#67: Middle Of The Road by the Pretenders
City: Ottawa, ON
Radio Station: CFRA
Peak Month: February-March 1984
Peak Position in Ottawa ~ #3
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #11
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 Singles ~ #19
YouTube: “Middle Of The Road”
Lyrics: “Middle Of The Road”
The Pretenders were a band formed in 1978 in Britain. The band was fronted by Chrissie Hynde. She was born in Akron (OH) in 1951. After high school she attended Kent State University. A friend of hers was dating Kent State Massacre shooting victim Jeffrey Miller who died on May 4, 1970. The events of that day shaped Hynde and were a catalyst for her decision to move to the Britain in 1973. She eventually became a dual citizen. She worked at an architectural firm and then at Malcolm McLaren’s punk clothing store Sex. She attempted to find success as a rock musician by joining up with a number of bands. Nothing came together until she gave a demo to a record owner and she was encouraged to form a band named The Pretenders. They were named after the Platter’s 1956 number-one hit “The Great Pretender”.