The Pretenders - If There Was A Man (Real)

The goddess Chrissie turns in a fine vocal performance over a song that sounds completely unlike the Pretenders, due to the famous John Barry effect. He could make a washing machine sound like a Tchaikovsky symphony. The song itself follows in great Bond theme tradition and, as such, could be from any of this decade's Bond films. Somehow classic though it threatens to be, it doesn't quite make it since it lacks the familiar Pretenders bite. (Nancy Culp, Record Mirror, August 8, 1987)

Chrissie Hynde is renowned for being a bit of a bigmouth. She has plenty to spout out about how people should live their lives i.e. in a "wholesome" fashion like her, and she prides herself on doing and saying "the right things". It's a pity then that she doesn't apply this philosophy to her music. Why on earth she should record such a lifeless uninspiring ballad as this for the soundtrack of the latest James Bond movie [The Living Daylights] is beyond me. Unfortunately it seems as if The Pretenders are starting to live up to their name. (Ro Newton, Smash Hits, July 29, 1987)