Viva el Amor

¡Viva El Amor! (Spanish for Long Live Love) is the seventh studio album by the rock band The Pretenders, released in 1999. The band's lineup for the album is the same as that credited on 1994's Last of the Independents: Chrissie Hynde (vocals, guitar) Martin Chambers (drums), Andy Hobson (bass) and Adam Seymour (guitar). This time, however, the credited line-up actually plays on most of the album, although Hobson is replaced on bass by session musicians on a few cuts.

Viva, featuring a cover photograph of Hynde taken by friend Linda McCartney, saw moderate success in the United States and the United Kingdom. Its two lead singles were "Popstar" and "Human", the latter a Divinyls cover. The Class Mix of "Human" was used as the theme music to the short-lived American TV series Cupid as well as featuring in the soundtrack to Brenda Blethyn movie Saving Grace. The album charted in the UK, US and Sweden.

Track listing

 * 1) "Popstar" (Chrissie Hynde, Adam Seymour) – 3:34
 * 2) "Human" (Shelly Peiken, Mark McEntee) – 3:55
 * 3) "From the Heart Down" (Hynde, Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly) – 3:31
 * 4) "Nails in the Road" (Hynde, Steinberg, Kelly) – 3:25
 * 5) "Who's Who" (Hynde) – 4:11
 * 6) "Dragway 42" (Hynde) – 5:19
 * 7) "Baby's Breath" (Hynde, Steinberg, Kelly) – 3:15
 * 8) "One More Time" (Hynde) – 3:15
 * 9) "Legalise Me" (Hynde) – 3:51
 * 10) "Samurai" (Hynde) – 4:43
 * 11) "Rabo de Nube" (Silvio Rodríguez) – 1:26
 * 12) "Biker" (Hynde) – 4:40

Personnel
Recorded and mixed at:
 * The Pretenders
 * Chrissie Hynde – rhythm guitar, vocals, harmonica
 * Adam Seymour – lead guitar, bass
 * Andy Hobson – bass
 * Martin Chambers – drums
 * Additional personnel
 * Jeff Beck – guitar on "Legalise Me"
 * David Johansen - vocals on "Popstar"
 * Andy Duncan – percussion, programming
 * Stephen Hague – keyboards
 * Chuck Norman – percussion
 * Jules Shear – backing vocals
 * John Metcalfe - string arrangements
 * The Duke Quartet are:
 * John Metcalfe - viola
 * Louisa Fuller - violin
 * Richard Koster - violin
 * Ivan McCready - cello
 * Production
 * The Townhouse Studio - London
 * Sarm West Studio - London, RAK Studio - London
 * Bearsville Sound Studio - Bearsville NY
 * Innovation Studios - London

Mastered by Ian Cooper at Metropolis Studio - London

Engineered by Julie Gardner, Richard T. Norris, David Boucher, Doug Wynne

Produced by:
 * Stephen Hague (Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11)
 * Stephen Street (Tracks 3, 6, 7, 10, 12)

Track 2 remix and additional production by Tin Tin Out for Empire Management, executive producer Rob Dickins

Mixed by:
 * Bob Clearmountain (Tracks 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
 * Stephen Hague and Richard T. Norris (Tracks 1 and 5)

Cover photo: Linda McCartney. Inner sleeve photos: Mary McCartney. Artwork: Michael Nash Associates.