Pretenders “Pretenders II” released 40 years ago today, August 15th, 1981. Pretenders II is the Pretenders second LP. It hit no. 7 in the UK and went to no. 10 in the US. It includes the previously UK-release singles “Talk of the Town” from 1980 and “Message of Love” (one of my favorite Pretenders songs) from early ‘81; those two songs were also on the March ‘81 EP Extended Play. Other singles from Pretenders II were “Day After Day” (a UK-only single), “Louie Louie” (a US-only single and NOT a cover song), and “I Go to Sleep.” “I Go to Sleep” was written by Ray Davies in ‘67 – Chrissie Hynde was dating him at the time. Pretenders’ version went to #7 in the US; Davies never recorded it with The Kinks but an unreleased version does exist here.