Chrissie Hynde has gained new fans thanks to her duets with The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers.
Photo: Ki Price
Chrissie Hynde has thanked The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers for “increasing my audience”.
The Pretenders frontwoman reached gained a whole new following after her appearance at the Somebody Told Me hitmaker’s solo show at London’s O2 Academy Brixton in 2015.
The pair joined forces on a cover of The Pretenders’ 1986 hit Don’t Get Me Wrong, while they also duetted on Brandon’s solo track Between Me and You.
Speaking on the first episode of The Duets Special Podcast, she recalled: “I went to do this show two nights at the Brixton Academy, and it was packed. I can’t remember what he did, one of my songs, a couple of their songs. I realised that it was a new audience [for me] when I went to return something at John Lewis, and the girl behind the counter had no idea who I was. She took the shirt or whatever I had, and she looked up and she went, ‘Oh my god, I saw you at Brixton Academy with The Killers’. Thank you, Brandon, for increasing my audience.”
Chrissie, 74, has just reunited with Brandon, 44, on a cover of 10cc’s I’m Not In Love on her Duets Special LP, which also features the likes of k.d. lang, the late Mark Lanegan, Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Cat Power, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, and Garbage’s Shirley Manson.
She said of her latest duet with Brandon: “This is a song that was dear to my heart, because a really good friend of mine is Kevin Godley, who was in 10cc. He reminded me the other day that too bad he didn’t write it, but it’s a 10cc song, and I love Kevin and I love Brandon.
“That was a really tricky one, because there’s so much in the production on that song that was kind of the hallmark. It had all that stuff going on in it, and to try to strip it back and just get to the bare bones… but we got there in the end, and Brandon delivered. So thank you Brandon, not an easy song to follow up on the original.”
Similarly, 10cc’s Graham Gouldman recently revealed how Doja Cat sampling the I’m Not In Love has brought the veteran rock band’s music to younger ears.
The 1975 chart-topper was revived on the Say So hitmaker’s 2023 track Shutcho and the 79-year-old co-lead singer and bassist of the legendary group has quipped that he is “down with the kids” after the unlikely crossover with the 29-year-old rapper-and-singer.
Taking part in NME’s Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! series, Graham said of the sample: “Ah, you see, I’m down with the kids, man! [Laughs] I don’t mind these things. It’s great if it works artistically, and it also helps to bring the music of 10cc to a different audience that wouldn’t have normally bothered with it.”
Graham had no idea Chrissie and Brandon had covered the tune.
He reacted: “Really?! Our publishers never tell us anything! That’s brilliant. I liked The Pretenders’ version; I just love Chrissie Hynde’s voice.”
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