Chrissie Hynde chose not to invite Morrissey to sing on her new album after worrying he might object to one of the other artists involved.

The Pretenders singer has teamed up with several well known names for her Duets Special LP, including a collaboration with Cat Power on a cover of First Of the Gang To Die, originally recorded by The Smiths frontman Morrissey.

Although Morrissey has been a divisive figure in recent years, Chrissie said she had no hesitation about choosing the song itself, but decided against asking him to appear on the album in case it created tension.

Speaking to MOJO, she explained, “I didn’t think twice about covering First Of The Gang To Die because I was looking for great songs.

“I have to be completely honest about this. I love his voice, but I had a strong feeling that if I asked him to sing on it, he might have an issue with one of the other singers.

“He eventually heard it, and he told me it brought a tear to his ‘granite cheek’.”

Chrissie also shared her belief that an artist’s personal views should never overshadow their creative output.

She said, “I don’t judge people for their opinions, because if I did, what would I think of Vincent Van Gogh if I’d met him? What would I think of Miles Davis? What would I think of John Coltrane? Any of the great artists. I don’t know.

“People have their lives to live, their struggles, and their opinions.

“Everyone is dealing with their own universe of things.

“I’ve known quite a few famous singers, songwriters and artists, and I’ve always been able to separate the work from the person.

“I never let the individual spoil the art.”

Elsewhere on the album, Chrissie teams up with Julian Lennon for a version of The Beatles’ It’s Only Love, and she revealed that it was Julian who chose the track instead of a song by The Rolling Stones.

She explained, “I sent him two songs. I sent him Sway, the Rolling Stones track, and I sent him It’s Only Love.

“I said, ‘Do you fancy doing one of these?’ And he said, ‘Well, I think It’s Only Love has better lyrics and a better melody.’

“And I replied, ‘Uh, I’d agree with you.’ That really made me laugh.”