[2] Grohl described "The Pretender" as "a stomping Foo Fighters uptempo song, with a little bit of Chuck Berry in it.

"[3] The song is written in the key of A minor and showcases the shifting dynamics which Grohl wanted to employ on Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, starting with a very stripped-down introduction, featuring soft guitar and vocals along with a small string section.

Handling the guitar balance was a slight chore, and in comparison the drums and vocals were quite easy.

[6] In a 2007 interview with XFM, frontman Dave Grohl stopped short of explaining the meaning behind "The Pretender", but alluded its roots go to political unrest of the time it was written.

Grohl noted: "That's the thing with lyrics, you never want to give away specifics, because it's nice for people to have their own idea or interpretation of the song.

It consists of the band performing the song in an airplane hangar with many strip lights on the ceiling.

Panning left-to-right across this lineup, each police officer is seen to have a number on his chest, which are in order counting down, hinting at a buildup toward the approaching climax.

At the end of the video, Dave Grohl is shown slamming his guitar on the floor as he falls to his knees.

As of August 2024, the song has over 579 million views on YouTube, making it the band's most-viewed video on the platform.

The song was made available to download on May 10, 2011, for use in the Rock Band 3 music gaming platform in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which takes advantage of the use of a real guitar / bass guitar, along with standard MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits in addition to vocals.