Album · The Pretenders
Last of the Independents by The Pretenders
Last of the Independents is an album by The Pretenders, released in 1994. 3 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 37 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “I'll Stand By You”, on 17 lists with a best position of #78.
Last of the Independents, the Pretenders' sixth album, came out on Sire in 1994 with Stephen Street and Chris Thomas producing, and it's Chrissie Hynde with a band around her again. The sleeve names a four-piece, Hynde, guitarist Adam Seymour, bassist Andy Hobson and a returning Martin Chambers, back on drums eight years after Hynde fired him, but that lineup only plays together on "All My Dreams". Most of the record is Hynde and Seymour with a rotating crew on bass and drums, Andy Rourke among them, plus old Pretender Robbie McIntosh sitting in on "I'm a Mother".
Hynde co-wrote several songs with the hitmaking team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, and that partnership gave her the leather-jacketed strut of "Night in My Veins" and the big, tender ballad "I'll Stand by You", which became a hit. A cover of "Forever Young", first cut for the film With Honors, rounds it out.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Last of the Independents on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I'll Stand By You | 17 | #78 | – | 1994–2025 | |
| 2 | Night In My Veins | 13 | #28 | – | 1994–2012 | |
| 3 | Hollywood Perfume | 7 | #1133 | – | 1999–2005 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.