Back On The Chain Gang
	Produced by Chris Thomas
	Released on October 1982
	US CHART POSITION #5 . . . UK CHART POSITION #17
	Find it at GEMM
7-29840 w. picture sleeve [high resolution scan]

O ne of the best singles of all time, period. I’ve read that “Back on the Chain Gang” was written for Ray Davies but became an elegy for James Honeyman-Scott after his death on June 16, 1982. The lyrics certainly make more sense in the context of a failed relationship, and prove once again that Ray Davies is the root of all great pop music. The B side, “My City Was Gone,” effectively makes this a double single; though it wasn’t released as an A side, radio stations treated it that way. Note that the 7-inch version of “My City Was Gone” is 53 seconds shorter than the subsequent elpee version (which was probably the UK “long” version alluded to on the 12-inch release) and (unless my ears deceive me) features echo on the snare hits that wasn’t there for the elpee.

TRACK LISTING

1. BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG    (Chrissie Hynde)    3:49
2. MY CITY WAS GONE    (Chrissie Hynde)    4:21
   
   UK 12-inch single
   
1. BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG
2. MY CITY WAS GONE (LONG VERSION)

CREDITS

BILLY BREMNER -- guitars
TONY BUTLER -- bass
MARTIN CHAMBERS -- drums
CHRISSIE HYNDE -- guitar, vocals

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