2000 Miles

"2000 Miles"
"2000 Miles"
Single by Pretenders
from the album Learning to Crawl
B-side	"Fast or Slow (The Law's the Law)"
Released	18 November 1983
Genre	Christmas; jangle pop; soft rock;
Length	3:40
Label	Real (UK); Sire (US)
Songwriter(s)	Chrissie Hynde
Producer(s)	Chris Thomas
Pretenders singles chronology
Gatefold image
	Cover image of gatefold single release (Real ARE 20F)
Music video
	"2000 Miles" (Official Music Video) on YouTube

"2000 Miles" is a song by British-American rock band Pretenders. Written by lead vocalist Chrissie Hynde and produced by Chris Thomas, it was released on 18 November 1983 as the second single from their third studio album, Learning to Crawl (1984).^[3] It was most popular in the UK, where it peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1983. In the US, it was released as the B-side of both the 7-inch single and 12-inch single remix of the band's hit "Middle of the Road".

Influenced by Otis Redding's "Thousand Miles Away",^[4] the song was written a year after the band's guitarist, James Honeyman-Scott, had died of a drug overdose in 1982.^[5] Hyde has noted that she thinks "the sense of distance in the lyrics" refers to Honeyman-Scott".^[4] Considered a Christmas song,^{[citation needed]} it has been released on various Christmas compilation albums.^{[citation needed]}

Background

According to music critic Jon Pareles, the song is about missing a man at Christmastime.^[6] "Robbie McIntosh plays beautifully on '2000 Miles'," Hynde recalled. "Anything to avoid listening to my voice and my stupid words."^[7]

The song frequently reappears on the UK Singles Chart around Christmastime, staying in the charts for a few weeks over the Christmas period.^[8]

Critical reception

Dave Marsh, in his 1989 book The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made, ranked "2000 Miles"' as the 630th best rock or soul single to that date. It is one of four songs by Pretenders listed in the book.^[9] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw rated it the Pretenders’ 9th greatest song, calling it "one of the season's most beloved Christmas songs."^[10]

According to analysis of PRS for Music figures, it was estimated that the song generates £102,000 of royalties per year.^[11]

Music video

The official video features Hynde dressed as a member of The Salvation Army in a snowy location.^[12] Chrissie Hynde also recorded a version of the song in 1995 with violins and other stringed instruments.^{[citation needed]}

Covers

British rock band Coldplay released a piano cover of the song as a charity single.^[13] The track's digital download was available for £1.50 between 16 December 2003 and 1 January 2004, with all royalties being donated to Stop Handgun Violence and Future Forests.^[14]^{[dead link‍]}

KT Tunstall covered the song for her Christmas EP Sounds of the Season: The KT Tunstall Holiday Collection (2007).

American pop rock band Train covered the song for their Christmas album Christmas in Tahoe (2015).^{[citation needed]} The same year, Australian singer Kylie Minogue covered the song for her first Christmas album Kylie Christmas.^{[citation needed]}

American rock band Smash Mouth covered the song on the 2012 reissue of their 2005 album, The Gift of Rock.

American indie rock band C-Clamp covered the song on the 1998 compilation The My Pal God Holiday Record

Charts

Chart performance for "2000 Miles"
Chart (1983–1984)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[15]	30
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[16]	11
Ireland (IRMA)^[17]	14
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[18]	13
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[19]	36
UK Singles (OCC)^[20]	15

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "2000 Miles"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[21] Digital sales since 2004	Platinum	600,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "News". Record Mirror: 5. 5 November 1983. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via flickr.com.
^ "How far would you travel for love? 14 songs that go the distance". The A.V. Club. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
^ Buskin, Richard (5 September 2005). "CLASSIC TRACKS: The Pretenders 'Back On The Chain Gang' Producer: Chris Thomas • Engineer: Steve Churchyard". Soundonsound.com. SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019. The remainder of the Learning To Crawl album was recorded and mixed through the end of 1983, with plenty of breaks interspersing the sessions while Hynde came up with new material, the last of which was that ethereally beautiful Christmas number '2000 Miles'.
^ ^a ^b Alan York (3 December 2023). "2000 Miles: Why Pretenders Beloved Christmas Song Still Goes The Distance". ThisIsDig.
^ Allison Rapp (18 November 2023). "How The Pretenders Attempted To Move Forward With "2000 Miles"". Ultimate Classic Rock.
^ Pareles, Jon (22 January 1984). "Chrissie Hynde makes peace with the past and moves on". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
^ Select, July 1990
^ "2000 miles - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
^ "The Heart of Rock and Soul by Dave Marsh - 1001 greatest singles". www.lexjansen.com.
^ Wardlaw, Matt (7 September 2011). "Top 10 Pretenders songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ "From Wham to Slade... just how much do these classic Christmas songs earn each festive season?". Radio X. 21 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
^ "The Story Of... '2000 Miles' by The Pretenders". Smooth. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
^ 2000 Miles on YouTube
^ "Coldplay – 2000 Miles". Coldplay. 5 May 2005. Archived from the original on 5 May 2005. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 238. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "The Pretenders – 2000 Miles" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pretenders". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ "The Pretenders – 2000 Miles" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ "The Pretenders – 2000 Miles". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
^ "British single certifications – Pretenders – 2000 Miles". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 December 2022.

External links

"2000 Miles" at Discogs (list of releases)

[1] "News". Record Mirror: 5. 5 November 1983. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via flickr.com.

[2] "How far would you travel for love? 14 songs that go the distance". The A.V. Club. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2015.

[Buskin2005-3] Buskin, Richard (5 September 2005). "CLASSIC TRACKS: The Pretenders 'Back On The Chain Gang' Producer: Chris Thomas • Engineer: Steve Churchyard". Soundonsound.com. SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019. The remainder of the Learning To Crawl album was recorded and mixed through the end of 1983, with plenty of breaks interspersing the sessions while Hynde came up with new material, the last of which was that ethereally beautiful Christmas number '2000 Miles'.

[Dig-4] Alan York (3 December 2023). "2000 Miles: Why Pretenders Beloved Christmas Song Still Goes The Distance". ThisIsDig.

[5] Allison Rapp (18 November 2023). "How The Pretenders Attempted To Move Forward With "2000 Miles"". Ultimate Classic Rock.

[6] Pareles, Jon (22 January 1984). "Chrissie Hynde makes peace with the past and moves on". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

[7] Select, July 1990

[8] "2000 miles - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.

[9] "The Heart of Rock and Soul by Dave Marsh - 1001 greatest singles". www.lexjansen.com.

[10] Wardlaw, Matt (7 September 2011). "Top 10 Pretenders songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 28 December 2022.

[11] "From Wham to Slade... just how much do these classic Christmas songs earn each festive season?". Radio X. 21 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.

[12] "The Story Of... '2000 Miles' by The Pretenders". Smooth. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

[13] 2000 Miles on YouTube

[COLDCOVER-14] "Coldplay – 2000 Miles". Coldplay. 5 May 2005. Archived from the original on 5 May 2005. Retrieved 8 April 2021.

[aus-15] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 238. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[sc_Flanders_The_Pretenders-16] "The Pretenders – 2000 Miles" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[sc_Ireland2_Pretenders-17] "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pretenders". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[sc_Dutch100_The_Pretenders-18] "The Pretenders – 2000 Miles" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[sc_New_Zealand_The_Pretenders-19] "The Pretenders – 2000 Miles". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[sc_UK_-20] "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.

[United_KingdomPretenders2000_MilessingleCertRef-21] "British single certifications – Pretenders – 2000 Miles". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 December 2022.

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