then-record of 16 weeks by Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Scar Tissue", Staind's "It's Been Awhile", and Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", with 18 weeks at number 1, until Muse's "Madness" reigned for 19 weeks in 2012–13, but that later got eclipsed by Portugal. The Man's "Feel It Still" in 2017 which spent 20 weeks at the number 1 spot. It also spent 6 weeks at number 1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It made the Triple J's Hottest 100 in Australia, placing in at number 5. Music video The music video was directed by Sam Brown. It is presented in letterbox format and heavily employs pans, zooms, and tracking shots. It consists of the band performing the song in an airplane hangar with many strip lights on the ceiling. Behind the band is a large red screen, which is thick and solid. The band is then faced by what appears to be a riot police officer, who stands behind a black line in front of the band. As the song progresses, he is joined by more riot police officers who line up at the same black line. 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. As the quieter bridge begins, the video slows down and the officers charge the band. Just as the band begins the song's louder chorus, the screen suddenly explodes and a red liquid erupts from it, overwhelming the police officers, but affecting the band to a lesser extent. At the end of the video, Dave Grohl is shown slamming his guitar on the floor as he falls to his knees. The visual effects in the video were done by Mechnology Visual Effects in Burbank, California. As of September 2022, the song has over 510 million views on YouTube, making it the band's most viewed video on the platform. Track listing 2-track CD "The Pretender" "If Ever" Maxi CD "The Pretender" – 4:31 "Come Alive" (Demo) – 5:31 "If Ever" – 4:15 "Monkey Wrench" (Live from Hyde Park video) – 5:35 7" "The Pretender" "Bangin'" Charts and certifications Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications Releases 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