The Pretender (Jackson Browne song)
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| “The Pretender” | |||||
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| Single by Jackson Browne from the album The Pretender |
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| Released | November 10, 1976 | ||||
| Recorded | 1975 - early 1976 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 5:52 | ||||
| Label | Asylum/Elektra | ||||
| Writer(s) | Jackson Browne | ||||
| Producer | Jon Landau | ||||
| Jackson Browne singles chronology | |||||
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| The Pretender track listing | |||||
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"The Pretender" is a song by American rock performer, Jackson Browne and featured on his 1976 album The Pretender.
[edit] History
"The Pretender" was composed in a number of locations; Los Angeles, within a rented store-front in North Hollywood and a "tacky" hotel in Hawaii being two of them. Browne is quoted to have claimed that the song was almost complete before he had discovered the opening piano-riff.[1]
In answering the question of "Who is 'The Pretender'?," Browne said - "...it's not me exactly, although sometimes people applaud for me at the moment in the song as if I am, but in truth there is a bit of the Pretender in me, but its anybody that's sort of lost sight of some of their dreams...and is going through the emotions of trying to make a stab at a certain way of life that he sees other people succeeding at..."[2]
Piano is in the forefront, played by Craig Doerge. Drums are played by Jeff Porcaro, bass by Leland Sklar, acoustic guitar and electric guitar are played by Fred Tackett, harmonies performed by David Crosby and Graham Nash and the string section was arranged by David Campbell.
"The Pretender" was not a hit single, only placing to number 58 on the U.S. pop singles chart in 1977.[citation needed] However, it gained substantial progressive rock radio and album-oriented rock airplay, and has since become a staple on many classic rock formats.
