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Cover of Learning to Crawl by The Pretenders
Cover: Learning to Crawl

Song · The Pretenders

“Middle of the Road” by The Pretenders

From the album Learning to Crawl (1983)

“Middle of the Road” by The Pretenders appears on 53 radio countdowns from 21 stations between 1983 and 2026. It was first released in 1983 on the album Learning to Crawl. Its best result is #25 on the KISW Top 25 Rock Songs from 1983. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,103 alternative song of all time.

53countdowns
21stations
#25best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1983–2026years charted

Watch

Middle of the Road (2007 Remaster)

Video from YouTube (The Pretenders - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Middle of the Road" came out in November 1983, the third single from the Pretenders' Learning to Crawl, and it charges in like Chrissie Hynde has a score to settle. Chris Thomas produced it, with Martin Chambers pounding the drums, Malcolm Foster on bass and Robbie McIntosh trading guitar with Hynde.

Hynde has said the song draws on the Tao Te Ching and its idea of a middle way, but there's nothing mellow about it. The song throws itself into the world, sizing up the gulf between rich and poor, and Hynde drops in details from her own life, mentioning her child and fudging her age a little. Near the end comes a raw harmonica solo nobody is credited for; Ultimate Classic Rock pins it on Hynde, who blows it herself on stage. It reached number 2 on the US mainstream rock chart and stayed there four weeks.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1983 25 KISW Seattle-Tacoma, WA KISW Top 25 Rock Songs from 1983 25

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 100 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1988 87 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1989 299 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 329 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1991 342 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1994 346 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 82 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 260 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 385 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 319 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 430 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 227 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1999 271 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 305 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 124 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 306 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2001 307 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2002 370 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 642 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2003 424 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2004 641 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2005 366 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2006 353 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2009 733 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2010 412 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 465 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 431 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 470 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 282 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 904 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 334 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2014 327 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 420 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 860 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2015 913 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 433 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2019 263 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 1151 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 381 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 753 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2022 1022 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 959 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time 1055
2022 302 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2023 213 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 1031 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 832 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2024 601 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 428 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 227 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2025 687 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 588 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 816 KXT KXT 917 Song Countdown 917

Also listed as: Middle Of The Road.

Charting alongside it in 1983

Best songs of 1983 →
  1. 1New Year's DayU2
  2. 2Let's DanceDavid Bowie
  3. 3The LovecatsThe Cure
  4. 4Every Breath You TakeThe Police
  5. 5Rebel YellBilly Idol
  6. 6In a Big CountryBig Country

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