Mystery Achievement

"Mystery Achievement" was written by Chrissie Hynde and is the last track on the Pretenders 1979 self-titled debut LP...Pretenders.The LP peaked at No. 1 in the U.K. and went Platinum in 1982."Mystery Achievement" most likely is in regard to Hynde's struggle dealing with the demands of stardom.The struggle she must have faced probably has to do with the sudden fame the Pretenders had thrust upon them with the great success of their debut LP.The Pretenders were gaining popularity at that time and "Mystery Achievement" is her way of addressing this sudden found fame.

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the title of the song...since those two words used together are not a customary part of the English language.Believing the song is about Hynde dealing with her new found stardom,the title most likely is in regard to what she thinks about receiving such fame.In other words, it's as if the world is waiting to anoint her and the rest of the band as this next great thing and to give them credit for something they didn't feel like they have yet earned...this is the "Mystery Achievement".We learn that fame can be consuming..."Mystery achievement,Don't breathe down my neck no".I think Hynde wants to make it clear that she is really in it for the music (as if she really doesn't care about the fortune...yeah right)...and there are many references to that."I got no trophies on display,I sign them away"..."All of your promises,Don't fill me with pride no"..."I just wanna get out on the floor,And do the Cuban slide"...are some examples of that.As we progress through the song,we learn that success takes away the things we take for granted..."Mystery achievement,Where's my sandy beach" and "I had my dreams like everybody else,But they're out of reach".They're out of reach because those with stardom just cannot go out in public executing a private life.The line "Your demands are unending" show us that a normal life is nowhere in sight.And the last lines of the song tell us why as we learn that fame is a twenty-four hour a day ordeal..."But every day, every nighttime I find,Mystery achievement,You're on my mind,And every day, every nighttime I feel,Mystery achievement you're so unreal".The Pretenders consisted of Chrissie Hynde,Martin Chambers,Pete Farndon, and James Honeyman-Scott.From the get go,the band was plagued with substance abuse problems.In 1982,Farndon was released from the Pretenders because of his increasingly strained relations with his bandmates due to his drug use. Two days after Farndon's dismissal, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott was found dead at the age of 25 due to heart failure caused by a cocaine overdose.One year later,Farndon himself was found dead in April of 1983...he had passed out and drowned in his bathtub following a heroin overdose.Pete Farndon was 30 years old.

Видео Mystery Achievement канала TheUglylucy4