Kid (Pretenders song)


"Kid" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde that was released on the Pretenders 1980 debut album Pretenders. It was also released as a single and reached #33 in the UK. It has been covered by several other artists, including Everything but the Girl.

Background

As she tells in John Cale, Nick Cave & Chrissie Hynde - Songwriters Circle, this song is about a conversation with a son who found out that his mother works as a prostitute.
Author Alex Ogg describes "Kid" as a "resonant ballad." The lyrics express the singer's devotion to the listener, who may be her child, but could also be her lover or just a friend. Allmusic critic Stewart Mason calls it "an all-time classic rock and roll love song" and "probably the ' masterpiece." He particularly praises Hynde's "beautiful and emotional" lead vocals, and James Honeyman-Scott's lead guitar playing, which he says sounds like the Byrds at times but also sounds tougher when necessary. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine also praised how Honeyman-Scott's "unconventional" playing adds additional dimensions to the "measured pop" of "Kid." Author Jeremy Simmonds said of "Kid" that it "showed the group's complete mastery of sixties hooks with sharp. confident new wave leanings." Rolling Stone Album Guide critic J.D. Considine praises how melody expresses "emotional vulnerability." Considine also praises how the band adds "soul" to the song's "sentimentality." According to Mason, the Pretenders' later single "Show Me" was partially a rewrite of "Kid."
"Kid" was released as the Pretenders' second single in 1979, prior to the release of their debut album, following "Stop Your Sobbing." It performed slightly better on the UK charts than "Stop Your Sobbing," reaching #33 whereas "Stop Your Sobbing" reached #34. However, the band's follow up single "Brass in Pocket" performed even better, reaching #1.
Since its original release, "Kid" has appeared on a number of Pretenders' compilation albums. including The Singles and Greatest Hits. It also appears on the live album The Isle of View, in which Hynde is backed by a string quartet, in what Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes as a "poorly conceived" version.

Cover versions

covered "Kid" on the US version of their 1985 album Love Not Money, with Tracey Thorn playing piano and singing solo vocal. Allmusic's Mason praised this as the best cover version of "Kid." However, fellow Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann claimed that adding the song to the US version did not enhance the album's appeal.