Chrissie Hynde has a soft spot for Taylor Swift’s new song “Cleveland!” — and she is not shy about saying so. The Pretenders frontwoman posted a note on Instagram on Friday, Oct. 2, praising the track and the pop star behind it.
“I was thrilled to hear Taylor Swift’s new song, Cleveland,” Hynde wrote. “Now there’s a girl who stays on the cutting edge…. in fact, she might be the only person in history who has actually written a song about Cleveland.”
What Hynde Said About Swift
Hynde’s post was a general update for fans, but a chunk of it was devoted to Swift and the track. She noted that she herself had written about Cleveland on her debut album, in a song called “Precious.”
“Although come to think of it, I did commemorate Cleveland on my first album in the song, Precious,” she continued. “Perhaps Taylor is trying to get a leg up in her career by emulating yours truly… although I strongly suspect it has more to do with her new hunk of a husband, a Cleveland native.”
The joke lands because Hynde is from Akron, Ohio — and she knows full well that Cleveland is the city across the lake. She closed the post with a nod to the rivalry, saying, “Either way, hats off to Taylor for commemorating Akron’s main competition…. Cleveland Ohio.”
“I certainly have myriad recollections of adventures in Cleveland.. it’s a hell of a town,” she added.
The Song’s Subject Is Clear
“Cleveland!” is transparently about Swift’s spouse, Travis Kelce. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was born and raised in the Cleveland Heights area, and the song’s lyrics find Swift singing about exploring the city with him while blocking out the rest of the world’s negative opinions.
The “Cleveland!” music video features home footage of the couple driving together as Kelce gives Swift the grand tour.
The Deluxe Release and Its Chart Run
Swift dropped “Cleveland!” as one of four new songs on her Showgirl deluxe at the end of September. The release propelled the project back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for its non-consecutive 13th week on the Oct. 10-dated chart.
Kelce’s Reaction
The track was always destined to be a smash hit in Kelce’s heart. He called it “a banger” on a recent episode of his New Heights podcast.
The Backstory on Hynde’s Own Song
Hynde’s reference to “Precious” is the key to understanding her whole post. That song appeared on her debut album, and it commemorates Cleveland directly. Her joke — that Swift might be emulating her — is playful but also pointed: she is suggesting that Swift’s song is derivative, at least in spirit.
The second part of her joke is more serious. She suspects that Swift wrote the song because of Kelce, not because of the city itself. She frames it as a guess, but the implication is clear: the song is about the relationship, not the place.
Why This Post Works
Hynde’s post is a delightfully self-deprecating mix of flattery and jibes. She praises Swift’s “cutting edge” approach while also poking fun at the idea of a pop star writing about Cleveland. She celebrates the song while also claiming credit for having done it first.
The post is funny precisely because it is sincere. Hynde is clearly amused by the whole thing — the idea that a global superstar would write a song about her hometown, and that she herself had beaten her to it decades ago.
A Hell of a Town
The final line of Hynde’s post is pure Akron pride. She has “myriad recollections of adventures in Cleveland” and describes it as “a hell of a town.” She is not being sarcastic — she genuinely likes the place.
She is also playing the rivalry card. By calling Cleveland “Akron’s main competition,” she is reminding everyone that the two cities are not exactly friends. The joke works because both cities know it.
The Numbers Behind the Story
- “Cleveland!” is one of four new tracks on Swift’s Showgirl deluxe, released at the end of September
- The deluxe sent the project back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for its non-consecutive 13th week on the Oct. 10-dated chart
- Kelce called the song “a banger” on his New Heights podcast
- Hynde wrote about Cleveland on her debut album in the song “Precious”
The story is small, but it is perfectly formed. Swift writes a song about Cleveland, Kelce calls it a banger, and Hynde responds with a post that is half-flattery and half-joke. It is the kind of moment that happens when two artists from the same region share a laugh.
Swift gets the attention she wants, Kelce gets a banger, and Hynde gets to remind everyone that she was there first.
Source material: “Chrissie Hynde Praises Taylor Swift’s New Song ‘Cleveland!’: ‘A Girl Who Stays on the Cutting Edge’,” Billboard.
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