The Pretenders is an English-American rock band founded in Hereford, United… Read Full Bio ↴The Pretenders is an English-American rock band founded in Hereford, United Kingdom that came to prominence during the punk and new wave movement of the late 1970s due to their innovative songwriting and charismatic performances. Since then, the band has experienced drug-related losses and numerous subsequent personnel changes, with American-born group founder, songwriter, vocalist, and rhythm guitarist Chrissie Hynde as the only consistent member.

Formed in 1978 in London, the original band Hynde, lead and rhythm guitarist James Honeyman-Scott (died 1982), bassist Pete Farndon (died 1983), and drummer Martin Chambers. Save for Hynde, a native of Akron, Ohio, the original band members were all from the U.K. This band was fractured by the drug-related deaths of Honeyman-Scott and Farndon. Since then, numerous subsequent personnel changes have taken place over the years, with Hynde as the sole constant.

With Hynde at the helm, the band experienced a critical resurgence with a trio of albums released between the mid-90s and early 00s that explored a more mature side of the band’s classic sound.

In 2008, the Pretenders' album Break Up the Concrete was released through Shangri-La Music. It was the band's first Top 40 album in the US in 22 years.

In September 2012, as part of the entertainment line-up for the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix, the Pretenders re-grouped with Hynde and Chambers from the original line-up, along with Nick Wilkinson, James Walbourne and Eric Heywood.

The Phone Call
The Pretenders Lyrics

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This is a mercy mission
From a faceless messenger who don't want to see you hit
Here's the word, listen to it
Somebody that you used to know is back in town
You better go

This is a mercy mission
A voice you'll never hear again from a southside call box

Winged demons are the hardest to outfox
The same one you lost on the run
Gonna show you that it ain't no fun

You better get out of town you're gonna get hit
I didn't mean to get you...

This is a mercy mission
You'll find your schedule underneath the door
All of the arrangements have been made
Major expenses have been paid as you know

Don't forget the last details
Accept no parcels in the mail

Overall Meaning

The Pretenders' rock ballad "The Phone Call" is a haunting and emotional meditation on past loyalties and former relationships. The song describes a series of phone calls made from a "faceless messenger" to warn the song's protagonist about a familiar but threatening figure who has returned to town. The messenger repeatedly emphasizes that this call is not meant to harm the singer but to protect them from harm. The singer is urged to leave town before it is too late: "You better get out of town you're gonna get hit."

The lyrics of the song are delivered over a driving, mid-tempo beat and are tinged with a sense of foreboding and melancholy. The singer is clearly deeply affected by the return of this person from their past, and the messenger's call seems to trigger a flood of mixed emotions. The sense of threat and unease in the song is palpable, and it is clear that the singer is grappling with the idea of confronting this figure from their past.

Overall, "The Phone Call" is a powerful and evocative exploration of regret, fear, and lost love. The song showcases Chrissie Hynde's unique and expressive vocal style, and it is a standout track on The Pretenders' eponymous debut album.

The Phone CallThe Pretenders Lyrics

Tommy Wells

on Get Out of London

The Phone Call
The Pretenders Lyrics