How Much Did You Get For Your Soul?

Album: Get Close (1986)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, "How Much Did You Get For Your Soul?" takes aim at famous singers who "sell their souls" by becoming spokespeople for big companies. Her reasoning is sound: these celebrities don't need the money and don't really care about the products, so why do it? In her view, it quashes their credibility:

    Who could think that you're for real
    A puppet in a cabaret
    To increase your wealth
  • Hynde specifically mentions Pepsi in the lyric, indicating the main target of her ire is Michael Jackson, who had been shilling for the company since 1983 in a $5 million deal.
  • In the Pretenders Archives, we found this quote from Chrissie Hynde explaining her resistance to selling out for commercials:

    "It's one thing to do something and it's something else to advertise it. Listen, I might smoke cigarettes, I might inject heroin, but I'm not going to get up on television in front of millions of people and tell them to do it too. Advertising is crap. And these guys are endorsing stupid products. Why would anyone who had any consciousness whatsoever do an advertisement for Pepsi Cola? It's the crassest form of pollution. People are going out and getting all that dough to endorse some garbage product when they don't even need the money anyway. What the f--k are you gonna do with 15 million dollars? Buy a fleet of Rolls Royces? Pepsi Cola is a crap product. It has no redeeming value whatsoever."
  • Bernie Worrell, best known for his work in Parliament-Funkadelic, played keyboards on this track. He joined the band on the tour for the album in 1987, but was fired midway through, as his sound wasn't what Chrissie Hynde was after.
  • Neil Young was on board with this message as well. In 1988, he released "This Note's For You," where he also blasts singers for pitching Pepsi... and Coke, and Budweiser...

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.