribute to the man whose song gave her band their first break.

Now, let’s rewind to how The Pretenders came to be. Chrissie Hynde, born in Akron, Ohio, in 1951, was a rock ‘n’ roll dreamer who felt stifled by Midwest life. After witnessing the Kent State shooting while studying art, she ditched Cleveland’s music scene and moved to London in 1973. There, she dove into the punk world, working at NME and Vivienne Westwood’s shop while brushing shoulders with early versions of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Damned. Despite stints in short-lived bands, Hynde struggled to find her place until 1978, when Real Records’ Dave Hill heard her demos and urged her to form a proper band. She recruited Hereford musicians James Honeyman-Scott (guitar), Pete Farndon (bass), and Martin Chambers (drums), naming the group after The Platters’ The Great Pretender, a nod to a former boyfriend’s favorite song. Their debut album, released in 1980, hit #1 in the UK and cracked the Billboard 200’s top 10, cementing their place in rock history.

Tragedy struck early, with Honeyman-Scott and Farndon’s drug-related deaths in 1982 and 1983, but Hynde kept The Pretenders alive through lineup changes, delivering hits like Brass in Pocket and I’ll Stand by You. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, the band, with Hynde as its constant, still tours and releases music, like 2023’s Relentless. You can keep up with them on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X. For the Zoo Freaks out there, join the fan community at the Pretenders Fans Facebook group or check out fan sites like Studio Discography for deep dives into their catalog. Keep rocking, Freaks!