"Brass in Pocket"

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Since seeing Scarlet Johansson's kareoke version in Lost in Translation, I've heard this song several times, in pubs and elsewhere. It's following me or something.
Good song though, isn't it? Probably The Pretenders' best single - unless you know different.

It always reminds me of my last day at primary school, it was playing on Radio 2 as I sadly packed my school bag before leaving to catch the bus.

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Friday, 27 February 2004 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Pretenders
Brass In Pocket
I got brass in pocket
Got bottle, I'm gonna use it.
Intention I feel inventive,
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice
Got motion, restrained emotion.
I been driving uh, Detroit leaning.
No reason, just seems so pleasing.
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice
Gonna use my arms, Gonna use my legs,
Gonna use my style, Gonna use my side-step
Gonna use my fingers.
Gonna use my, my, my, imagination.
Cause I going make you see--
there's nobody else here No one like me.
I'm special, so special.
I got to have some of your attention, give it to me!

I got rhythm, I can't miss a beat.
I got-a new skank so reet.
Got something.
I'm winking at you, Gonna make you, make you notice.
Gonna use my arms, Gonna use my legs,
Gonna use style, Gonna use my sidestep
Gonna use my fingers, gon' use my my my imagination.

Oh .. cause I gonna make you see there's nobody else here,
no one like me.
I'm special, so special.
I got to have some of your attention, give it to me!
'Cause I gonna make you see there's nobody else here,
no one like me,
I'm special, so special.
I got to have some of your attention, give it to me.
Ooooooooo, when you walk.

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Friday, 27 February 2004 12:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh, from 1979 to 1989 I thought she sang 'gonna use my arse', which I considered to be a bit saucy.
Only when I bought The Singles in '89 did I realise, 'hang on, it's arms!'

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Friday, 27 February 2004 12:14 (twenty-two years ago)

This guy who does stand-up as an opening act for bands and such in my town sings this song in character as a retarded kid. The kicker comes when he gets to "I'm special."

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Friday, 27 February 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

So the pretenders are hanging with yorkshire support act, when the support band's manager comes in with a laundered pair of trousers, at which lad enquires after the contents with the phrase "was there any brass in't pocket?"

(True or False?)

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 27 February 2004 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I never realized how old a phenomenon the "Detroit lean" was. And yes, it is a great song.

― David A. (Davant), Friday, 27 February 2004 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I love this song, though if "Precious" was a single I'd take it over it.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 27 February 2004 23:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Oooh, get hold of Suede's version on the NME's Ruby Trax CD if you can. It is almost as good as the original.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 28 February 2004 01:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I second the Suede cover recommendation!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Saturday, 28 February 2004 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Thirded. David Barnett in the official Suede bio casts aspersions on it and mentions that it apparently was a rush recording job, but frankly I think it's just a lovely and unexpected take on a great song.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 28 February 2004 01:38 (twenty-two years ago)

yeha that LIT scene made me like it more which seems dumb - i like '2000 Miles' as well

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:06 (twenty-two years ago)

"Brass in Pocket" is great, but "Back on the Chain Gang" is still my fav. Pretenders single. Learning To Crawl has a buncha awesome stuff.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Rockinest woman fronting a band out there...

― jim wentworth (wench), Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Probably The Pretenders' best single - unless you know different.

A fine `choon, but it's nothing next to "the Wait" and "Mystery Achievment". I actually even prefer "Message of Love" over it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:39 (twenty-two years ago)

waste not want not pick it up and eat it

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Saturday, 28 February 2004 03:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"talk of the town" is the ultimate chrissie moment, BIP is probably my 5th or 6th fave Pretenders track. their best video though, and one of the best videos of the early 80s.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Saturday, 28 February 2004 08:20 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

Man, I hate this song. Can someone explain the Pretenders to me?

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Sunday, 29 January 2006 06:05 (twenty years ago)

i think chrissie hynde might be the only person i idolize. the pretenders don't need no explainin.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Sunday, 29 January 2006 06:22 (twenty years ago)

also, witnessing this song accompanied by a sorta strip tease/strut (albeit in a public setting with audience-aka, not just for me) was my emotional/mental/physical undoing for nearly 2.5 years. and just talking about it now, the memomories is conjures, i might lose another year. great effective song. amazing lyrics. and also seriously ahead of its time vibe for a female performer.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Sunday, 29 January 2006 06:47 (twenty years ago)

twelve years pass...

probably the greatest song of all-time!

― Bee OK, Thursday, 29 March 2018 02:24 (eight years ago)

the sexual energy that this song gives off is so effective it is almost criminal.

― Bee OK, Thursday, 29 March 2018 02:26 (eight years ago)

yeah i decided a few years back this was prob my favorite song, my fav vocal performance ever for sure

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Thursday, 29 March 2018 02:47 (eight years ago)

This was the last song I listened to on my way home from work today. The whole first album is so great, so under appreciated, such an amazing band & debut. Really tragic it didn’t last. Fuck. “THE WAIT”

But yea Brass in Pocket is really beautiful & has some of JHS’s best playing, particularly the riff that opens and closes the song.

― flappy bird, Thursday, 29 March 2018 02:59 (eight years ago)

yeah i decided a few years back this was prob my favorite song, my fav vocal performance ever for sure

It’s up there for me

― flappy bird, Thursday, 29 March 2018 03:00 (eight years ago)

Yeah the whole debut album is great, such a classic debut.

― brimstead, Thursday, 29 March 2018 03:40 (eight years ago)

Fav pretenders song is "don't get me wrong" tho

― brimstead, Thursday, 29 March 2018 03:41 (eight years ago)

"Brass in Pocket" belongs to that interesting group of songs that are so obviously world-beaters, but about which their creators were/are inexplicably skeptical. ("Don't You Want Me" is another example from the same era.)

― Vast Halo, Thursday, 29 March 2018 19:44 (eight years ago)

The cold-open always stood out on the radio, with the vocals starting in the first few seconds.

― ... (Eazy), Thursday, 29 March 2018 19:50 (eight years ago)

i said the best song of all time, close but really meant one of the best songs of all time.

― Bee OK, Saturday, 31 March 2018 00:38 (eight years ago)

the first Pretenders album boasts my favorite rock performances, male or female, period.

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 31 March 2018 01:02 (eight years ago)

yes

― flappy bird, Saturday, 31 March 2018 01:06 (eight years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6-0ypKuwv8

― Bee OK, Saturday, 31 March 2018 02:05 (eight years ago)

i sort of forgot about this album, what an opening!

― Bee OK, Saturday, 31 March 2018 02:05 (eight years ago)

"Mystery Achievement" honors its title.

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 31 March 2018 02:39 (eight years ago)

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