Don't Get Me Wrong

"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song released by British-American alternative rock group The Pretenders. It was the first single taken from the group's 1986 album, Get Close. It can also be found on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987. Chrissie Hynde said she was inspired to write the song for her friend John McEnroe. Background The song features a jangly guitar sound and an emphasis on melody. Hynde's lyrics contain literary references in addition to the more relationship-based subject matter typical for rock and pop music. Reception Billboard said that although Hynde is the only original Pretender remaining, this song represents "a pretty upbeat, strutting, confident Pretenders." Cash Box praised Hynde's "sultry vocal" and "powerful songwriting." Classic rock review describes "Don't Get Me Wrong" as a "jaunty rock track". Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw rated it the Pretenders 8th greatest song, saying that it "[hammers] home the point rather succinctly that when it comes to love from the female point of view, it's best to expect the unexpected." Music video The music video for the song is a tribute to the British 1960s TV spy series The Avengers, with Chrissie Hynde playing Emma Peel searching for John Steed, while being diverted by body doubles and rival agents. She drives a 1983 Reliant Scimitar SS1. Steed actor Patrick Macnee appears in the original series' footage, with Hynde electronically inserted. Two edits to the video were made, the second edit adds alternate shots (including a scene of one of the body doubles being revealed to be a woman) and inserts footage of the band performing in a studio.