"Show Me" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde and first recorded by British-American rock band Pretenders for their 1984 album Learning to Crawl. It was released in 1984 as the fourth single from the album, reaching No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart.[1] It was not released as a single in the UK.
| "Show Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Pretenders | ||||
| from the album Learning to Crawl | ||||
| B-side | "Fast or Slow (The Law's the Law)" | |||
| Released | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:08 | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Chrissie Hynde | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Thomas | |||
| The Pretenders singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Composition
editThe song is from the perspective of a first-time mother fondly addressing her newborn child, introducing the child to the world while also expressing a desire to find love in their relationship.[2]
Reception
editStewart Mason of AllMusic describes the song as "something of a rewrite of the earlier, better single 'Kid'" and "A heartfelt love song to Chrissie Hynde's then-newborn in the wake of her separation from the child's father, the Kinks' Ray Davies". He praised the song for avoiding sentimentality and cliché in its approach to the subject matter, and for Robbie McIntosh's lengthy and expressive guitar solo at the end.[3]
Mother Jones writer Ariel Swartley felt that the song showed Hynde as being more fiery yet more compassionate in light of her newborn child, with lines like "Welcome to a special place/In a heart of stone that's cold and grey/You with your angel face/Show me the meaning of the word." Swartley explained that Hynde is looking for her baby to show her the meaning of the word "love", and in a way that is "selfless, nonhorny, overpowering" in a way that is atypical of the use of the word love in rock songs.[4]
Washington Post writer Joe Sasfy considered "Show Me" to be a "stunning pop song" and a "somewhat uncharacteristic, at least for Hynde, [expression] of the value of love and hope."[5] Akron Beacon Journal reporter Glenn Gamboa called in a "gorgeous love song" in which Hynde characteristically combines good and bad by incorporating lines such as "Welcome to the human race, with its wars, disease, and brutality".[6] Journal Times critic Len LaCare similarly said that "Hynde's tunes pack layers of meaning and emotion into a hard-edged, bare-bones package of guitar riffs and unadorned drum beats."[7] Hynde biographer Adam Sobsey regarded "Show Me" as one of her most undervalued songs.[8] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Bryan Wawzenek rated it as a "mid-tempo classic."[9] Hynde praised Martin Chambers's "expert handling" of the drumming on the song.[9]
Charts
edit| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 28 |
| US Top Rock Tracks (Billboard) | 8 |
References
edit- ^ "The Pretenders Top Songs". MusicVF. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (January 22, 1984). "Chrissie Hynde Makes Peace with the Past and Moves On". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. "Show Me". allmusic. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
- ^ Swartley, Ariel (May 1984). "Sex+Love Rock+Roll". Mother Jones. p. 15. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
- ^ Sasfy, Joe (February 9, 1984). "In Hynde's Eye". Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
- ^ Gamboa, Glenn (July 16, 1998). "I Went Back to Ohio..." Akron Beacon Journal. pp. F12, F13, F23. Retrieved 2022-12-25 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ LaCare, Len (August 23, 1984). "Pretenders are for real". Journal Times. p. 2C. Retrieved 2022-12-25 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Sobsey, Adam (2017). Chrissie Hynde: A Musical Biography. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9781477313329.
- ^ a b Wawzenek, Bryan (September 4, 2013). "Top 10 Martin Chambers Pretenders songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-12-28.