| "Back on the Chain Gang" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Pretenders | ||||
| from the album The King of Comedy and Learning to Crawl | ||||
| B-side | "My City Was Gone" | |||
| Released | September 17, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | July 1982 | |||
| Studio | AIR Studios (London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:51 | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Chrissie Hynde | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Thomas | |||
| The Pretenders singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Back on the Chain Gang" on YouTube | ||||
"Back on the Chain Gang" is a song written by American-British musician Chrissie Hynde, originally recorded by her band the Pretenders and released as a single by Sire Records in September 1982. The song was included on The King of Comedy soundtrack album in March 1983 and was later included on the Pretenders' third album, Learning to Crawl, in January 1984.
"Back on the Chain Gang" entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 5 to become the band's biggest hit in the United States. It also peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Rock Top Tracks chart and No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart. The single's B-side, "My City Was Gone", later became a substantial hit in the U.S., with lyrics about Ohio.