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Cover of Pretenders by The Pretenders
Cover: Pretenders

Song · The Pretenders

“Mystery Achievement” by The Pretenders

From the album Pretenders (1980)

“Mystery Achievement” by The Pretenders appears on 29 radio countdowns from 11 stations between 1980 and 2025. It was first released in 1980 on the album Pretenders. Its best result is #19 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #19 alternative song of 1980 and #1,952 alternative song of all time.

29countdowns
11stations
#19best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1980–2025years charted

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Mystery Achievement (2018 Remaster)

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

"Mystery Achievement" comes from the Pretenders' 1980 album Pretenders, and it's all Chrissie Hynde's work on paper: she wrote both the music and the words. Chris Thomas produced it, Bill Price engineered and mixed, and Steve Nye chipped in with additional recording.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1980 19 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980 106

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 70 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1988 290 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1989 338 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 234 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1991 230 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 369 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1992 231 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1994 297 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1995 329 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 385 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1998 225 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 1946 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 1945 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 1945 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 1070 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 1929 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2003 1975 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 794 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 880 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2012 444 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2014 716 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2016 987 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2019 861 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 861 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2020 594 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2023 336 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2024 1017 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2025 97 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800

Also listed as: Mystery Achivement.

Charting alongside it in 1980

Best songs of 1980 →
  1. 1And the Cradle Will RockVan Halen
  2. 2Another One Bites the DustQueen
  3. 3Whip ItDevo
  4. 4Don't Stand So Close to MeThe Police
  5. 5Once in a LifetimeTalking Heads
  6. 6You Shook Me All Night LongAC/DC

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