"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song released by the pop-rock group The Pretenders. It was the first single taken from the group's 1986 album, Get Close. It can also be found on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987.

In the US, "Don't Get Me Wrong" became the group's second Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #10. Their first Top 10 pop hit, "Back on the Chain Gang", had reached #5 in 1983. "Don't Get Me Wrong" also spent three weeks atop the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in November 1986. It also reached #5 on the Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay Chart on December 12, 1986 staying on that position for a week and remaining on the chart for eleven weeks. In the UK, the song also peaked at #10 in the UK Singles Chart.

The song features a jangly guitar sound and an emphasis on melody. Hynde's lyrics contain literary and scientific references in addition to the more relationship-based subject matter typical for pop music. The song was covered by British pop singer Lily Allen for BBC Radio 1's 40th anniversary celebrations in 2007 and was released on the subsequent compilation album.

The music video for the song is a tribute to the British 1960s TV spy series The Avengers, with Chrissie Hynde playing Emma Peel searching for John Steed (Patrick Macnee appears in the original series' footage, with Hynde superimposed).

The song has been performed on stage in France and Belgium by the leading French popular singer La Grande Sophie (Sophie Huriaux) for several years, including at all her 120 concerts of her ‘Place du Fantôme’ tour of 2012-13. La Grande Sophie has also performed an acoustic version in the studio of OuiFM in April 2012. She has not included 'Don't Get Me Wrong' on any album.

...
Wikipedia