Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde Reveals Bob Dylan Covers Album

'Standing in the Doorway' was made alongside bandmate James Walbourne during lockdown last year

BY Brock ThiessenPublished May 10, 2021

Pretenders hero Chrissie Hynde has announced she'll be doing a full Bob Dylan covers album. Called Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan, the record will arrive digitally on May 21, as well as on CD and vinyl on August 20, via BMG.

The album finds Hynde taking on such Dylan tracks as "You're a Big Girl Now," "Love Minus Zero / No Limit," "Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight" and "Every Grain of Sand." They were all recorded last year during lockdown alongside her Pretenders bandmate James Walbourne, with the pair working distanced from each other and communicating almost exclusively via text message.

The songs were initially shared via the Pretenders' YouTube channel last year, but the album features new finished versions mixed by Tchad Blake (the Black Keys, Fiona Apple).

"A few weeks into lockdown last year, James sent me the new Dylan track, 'Murder Most Foul,'" Hynde said in a statement. "Listening to that song completely changed everything for me. I was lifted out of this morose mood that I'd been in. I remember where I was sitting the day that Kennedy was shot — every reference in the song. Whatever Bob does, he still manages somewhere in there to make you laugh because as much as anything, he's a comedian. He's always funny and always has something to say. I called James and said, 'Let's do some Dylan covers,' and that's what started this whole thing."

Down below, you can see Standing in the Doorway's tracklist.

The album and the unique process behind it will be featured in a new documentary called Tomorrow Is a Long Time by Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt. It will premiere on May 24 via the UK's Sky Arts channel in honour of Dylan's 80th birthday before getting a wider release in North America at a later date.

Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan:

1. In The Summertime
2. You're a Big Girl Now
3. Standing In The Doorway
4. Sweetheart Like You
5. Blind Willie McTell
6. Love Minus Zero / No Limit
7. Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight
8. Tomorrow Is a Long Time
9. Every Grain of Sand

Pre-order Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan.

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