Chrissie Hynde just handed out a rare compliment. The Pretenders frontwoman, patron saint of the perfectly delivered eye-roll, isn't known for gushing about much of anything: she's taken aim at composers, concertgoers, and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame over the years. So this one counts.
Hynde likes Taylor Swift's new track "Cleveland!," the polarizing cut everyone's arguing about. Coming from the woman who wrote "Brass In Pocket" back in 1979 and spent decades sharpening that sneer on records like Learning To Crawl, a thumbs up is basically a knighthood. She doesn't do easy praise. That's the whole point of her.
The Ohio connection probably helps. Hynde is an Akron native, so a Swift belter named after her home state was always going to catch her ear.
It's a small moment, sure, but a good one: two generations of pop songcraft meeting in the middle. When Chrissie Hynde approves, you listen. That's a gem worth noting.