Mr. Write's Page

In 1973, aspiring rocker Chrissie Hynde of Akron, Ohio, moved to London and worked her way into the British music scene. By 1978, she found her groove and established The Pretenders. Maybe you’ve heard of them.

One of their many hits was “My City Was Gone,“ written by Hynde in 1982 after she returned to Akron for a visit. She was dismayed to find that large parts of the city had been destroyed, in some cases literally, by neglect, pollution, and development.

“My City Was Gone” mentions the loss of South Howard Street, once the city’s main thoroughfare, and the razing of much of the historic downtown to build parking decks and a plaza.

Hynde was already a hippie vegetarian who was into eastern mysticism. Before long, she evolved into an environmentalist and an animal rights activist. She also promotes music education in U.S. public schools. All that and a legacy of excellent tunes.

The Pretenders are still performing today, and Hynde still lives in London. But, no surprise, she keeps an apartment in Akron.

My City Was Gone

By The Pretenders, 1982
Written by Chrissie Hynde

I went back to Ohio,
But my city was gone.
There was no train station.
There was no downtown.
South Howard had disappeared.
All my favorite places…
My city had been pulled down.
Reduced to parking spaces.
Eh, oh — where’d you go, Ohio?

I went back to Ohio,
But my family was gone.
I stood on the back porch.
There was nobody home.
I was stunned and amazed.
My childhood memories
Slowly swirled past
Like the wind through the trees.
Eh, oh — where did you go, Ohio?

I went back to Ohio,
But my pretty countryside
Had been paved down the middle
By a government that had no pride.
The farms of Ohio
had been replaced by shopping malls.
And Muzak filled the air
from Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls.
Said eh, oh — where’d you go, Ohio?