Related Articles
Morrissey performed a swooning cover of the Pretenders‘ 1982 single “Back on the Chain Gang” on Wednesday’s Late Late Show With James Corden.
The singer clapped his hands and softly bounced from side to side while nailing Chrissie Hynde’s signature “oh-oh” vocals. His backing band – all wearing T-shirts that read “Living Bodies That Actually Move” – stayed faithful to the original track, recreating the biting guitar leads, splashy drums and climactic key change.
The former Smiths frontman recentlyrecorded his version of “Back on the Chain Gang” for an upcoming double-vinyl reissue of hisLow in High Schoolalbum, out December 7th. He will also release the track as a 45, out November 23rd, featuring a version of Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “I Didn’t Know What to Do” on the flip side.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Morrissey dubbed the original track a “pop classic,and as always with the Pretenders, of the brain as well as the loins.” He also called the cover a tribute to Hynde, one of his closest companions.
“Chrissie is one of my longest and enduring friendships,” he said. “I don’t have many. She sang on my 1991 U.K. single‘My Love Life,’and also on a track on mySwordsalbum called‘Shame Is the Name.’ Chrissie is the funniest person in the world, yet she has absolutely no sense of humor. We have been in many absurd situations –allher fault, of course. I know she’d marry me tomorrow, but she’s already had 11 husbands and she’s always being spotted digging in the garden at midnight.”
