"2000 Miles"
Single by Pretenders
from the album Learning to Crawl
B-side"Fast or Slow (The Law's the Law)"
Released18 November 1983 (1983-11-18)[1]
Genre
Length3:40
LabelReal (UK)
Sire (US)
Songwriter(s)Chrissie Hynde
Producer(s)Chris Thomas
Pretenders singles chronology
"My City Was Gone"
(1982)		 "2000 Miles"
(1983)		 "Middle of the Road"
(1983)
Gatefold image
Cover image of gatefold single release (Real ARE 20F)
Music video
"2000 Miles" (Official Music Video) on YouTube

"2000 Miles" is a song by British-American rock band Pretenders. Written by lead vocalist Chrissie Hynde and produced by Chris Thomas, it was released on 18 November 1983 as the second single from their third studio album, Learning to Crawl (1984).[3] It was most popular in the UK, where it peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1983. In the US, it was released as the B-side of both the 7-inch single and 12-inch single remix of the band's hit "Middle of the Road".

Considered a Christmas song, it has been released on various Christmas compilation albums.

Background

The song is about two long-distance lovers who miss each other at Christmastime.[4] "Robbie McIntosh plays beautifully on '2000 Miles'," Hynde recalled. "Anything to avoid listening to my voice and my stupid words."[5]

The song frequently reappears in the UK Charts around Christmas time staying in the charts for a few weeks over the Christmas period.[6] Similarly, in Poland the song plays everyday in December as part of the Christmas rotation on RMF FM's RMF Classic.

Critical reception

Dave Marsh, in his 1989 book The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made, ranked "2000 Miles"' as the 630th best rock or soul single to that date. It is one of four songs by Pretenders listed in the book.[7] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw rated it the Pretenders’ 9th greatest song, calling it "one of the season's most beloved Christmas songs."[8]

Music video

The official video features Hynde dressed as a member of The Salvation Army in a snowy location.[9] Chrissie Hynde also recorded a version of the song in 1995 with violins and other stringed instruments.

Covers

British rock band Coldplay released a piano cover of the song as a charity single.[10] The track's digital download was available for £1.50 between 16 December 2003 and 1 January 2004, with all royalties being donated to Stop Handgun Violence and Future Forests.[11]

American rock band Train covered the song for their Christmas album Christmas in Tahoe (2015).

Charts

Chart performance for "2000 Miles"
Chart (1983–1984) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 30
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 11
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 14
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 13
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 36
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 15

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "2000 Miles"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18]
Digital sales since 2004 		Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "News". Record Mirror: 5. 5 November 1983. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via flickr.com.
  2. ↑ "How far would you travel for love? 14 songs that go the distance". The A.V. Club. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Buskin, Richard (5 September 2005). "CLASSIC TRACKS: The Pretenders 'Back On The Chain Gang' Producer: Chris Thomas • Engineer: Steve Churchyard". Soundonsound.com. SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019. The remainder of the Learning To Crawl album was recorded and mixed through the end of 1983, with plenty of breaks interspersing the sessions while Hynde came up with new material, the last of which was that ethereally beautiful Christmas number '2000 Miles'.
  4. ↑ Pareles, Jon (22 January 1984). "CHRISSIE HYNDE MAKES PEACE WITH THE PAST AND MOVES ON (Published 1984)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  5. ↑ Select, July 1990
  6. ↑ "2000 miles - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  7. ↑ "The Heart of Rock and Soul by Dave Marsh - 1001 greatest singles". www.lexjansen.com.
  8. ↑ Wardlaw, Matt (7 September 2011). "Top 10 Pretenders songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "The Story Of... '2000 Miles' by The Pretenders". Smooth. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  10. ↑ 2000 Miles on YouTube
  11. ↑ "Coldplay – 2000 Miles". Coldplay Official Website. 5 May 2005. Archived from the original on 5 May 2005. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  12. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 238. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ↑ "The Pretenders – 2000 Miles" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pretenders". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "The Pretenders – 2000 Miles" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  16. ↑ "The Pretenders – 2000 Miles". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  17. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. ↑ "British single certifications – Pretenders – 2000 Miles". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
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