The band had previously enjoyed massive success with "Learning to Crawl," but suddenly, everything changed. The band lost two members—Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott—to drug-related causes, leaving only Chrissie Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers.
Consequently, they had to audition other musicians, holding various recording sessions with different personnel. These sessions yielded a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s "Room Full of Mirrors," which became the album's final track. Meanwhile, Chambers’s performance began to suffer significantly due to the loss of two of his close friends; although Hynde tried to support him, he eventually gave up, leading Hynde to let him go.
She continued working with guitarist Robbie McIntosh, and together they recorded the bulk of the album. The bass parts were handled by Bruce Thomas, Chucho Merchán, and John McKenzie; drums were played by Simon Phillips, Steve Jordan, and Mel Gaynor (of Simple Minds); and keyboards were provided by Tommy Mandel, Patrick Seymour, Bernie Worrell, and Bruce Brody—a diverse melting pot of musicians who each left their mark on the record.
Later on, T.M. Stevens (bassist for James Brown) and Blair Cunningham (formerly the drummer for Haircut One Hundred) also joined the project, though ultimately, the album was credited to Hynde, McIntosh, and Cunningham. That was the reason why Hynde appeared alone on the cover—since the other original members were no longer in the group—effectively emphasizing her dominance over the band. From that point on, subsequent albums would follow this same approach.
Another pro was the shift in musical style: they moved away from new wave toward a sound more rooted in funk and pop rock. Highlights include the band’s first power ballad, "Hymn to Her," and a track contributed by Carlos Alomar, "Light of the Moon," alongside the well-known hits "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "My Baby"—both of which received heavy rotation on radio and MTV. However, when it came time to tour, despite the high caliber of the studio musicians involved, there was simply no chemistry, which did not translate well to live performances. Hynde remarked that, with so many new musicians, it no longer felt like an English pop-rock band—it was no longer The Pretenders—prompting her to make further changes to the lineup.
This situation would have a significant impact on the years that followed; consequently, they would not release another full-length studio album until 1990. Nevertheless, this record stands as a solid effort, and Hynde deserved credit for choosing to press on rather than giving up. Having lost all the original members, she still managed to produce a remarkably good album, despite the challenging circumstances.
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