In November 1983, The Pretenders’ released “2000 Miles,” a melodic and melancholy Christmas ballad that has become a holiday standard on rock and oldies stations. The song also was included on the band’s third studio album, Learning to Crawl, which was released in January 1984.
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Learning to Crawl was The Pretenders’ first album after the untimely, drug-related deaths of half of the quartet’s original lineup. Guitarist James Honeyman-Scott passed away in June 1982 from heart failure at age 25 brought on by c*c**n* intolerance.
Honeyman-Scott’s death came just two days after founding bassist Pete Farndon was fired from the group because issues with drug addiction. Farndon passed away in April 1983 at age 30 when he drowned in his bathtub after a h*r**n overdose.
The lyrics of “2000 Miles” are sung from the perspective of someone who is missing a loved one who is far away from home at Christmas time. In the liner notes for The Pretenders’ 2006 box set Pirate Radio, frontwoman Chrissie Hynde revealed that her sadness over Honeyman-Scott’s death partly inspired the song.
“I think the sense of distance in the lyrics was referring to [the loss of] Jimmy Scott,” she wrote. Chrissie also noted that the tune was influenced by the Otis Redding song “Thousand Miles Away.” She noted that she thought “everyone would pick up on” the connection to Redding’s tune, but “of course no one even knows that song.”
In addition to Hynde’s sweet, vibrato-laden vocals, “2000 Miles” is highlighted by then-new Pretenders guitarist Robby McIntosh’s jangly, arpeggiated guitar lines.
Chart Success of “2000 Miles”
“2000 Miles” was the second advance single released from Learning to Crawl in the U.K., following the 1982 hit “Back on the Chain Gang.” “2000 Miles” peaked at No. 15 on the U.K. singles chart, two places higher than “Chain Gang.”
In the U.S., “2000 Miles” was released as the B-side of the Learning to Crawl track “Middle of the Road,” which reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Back on the Chain Gang” was The Pretenders’ biggest U.S. hit, peaking at No. 5 on the Hot 100.
“2000 Miles” Music Video
To promote “2000 Miles,” The Pretenders released a whimsical, surreal music video directed by prolific video director Tim Pope. The clip featured Hynde dressed in a Salvation Army uniform as she traipses through a snow-covered set decorated with taxidermy animals, including a rabbit, penguin, and badger.
The video also is intercut by scenes featuring Hynde and Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers skiing at they’re chased by a disheveled and threatening old man dressed in a Santa Claus outfit. In addition, Chambers and one of the other band members are shown struggling to ice fish.
At another point in the video, a person in a polar bear outfit emerges from a cave on the set. As the clip ends, Hynde and her bandmates, as well as the polar bear and the menacing Santa all appear frozen on the set.
Recent Pretenders and Chrissie Hynde News
The Pretenders had a light tour schedule in 2025. The band’s only U.S. shows were a May 1 headlining gig in Las Vegas and a May 3 performance at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach, California. The Pretenders then mounted an eight-show Latin American tour that same month. The trek ran from kicks off May 7 concert in Mexico City through a May 24 performance at the C6 Music Festival in São Paulo, Brazil.
The band also made a guest appearance at comedian Bill Burr’s stand-up show on July 9 in London. Burr sat in on drums for the group four-song set.
In June 2025, The Pretenders released a live album titled Kick ’Em Where It Hurts. The 17-song collection was recorded during The Pretenders’ 2024 tour of theaters.
Meanwhile, Hynde released a collaborative solo album in October titled Duets Special. Attributed to Chrissie Hynde & Pals, the 13-track collection featured a variety of cover tunes. Among guest singers appearing on the album are Blondie’s Debbie Harry, Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Lucinda Williams, The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Garbage’s Shirley Manson, Julian Lennon, k.d. lang, The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Cat Power, Rufus Wainwright, and the late Mark Lanegan.
(Photo by Steve Rapport/Getty Images)
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