Now considered a Christmas classic, “2000 Miles” by Pretenders was first released as a single in November 1983. Later in 1984 it appeared on their Platinum-selling album, Learning To Crawl. It was most popular in the UK, where it peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1983. In the US, it was released as the B-side of both the 7-inch single and 12-inch single remix of the band's hit "Middle of the Road". The song has also been released on various Christmas compilation albums.
Pretenders Chrissie Hynde found inspiration for the song after the band’s original guitarist James Honeyman-Scott passed away in 1982, at the age of 25. In the liner notes for the groups’ 2008 box set, Pirate Radio, Hynde said, “I think the sense of distance in the lyrics was referring to (the loss of) Jimmy Scott. The song itself was influenced by an Otis Redding song called, “Thousand Miles Away”.
Check out this beautiful acoustic performance from 1995:
