Tom Petty (1950-2017)

Null:

I had always taken Tom Petty for granted. I didn’t realize until maybe ten years ago that Tom Petty had been writing the soundtrack to my life while I was living it. I’d always liked him, but over the last several years I have learned what a true national treasure he is…or was. One of the first real dark rock ‘n’ roll songs I remember caring about was “Refugee.” It dominated the FM airwaves in 1980, back when I had only witnessed eight winters. Everything about the song made it a misfit anthem, from the subject matter, to the haunting sound, and that weird, reedy voice.

Later, I had a few cassette tapes by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers while I was in high school. They all left an impression on me. I distinctly remember the album Southern Accents. The title song always made tears swell up in my eyes. It was about being from the South and always carrying those roots with you. It was about haunting memories of lost loved ones never to be seen again, unless in heart crushing dreams. I wasn’t from the South, but we all come from somewhere. This was Petty’s great power—to make the specific universal. That is why every album released throughout his life garnished radio hits that populated the airwaves. I saw The Heartbreakers live in Michigan, during my senior year in high school and have always reflected back on it as one of my favorite concerts. 

Shortly after, I took Tom for granted again and headed out to see the world.

Petty recorded songs that crept around me, making themselves ever-present, regardless of the attention I paid to them. Eventually, I always did pay attention. I would stop and listen to whatever words of unease the strange, psychedelic man was offering up at the time. Despite his other-worldliness, he seemed exceedingly down-to-earth and real. And his band, The Heatbreakers, was somehow unique while being instantly familiar.

When I was finding my way in the world after high school, his songs populated my despair, anger, and defiance in the face a disappointing world. When I huddled around campfires in the desert, experiencing psychedelic visions, well, he wrote a comedown song for that too. Petty’s top hits could be played in chronological order and perfectly punctuate the movie of my life. The weird thing is, I don’t think I’m the only one that feels this way.

In 2007, an extensive documentary of the band was released, called Runnin’ Down a Dream. It verified what many of us had always thought. Tom Petty was a cool motherfucker. He took on the record company when he was just a kid because they wanted to sell his new record for a buck more than other records at the time. He never sold any of his music to advertisers. In 2016, Tom Petty was more punk rock than Green Day; but then, he always was.

The second time I saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was at Red Rocks, in Colorado in 2015. They were awesome and I felt like I had come full circle twenty-five years later. Except for, by then, I no longer took him for granted and I had complied all of his albums and realized that almost every song on every Tom Petty record could have been a hit single. The deep cuts in his life’s work find their way deep into my soul. Astonishingly, the same is true of all the big hit songs as well. It is hard to wrap one’s mind around Petty’s seemingly rebel and intimate perception and his adoration by the masses. It seems like that could really be the greatest rock ‘n’ roll dream. Somehow, Tom Petty achieved this seemingly contradictory status without compromise and with authenticity.

SoDak:

Tom Petty’s music has been a constant traveling companion. He was there when I was a child, turning the knobs on the radio in the car, trying to find songs without too much static. The opening notes of “American Girl” would ring out, and I would kick my legs in excitement, while riding in the middle of the bench seat. “Listen to Her Heart” would make me smile, as I sang along. At the time, I do not think I knew that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were the band responsible for these songs—at least it did not really register in my mind. Hell, I was very young. The songs gave me goosebumps and made me want to jump around. But in 1979, when I was seven, I fell in love with Tom Petty. I was at a friend’s house and we were downstairs playing pinball. His older sister put Damn the Torpedoes on the record player. As “Refugee” started, I turned and stared at the speakers, as if there was something to see regarding the song. I got chills. The guitars, drums, bass, and keyboard were all perfectly placed in the mix. Tom Petty’s voice was a little strange, but seemed so sincere and focused. My friend tugged on my shirt, trying to redirect me to the game. “Here Comes My Girl” was interesting given the talking followed by the chorus. By the time, “Even the Losers” hit the chorus, I was sitting on the couch, holding the record cover, reading the names of the songs. From that point on, I remained invested in Tom Petty’s recordings and got excited whenever I would hear a new song. He was there as I moved from elementary school to junior high to high school.

In 1989, my brother, like so many others, became obsessed with Full Moon Fever. Yes, the songs were overplayed on the radio, but the whole fuckin’ record is filled with hits. As far as his “solo” records, I fell in love with Wildflowers, as I really liked the more acoustic presentation of the songs. My brother and his friends also enjoyed this record, given the reference in “You Don’t Know How It Feels” to rolling another joint. While I have never seen the film, She’s the One, I liked the soundtrack that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers did for it, Songs and Music from “She’s the One.” This record did not garner much attention, but it is still enjoyable. “Zero from Outer Space” still gets me excited, given the raw rock ‘n’ roll energy. The title track from The Last DJ remains a great fuck you to corporate executives.

In 2007, I made my wife watch Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream. She liked Tom Petty, but after seeing this film, she became obsessed with the band. On every road trip, she plays several Tom Petty records. She bounces to the beat while riding in the passenger seat. When I am downstairs working, I can hear her upstairs singing Tom Petty songs, even though the music is not playing. It is pleasing to see her so passionate about specific artists. It makes me happy to share this love. Several years ago, we went to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Red Rocks with Null and his partner. It was simply a perfect night.