Chrissie Hynde Praises Taylor Swift's Ode to Cleveland
Chrissie Hynde has praised Taylor Swift's new song "Cleveland!" in an Instagram post shared on Friday, Oct. 2.
The Pretenders frontwoman wrote that she was "thrilled to hear Taylor Swift's new song, Cleveland," according to Billboard. Hynde added that she had commemorated Cleveland herself on her first album in the song "Precious." She suggested Swift's take had to do with her husband, whom she described as a Cleveland native.
Hynde has an Ohio connection of her own. She is from Akron, about 60 kilometres south of Cleveland. In a message also shared to her official Facebook page, she wrote "hats off to Taylor for commemorating Akron's main competition."
"Cleveland!" is one of four new songs Swift released in late September as part of The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore deluxe edition. Swift's official website lists "Cleveland!" as Track 14.
Billboard reports the song is about Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end who was born and raised in the Cleveland Heights area. The music video uses home footage of Swift and Kelce driving in a car together while Kelce gives Swift a grand tour. Kelce himself called the track "a banger" on a recent episode of his New Heights podcast.
The release has kept Swift at the top of the counts. The Showgirl deluxe edition returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the US albums chart, for a non-consecutive 13th week on the Oct. 10-dated chart.
This is not Hynde's first public nod to Swift. In 2024, Rolling Stone reported that the Pretenders frontwoman had caught Swift's Eras Tour. Swift's Cleveland song also joins a long local playlist. In September 2026, Cleveland.com described it as joining a century of songs inspired by Cleveland and Ohio, covering Kent State, the Cuyahoga River, industrial decline, hometown pride and rock 'n' roll.
What makes this stand out is the crossover. A favourite-city anthem from pop's biggest current rollout drew a warm response from a punk-era songwriter with her own Ohio roots to defend.
