2000 Miles – The Pretenders

This fabulous tune first appeared in the UK in 1983 and got to number 15 in the charts. Strangely though, it was only released as a ‘B’ side in the states and has never got the recognition it deserved.

Written by the bands lead singer, Chrissie Hynde, it is often mistaken as meaning 2000 miles is the distance between two lovers, with the haunting ‘I Miss You‘ lyric an integral part of the song, but it was written for James Honeyman-Scott, the lead guitarist, who sadly died the previous year.

The video see Chrissie Hynde dressed in a Salvation army uniform in a snowy setting which sets off a real Christmas vibe.

2000 miles is taken from The Pretenders 1984 album ‘Learning to Crawl’ and can be seen on countless festive compilation albums.

There have been at least four covers of 2000 Miles with the most popular being those by Coldplay, KT Tunstall, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Natalie Imbrulgia, although not all are recorded or released.

Sit back and enjoy one of the most festive tunes ever released – 2000 Miles The Pretenders

2000 Miles The Pretenders and Other Covers

The first version on the list of 2000 Miles is by KT Tunstall, played live, at a Radio 2 session in 2007.

Now for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones version of 2000 Miles from 2010 which is a slight diversion from their usual American ska-core tones.

Chris Martin and Coldplay and their 2010 version of 2000 Miles which only uses voice and piano and I’m afraid is my least favourite version!

And finally, for now anyway, 2000 Miles sang by Natalie Imbruglia, live and giving the song great respect.

There are other versions of The Pretenders 2000 Miles that I will put up here in the future, but these will do for now. I don’t think any of the versions come close to the Christmas feeling Chrissie Hynde exudes…and as the tune is now 31 years old this year, it hold special memories for me in its original form…I was but a nipper!

You can buy the album on CD form, mp3 form or the single track also in mp3 form below.

 Learning To Crawl CDShop Now 2000 Miles MP3 SingleShop Now Learning To Crawl MP3 AlbumShop Now