The Pretender Songs Ranked

The Pretender is the fourth album by the American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1976. It peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s album chart. The singles from the album were “Here Come Those Tears Again”, which reached No. 23, and “The Pretender”, which peaked at No. 58. The Pretender was released after the suicide of Browne’s first wife, Phyllis Major, and one of the album’s songs “Here Come Those Tears Again” (co-written by Major’s mother Nancy Farnsworth) is dedicated to her. The album has production by Jon Landau and a mixture of styles. The title track was used in the 1995 film Mr. Holland’s Opus. The album was certified as a gold record in 1976 and platinum in 1977 by the RIAA. It reached multi-platinum in 1997 and 2006. The back cover of The Pretender shows Pablo Neruda’s poem Brown and Agile Child, translated by Kenneth Rexroth, in its entirety. Here are all of The Pretender songs ranked.

Don’t miss out on the original songs written by Jackson Browne. Click below and listen to this very talented singer-songwriter.

8. The Fuse

“Reportedly, the material here was mostly written prior to suicide of Phyllis, but it sure doesn’t sound that way–from the opening moments of “The Fuse”, you can tell this isn’t going to be a repeat of “Late For The Sky”. “The Fuse” is marvelously powerful, containing masterful use of dynamics, as well as Jackson layering his own voice several times, something he rarely did, and doing so to great effect.”

7. Linda Paloma

“All the songs here are well done, but I especially enjoy listening to “Linda Paloma”, a deceptively simple love song laced with Spanish overtones that takes a wry look at his disappointing love affair with a simple and uncomplicated woman”

6. The Only Child

 “The Only Child” is a wonderfully bittersweet song–indeed, it’s the one track here that really sounds like it could have been on “Late For The Sky”.

See more: Jackson Browne Albums Ranked

5. Sleep’s Dark and Silent Gate

“Sleep’s Dark and Silent Gate” captures a dark night of insomnia, made tense by regrets about his wife, his uncertain future, and, with the echoing of the line “I’m sitting down by the highway,” the futility of escape. The orchestra rounds out this sadness with an extended major chord, a kind of worn resolution that fades out, so that the morning-air opening to the concluding title song retains a certain bitterness.”

4. Your Bright Baby Blues

“”Your Bright Baby Blues”, a diverting look at contemplation, drug use, the games people play with themselves, and the difficulty of really coming to terms with yourself. Throughout the song cycle, Browne keeps returning to the idea that one must find the unique answers that make life worthwhile for oneself, attempting to live life for one’s own goals and sense of purpose, and he again and again rejects the notion of copping out by accepting the easy and simplistic compromises others have settled for.”

See more: Jackson Browne Songs Ranked

3. Here Come Those Tears Again

“The mid-tempo pop-rocker “Here Come Those Tears Again” was the obvious choice for a single, and it’s a cathartic, flawlessly melodic song with a phenomenal Jackson vocal, and it’s the only track here that isn’t a Jackson Browne solo composition.”

2. Daddy’s Tune

“Daddy’s Tune” evokes not only his regrets about how he reacted to his father in his earlier years, but also some mature thoughts on his youthful friendships, where they were “all in search of truth and bound for glory.”

1. The Pretender

“The Pretender is a melancholy record. It conveys what was and what could have been but will never be. It offers an insight into a soul and heart that has sufferred much, has made mistakes,has come to understand some of the mysteries of life and that we know, from later works, has made good use of the lessons of life that were learned the hard way.”