By: Brad Gallagher
A 1979 hit single by Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders. It was in fact their first big hit, landing at number one on the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.
As the story goes:
One night in England while having dinner after a show with a group called Strangeways, Chrissie Hynde overheard a conversation. One of the band members from Strangeways asked if anyone had remembered to pick up his trousers from the dry cleaners. When one of the other members said that he picked it up, the first asked jokingly, “Any brass in pocket?”
Chrissie asked them what “Brass in pocket” meant, and they told her it was a British phrase referring to loose change in the pocket. She liked the phrase and used it to name the song.
The song itself, Brass in Pocket is not, however, about loose change. According to Chrissie the concept of the song is about being confident and sure of yourself. Some say that the lyrics refer to a singer that is about to have a sexual encounter and is going into it with confidence. Others say that the lyrics are about the Pretenders first live concert and the confidence they had that night on stage. I tend to think of them as an overall mindset for living life. Ether way, it was a smash hit that is heard to this day on radios across the world.
So be sure to check your trousers for brass in pocket before taking them to the dry cleaners, and come back and visit me here soon at As The Story Goes.
AS THE STORY GOES 