My City Was Gone
Encyclopedia
"My City Was Gone" is a song by the rock
group The Pretenders
. The song originally appeared in October 1982 as the B-side to the single release of "Back on the Chain Gang
"; the two-sided single was the comeback release for the band following the death of founding bandmember James Honeyman-Scott
. The song was included on the album Learning to Crawl
released in early 1984 and became a radio favorite in the United States.
The song was written by Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde
, and reflected her growing interest in environmental and social concerns; the lyrics take the form of an autobiographical lament with the singer returning to her childhood home of Ohio
and discovering that rampant development and pollution had destroyed the "pretty countryside" of her youth. The song makes a number of specific references to places in and around Akron, Ohio
, including South Howard Street (line 5), the historic center of Akron, which was leveled to make way for an urban plaza with three skyscrapers and two parking decks (line 8).
from this song has been used as theme music for Rush Limbaugh
's popular American talk radio
program since 1984 during his days at KFBK in Sacramento, CA. In 1999, Rolling Stone
magazine reported that, according to Hynde's manager, Limbaugh had neither licensed the song nor asked permission to use it. According to Rolling Stone, Hynde took action after Limbaugh told a pair of reporters in 1997 that "it was icing on the cake that it was [written by] an environmentalist, animal rights wacko and was an anti-conservative song. It is anti-development, anti-capitalist, and here I am going to take a liberal song and make fun of [liberals] at the same time." This led Hynde to demand that Limbaugh stop using the song, which he did. However, Hynde did an about-face and offered Limbaugh the use of her song in exchange for his donating of $100,000 to PETA
. She later wrote to the organization saying, "In light of Rush Limbaugh's vocal support of PETA's campaign against the Environmental Protection Agency's foolish plan to test some 3,000 chemicals on animals, I have decided to allow him to keep my song, 'My City Was Gone,' as his signature tune...".
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
. The song originally appeared in October 1982 as the B-side to the single release of "Back on the Chain Gang
Back on the Chain Gang
"Back on the Chain Gang" is a song by the English-American band The Pretenders, released as single by Sire Records in November 1982. The song was also released on The King of Comedy soundtrack album in March 1983 and later included on The Pretenders' next album Learning to Crawl in January 1984...
"; the two-sided single was the comeback release for the band following the death of founding bandmember James Honeyman-Scott
James Honeyman-Scott
James Honeyman-Scott , commonly referred to as "Jimmy", was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders....
. The song was included on the album Learning to Crawl
Learning to Crawl
Learning to Crawl is the Pretenders' third album, released in 1984 after a two-year hiatus, during which time James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon both died of drug overdoses....
released in early 1984 and became a radio favorite in the United States.
The song was written by Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
, and reflected her growing interest in environmental and social concerns; the lyrics take the form of an autobiographical lament with the singer returning to her childhood home of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and discovering that rampant development and pollution had destroyed the "pretty countryside" of her youth. The song makes a number of specific references to places in and around Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, including South Howard Street (line 5), the historic center of Akron, which was leveled to make way for an urban plaza with three skyscrapers and two parking decks (line 8).
Use by Rush Limbaugh
The distinctive opening riffRIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
from this song has been used as theme music for Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
's popular American talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
program since 1984 during his days at KFBK in Sacramento, CA. In 1999, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine reported that, according to Hynde's manager, Limbaugh had neither licensed the song nor asked permission to use it. According to Rolling Stone, Hynde took action after Limbaugh told a pair of reporters in 1997 that "it was icing on the cake that it was [written by] an environmentalist, animal rights wacko and was an anti-conservative song. It is anti-development, anti-capitalist, and here I am going to take a liberal song and make fun of [liberals] at the same time." This led Hynde to demand that Limbaugh stop using the song, which he did. However, Hynde did an about-face and offered Limbaugh the use of her song in exchange for his donating of $100,000 to PETA
Peta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
. She later wrote to the organization saying, "In light of Rush Limbaugh's vocal support of PETA's campaign against the Environmental Protection Agency's foolish plan to test some 3,000 chemicals on animals, I have decided to allow him to keep my song, 'My City Was Gone,' as his signature tune...".